Iowa gets three 2:30 football games to start the season, and I'm happy about it

I may be the only person in the sportswriting dodge who would rather cover a 2:30 p.m. college football game than an 11 a.m. game.

So learning Thursday that Iowa starts its season with three straight 2:30 games (vs. Northern Illinois in Chicago on ESPNU and vs. Iowa State and Northern Iowa in Iowa City on the Big Ten Network) pleased me verily. Verily, I say unto thee.

Two reasons:

1) I'm of the belief nothing good happens before noon. In other words, not a morning person. But that's of little interest to you, or me for that matter.

2) Legitimate sporting events of consequence do not start in the morning. You hold it later in the day, let the day breathe, let the anticipation build.

The Kentucky Derby isn't a Run for the Roses when the roses still have dew on them. The final pairing at the Masters don't tee off until 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. World Series, Super Bowls, NBA Finals, heavyweight-title fights ... these are something you might wake up thinking about, but you don't watch them with a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice.

If a sporting event is meaningful, it's held later in the day. And who wouldn't rather be at a meaningful event than one that is an opening act for the rest of the day?

Besides, the way game-day traffic is always gummed up in the host cities of Iowa State-Iowa games, the extra 3 1/2 hours to sort it all out can only help.

Which brings us to the tailgating ramifications. Since I'm always an observer instead of a participant, I'll leave that one up to you.