After the announcement yesterday that the Wisconsin game is going to be played at noon, and reading the mainly subsequent rabble of how it should be a night game, many of whom invoke the rowdier environment of The Shoe as the main reason why, I decided to take a gander at how well the Bucks have performed since Urban took over. As a disclaimer, I'm only going to argue the analytical differences. I'm in full support of having this game be under the lights in primetime. But I also don't mind a noon time slot.
The last time Ohio State lost a noon game was, coincidentally, the last time they lost to Michigan, on November 26th, 2011. At the time of me writing this, it's been exactly 2,880 days since the Bucks have lost a game they've played at 12 o'clock eastern standard time, compiling a record of 36-0 (100%) since Urban Meyer was announced as the head coach.
In comparison to that, their record is 28-7 (80%) in games that started at 7 p.m. or later within that same time span. Still a formidable record, but not as impressive as what meets the eye. Since 2012, Ohio State has lost only 9 times, 7 of which (77.78%) were at night. The two other times they lost were against Sparty in 2015 and Iowa in 2017, both kicked off at 3:30. It's not often the Buckeyes lose, but when they do, the moon is always looming above.
The biggest argument that can be made is that, outside of Michigan, which has always been played at noon during this timespan, most of the noon games were against lesser teams, and most of the night games were against higher quality competition. Overall, you'd be correct; but the numbers aren't as favorable as you may believe. Of the 35 night games, they've faced 23 teams that would finish that season in the top 25, and they wound up with a 17-6 record (77.27%), including a 4-2 (66.67%) record against ranked teams when they play under the lights in The Shoe. (Yes, you read that correctly, Ohio State has only faced six ranked teams at night in The Shoe since 2012.) On the other side, they are 4-0 when facing ranked teams in The Shoe at noon.
I will end with an opinionated statement. Yes, the crowd is more pumped up when the game begins at night, but the three rowdiest crowds I can remember during this seven-year stretch was the 2017 Penn State game, and the 2016 and 2018 versions of The Game; the first starting at 3:30, and the two others beginning at noon. So whenever someone suggests that the Bucks play better under the lights, point them to the analytics. Because not only is the Bucks' most auspicious time slot at noon, but it's not even much of a competition.
