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Chris Del Conte sends message to fans upset with Oklahoma game time being moved

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•05/30/24•

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Syndication: Austin American-Statesman
Both athletic directors from Texas and Oklahoma say their Red River Showdown rivalry football matchups will continue at the Cotton Bowl each season regardless of how the SEC is configured once they join.

If you ask a Texas or Oklahoma fan their opinion of the Red River Shootout’s start time, mixed answers will come in. Some will advocate for a night kickoff but due to conditions around Fair Park in Dallas, that remains unlikely. Ultimately, the debate resides between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., with the latter winning for the 2024 season.

The game will take place on Oct. 12 and even so, fans are upset due to the potential heat in the afternoon. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte sent a message to those upset about the 2:30 start time, saying everybody in the SEC has to play in the three start times.

“We’re worried about 11:00 games and then we got to 2:30 and then we want night games,” Del Conte said. “I would prefer all night games. I would, I get it. But you look at Alabama — they played a game at 11:00, their place. Everybody has a steady diet.”

Texas and Oklahoma last kicked off at 2:30 p.m. in 2017, with the following six games being at 11 a.m. FOX has broadcasted the majority and placed them on Big Noon Kickoff, while the ESPN versions have been at the same start time.

Now, the World Wide Leader has full control of SEC games but Del Conte, alongside Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione, campaigned for the game to be at 2:30 p.m. — not something the conference will promise annually.

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“Greg Sankey says that both OU and Texas wanted the Red River Rivalry wanted the game to be at 2:30,” Georgia Stoia of On3’s Sooner Scoop said via X. “Says that he can’t guarantee it will be 2:30 every year, but there is certainly more of a chance of it being played in that time slot more often.”

Del Conte believes fans will have to deal with inconvenient game times, no matter the circumstance. He does not seem too thrilled about playing Michigan for FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff Week 2 of the season.

Like they will be in Dallas for the Red River Shootout, Del Conte expects Michigan to help the fans out any way they can.

“There’s only really two channels for two conferences to play a bunch of their games,” Del Conte said. “Michigan is playing at noon against us, it’s going to be hot up there too. We’ll have all the water stations and towels. Everything you need. I’m not a big fan of that time.”