FSU Football: Record by Scheduled Start Time Since 2006

As is the case with schedule releases, fans tend to put a lot of stock into kickoff times. Four kickoff times have already been set for Florida State for 2016.

Fans seem to like the nighttime kickoffs and despise the early starts, but over the years, which kickoff times have been best for FSU? As we did previously with uniform combinations, we decided to take a look with scheduled start times:

Early Kickoffs (11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.)

RECORD: 21-4 (.840)

11:30 a.m. EST

Record: 1-0 (1.000)
Sept. 12, 2015 – Won vs. South Florida, 34-14

Noon EST

Record: 17-3 (.850)
Nov. 4, 2006 – Won vs. Virginia, 33-0
Nov. 25, 2006 – Lost vs. Florida, 21-14
Nov. 17, 2007 – Won vs. Maryland, 24-16
Sept. 26, 2009 – Lost vs. South Florida, 17-7
Oct. 31, 2009 – Won vs. N.C. State, 45-42
Nov. 14, 2009 – Won at Wake Forest, 41-28
Nov. 21, 2009 – Won vs. Maryland, 29-26
Sept. 4, 2010 – Won vs. Samford, 59-6
Oct. 2, 2010 – Won at Virginia, 34-14
Oct. 16, 2010 – Won vs. Boston College, 24-19
Oct. 29, 2011 – Won vs. N.C. State, 34-0
Sept. 15, 2012 – Won vs. Wake Forest, 52-0
Nov. 17, 2012 – Won at Maryland, 41-14
Oct. 5, 2013 – Won vs. Maryland, 63-0
Nov. 9, 2013 – Won at Wake Forest, 59-3
Nov. 30, 2013 – Won at Florida, 37-7
Oct. 11, 2014 – Won at Syracuse, 38-20
Oct. 17, 2015 – Won vs. Louisville, 41-21
Oct. 31, 2015 – Won vs. Syracuse, 45-21
Dec. 31, 2015 – Lost vs. Houston, 38-24 (Peach Bowl)

12:30 p.m. EST

Record: 1-1 (.500)
Oct. 8, 2011 – Lost at Wake Forest, 35-30
Nov. 14, 2015 – Won vs. N.C. State, 34-17

1 p.m. EST

Record: 2-0 (1.000)
Oct. 14, 2006 – Won at Duke, 51-24
Jan. 1, 2010 – Won vs. West Virginia, 33-21 (Gator Bowl)

Mid-Day and Early Evening Starts (2-7 p.m.)

RECORD: 41-15 (.732)

2 p.m. EST

Record: 1-0 (1.000)
Nov. 18, 2006 – Won vs. Western Michigan, 28-20

3 p.m. EST

Record: 2-0 (1.000)
Oct. 15, 2011 – Won at Duke, 41-16
Nov. 21, 2015 – Won vs. Chattanooga, 52-13

3:30 p.m. EST

Record: 23-12 (.657)
Sept. 23, 2006 — Won vs. Rice, 55-7
Oct. 21, 2006 – Lost vs. Boston College, 24-19
Oct. 6, 2007 – Won vs. N.C. State, 27-10
Oct. 20, 2007 – Lost vs. Miami, 37-29
Nov. 10, 2007 – Lost at Virginia Tech, 40-21
Sept. 27, 2008 – Won vs. Colorado, 39-21 (Jacksonville)
Oct. 4, 2008 – Won at Miami, 41-39
Oct. 25, 2008 – Won vs. Virginia Tech, 30-20
Nov. 1, 2008 – Lost at Georgia Tech, 31-28
Nov. 8, 2008 – Won vs. Clemson, 41-27
Nov. 29, 2008 – Lost vs. Florida, 45-15
Oct. 3, 2009 – Lost at Boston College, 28-21
Nov. 28, 2009 – Lost at Florida, 37-10
Sept. 11, 2010 – Lost at Oklahoma, 47-17
Sept. 18, 2010 – Won vs. BYU, 34-10
Sept. 25, 2010 – Won vs. Wake Forest, 31-0
Nov. 6, 2010 – Lost vs. North Carolina, 37-35
Nov. 27, 2010 – Won vs. Florida, 31-7
Sept. 3, 2011 – Won vs. Louisiana-Monroe, 34-0
Sept. 24, 2011 – Lost at Clemson, 35-30
Oct. 22, 2011 – Won vs. Maryland, 41-16
Nov. 12, 2011 – Won vs. Miami, 23-19
Oct. 27, 2012 – Won vs. Duke, 48-7
Nov. 24, 2012 – Lost vs. Florida, 37-26
Sept. 14, 2013 – Won vs. Nevada, 62-7
Sept. 28, 2013 – Won at Boston College, 48-34
Oct. 26, 2013 – Won vs. N.C. State, 49-7
Nov. 16, 2013 – Won vs. Syracuse, 59-3
Nov. 23, 2013 – Won vs. Idaho, 80-14
Sept. 27, 2014 – Won at N.C. State, 56-41
Oct. 4, 2014 – Won vs. Wake Forest, 43-3
Nov. 22, 2014 – Won vs. Boston College, 20-17
Nov. 29, 2014 – Won vs. Florida, 24-19
Oct. 3, 2015 – Won at Wake Forest, 24-16
Nov. 7, 2015 – Lost at Clemson, 23-13

3:45 p.m. EST

Record: 1-0 (1.000)
Sept. 13, 2008 – Won vs. Chattanooga, 46-7

4 p.m. EST

Record: 0-1 (.000)
Dec. 31, 2007 – Lost vs. Kentucky, 35-28 (Music City Bowl)

4:30 p.m. EST

Record: 1-0 (1.000)
Dec. 27, 2008 – Won vs. Wisconsin, 42-13 (Champs Sports Bowl)

5 p.m. EST

Record: 2-2 (.500)
Sept. 8, 2007 – Won vs. UAB, 34-24
Sept. 29, 2007 – Won vs. Alabama, 21-14 (Jacksonville)
Nov. 24, 2007 – Lost at Florida, 45-12
Jan. 1, 2015 – Lost vs. Oregon, 59-20 (Rose Bowl)

5:30 p.m. EST

Record: 2-0 (1.000)
Dec. 29, 2011 – Won vs. Notre Dame, 18-14 (Champs Sports Bowl)
Oct. 13, 2012 – Won vs. Boston College, 51-7

6 p.m. EST

Record: 8-0 (1.000)
Sept. 9, 2006 – Won vs. Troy, 24-17
Sept. 6, 2008 – Won vs. Western Carolina, 69-0
Sept. 12, 2009 – Won vs. Jacksonville State, 19-9
Sept. 10, 2011 – Won vs. Charleston Southern, 62-10
Sept. 1, 2012 – Won vs. Murray State, 69-3
Sept. 8, 2012 – Won vs. Savannah State, 55-0
Sept. 29, 2012 – Won at South Florida, 30-17
Sept. 21, 2013 – Won vs. Bethune-Cookman, 54-6

6:30 p.m. EST

Record: 1-0 (1.000)
Nov. 8, 2014 – Won vs. Virginia, 34-20

Prime Time (7 p.m. and later)

RECORD: 36-17 (.679)

7 p.m. EST

Record: 2-3 (.400)
Oct. 28, 2006 – Lost at Maryland, 27-24
Sept. 20, 2008 – Lost vs. Wake Forest, 12-3
Sept. 19, 2009 – Won at BYU, 54-28
Nov. 26, 2011 – Won at Florida, 21-7
Oct. 24, 2015 – Lost at Georgia Tech, 22-16

7:30 p.m. EST

Record: 6-4 (.600)
Oct. 5, 2006 – Lost at N.C. State, 24-20
Oct. 11, 2007 – Lost at Wake Forest, 24-21
Oct. 16, 2008 – Won at N.C. State, 26-17
Oct. 28, 2010 – Lost at N.C. State, 28-24
Dec. 31, 2010 – Won vs. South Carolina, 26-17 (Chick-fil-A Bowl)
Nov. 19, 2011 – Lost vs. Virginia, 14-13
Nov. 8, 2012 – Won at Virginia Tech, 28-22
Sept. 6, 2014 – Won vs. The Citadel, 37-12
Oct. 30, 2014 – Won at Louisville, 42-31
Nov. 28, 2015 – Won at Florida, 27-2

7:45 p.m. EST

Record: 2-3 (.400)
Sept. 16, 2006 – Lost vs. Clemson, 27-20
Nov. 22, 2008 – Won at Maryland, 37-3
Nov. 7, 2009 – Lost at Clemson, 40-24
Dec. 4, 2010 – Lost to Virginia Tech, 44-33 (ACC Championship)
Dec. 1, 2012 – Won vs. Georgia Tech, 21-15 (ACC Championship)

8 p.m. EST

Record: 23-6 (.793)
Sept. 4, 2006 – Won at Miami, 13-10
Nov. 11, 2006 – Lost vs. Wake Forest, 30-0
Dec. 27, 2006 – Won vs. UCLA, 44-27 (Emerald Bowl)
Sept. 3, 2007 – Lost at Clemson, 24-18
Oct. 27, 2007 – Won vs. Duke, 25-6
Nov. 3, 2007 – Won at Boston College, 27-17
Nov. 15, 2008 – Lost vs. Boston College, 27-17
Sept. 7, 2009 – Lost vs. Miami, 38-34
Oct. 10, 2009 – Lost vs. Georgia Tech, 49-44
Oct. 22, 2009 – Won at North Carolina, 30-27
Oct. 9, 2010 – Won at Miami, 45-17
Nov. 13, 2010 – Won vs. Clemson, 16-13
Nov. 20, 2010 – Won at Maryland, 30-16
Nov. 3, 2011 – Won at Boston College, 38-7
Sept. 22, 2012 – Won vs. Clemson, 49-37
Oct. 6, 2012 – Lost at N.C. State, 17-16
Oct. 20, 2012 – Won at Miami, 33-20
Sept. 2, 2013 – Won at Pittsburgh, 41-13
Oct. 19, 2013 – Won at Clemson, 51-14
Nov. 2, 2013 – Won vs. Miami, 41-14
Dec. 7, 2013 – Won vs. Duke, 45-7 (ACC Championship)
Aug. 30, 2014 – Won vs. Oklahoma State, 37-31 (Dallas)
Sept. 20, 2014 – Won vs. Clemson, 23-17 (Overtime)
Oct. 18, 2014 – Won vs. Notre Dame, 31-27
Nov. 15, 2014 – Won at Miami, 30-26
Dec. 6, 2014 – Won vs. Georgia Tech, 37-35 (ACC Championship)
Sept. 5, 2015 – Won vs. Texas State, 59-16
Sept. 18, 2015 – Won at Boston College, 14-0
Oct. 10, 2015 – Won vs. Miami, 29-24

8:15 p.m. EST

Record: 0-1 (.000)
Sept. 17, 2011 – Lost vs. Oklahoma, 23-13

8:30 p.m. EST

Record: 2-0 (1.000)
Jan. 1, 2013 – Won vs. Northern Illinois, 31-10 (Orange Bowl)
Jan. 6, 2014 – Won vs. Auburn, 34-31 (BCS National Championship)

10 p.m. EST

Record: 1-0 (1.000)
Sept. 15 – Won at Colorado, 16-6

Observations

• While fans love the late kickoffs, Florida State fares much worse in prime time, but that’s not a surprise because that’s when the bigger games usually are. Looking through the games however, FSU seems to also be more upset prone at night.
• FSU plays its best football during the early games, but usually those aren’t marquee match-ups. Still, when looking at the list, the only major upsets early on came to South Florida in 2009 and Wake Forest in 2011. There haven’t been any in almost five years and the Seminoles have played plenty of ACC and Power 5 opponents.
• The 6 p.m. start time has been a lucrative one for Florida State as the Seminoles are a perfect 8-0 with a decent sample size. When you look at the games however, you see only two FBS schools and none from a Power 5 conference.
• While Florida State’s overall record in prime time is the worst of the three major categories, the Seminoles have been better in recent years. Not since a 17-16 upset loss to North Carolina State in 2012 have the Seminoles lost a game that started at 8 p.m. or later. That active winning streak is 15 entering 2016.
• FSU is 6-4 since 2006 in games starting at 7:30 p.m. Three of those four losses however, came on a Thursday night.