Ohio State football players put an end to Big Noon Blowup

When it was announced Ohio State’s game with Indiana on November 23rd would be yet another early start, their fifth in a row, Buckeye fans had a complete meltdown. Let's call it the Big Noon Blowup. There was so much caterwauling you’d have thought Ryan Day decided to punt on first-and-goal from the Michigan 1-yard line when the Buckeyes were about to score the game-winning touchdown.

To say Scarlet and Gray faithful who attend games were unhappy about their pregame drinking time being drastically cut is a gross understatement. You could almost hear the screams of anguish.

 But, had anyone thought of asking the players their opinion? Because, you know, their opinion is kind of important. During their media session on Wednesday, the players were asked to weigh in. This is what wide receiver Carnell Tate had to say,

"We love it. We like to play noon games. We like to wake up and go straight to the field and play. The earlier the game is, the more time you've got on the back end of your day. "

- Carnell Tate

Not exactly the answer tailgating Buckeye fans want to hear. Jelani Thurman, Sonny Styles, and Will Howard echoed Tate’s opinion. Howard said, “There's something I kind of like about just getting up and going. There's less thinking involved. Sitting in the hotel, for me, I just get antsy.” Hey folks, do we really want our favorite team’s starting quarterback getting antsy?

The only opinions that matter on this subject are those of the players. If they are fine with the early kickoffs, then those howling OSU fans need to be fine with it as well. The most important thing to me is the Buckeyes winning each week.

If players feel start times for games is affecting their performance, then I’d be screaming as well. But that isn’t the case. Whether it is liked or not, it is time for fans to stop complaining and put an end to the Big Noon Blowup.