Alright folks, let me walk you through how I tackled putting together that Northern Illinois vs Miami Ohio game day guide yesterday. Honestly, figuring out where and when to watch these games can be like pulling teeth sometimes.
The Spark of the Idea
Sitting at my kitchen table yesterday morning, coffee halfway gone, I was scrolling through some college football threads. Kept seeing people asking “When do the Huskies play?” and “Where can I watch Miami OH?” for this upcoming game. It clicked: nobody had a clear, simple guide. Time to make one myself.
Digging for the Start Time
First hurdle: the dang start time. You’d think it’d be easy, right? Wrong. Hopped onto the official Northern Illinois Athletics site. Nothing obvious on the main schedule. Clicked into the football schedule page. Scrolled down… and down… finally spotted the Miami Ohio matchup. Bingo? Not quite. Listed the time as “TBD” still. Ugh. Crossed my fingers and checked the MAC conference site. Same useless “TBD” there too.
Switched gears entirely. Went straight to ESPN’s website, heart hoping. Searched “Northern Illinois Miami Ohio”. There it was! Buried in the schedule details: 3:30 PM ET. Relief! But wait… is that Eastern Time? Needed to confirm. Opened up my clock app, added the MAC’s time zone (Eastern for Ohio). Did the math: 3:30 PM ET equals 2:30 PM for my folks back in Illinois. Made a big note: CONFIRM TIME ZONE DIFFERENCE!
The Broadcast Nightmare
Next mess: figuring out the actual channel. ESPN said “ESPNU”. Okay, seems straightforward. But experience tells me it’s never that simple. What about streaming? Can people watch it online without cable?
Here’s what I did:
- Checked the MAC’s official TV listings page. Confirmed ESPNU.
- Went to the ESPNU schedule on their site. Yep, the game is listed there.
- Scrolled way down on * to their “Ways to Watch” section. My eyes glazed over a bit. Holy options, Batman!
- Started listing them out:
Cable/Satellite: Plain and simple, ESPNU channel if you have it.
Streaming: Took forever to sort through:
- ESPN app (if you get ESPNU through your TV provider login)
- Sling TV (needs the sports add-on, I think?)
- Hulu + Live TV
- YouTube TV
- FuboTV
Made sure to add: Check if ESPNU is included in YOUR specific streaming package! Nothing worse than someone signing up and finding out it’s blocked.
Putting It All Together
Opened up my trusty draft document. Started typing it out simply:
- Who: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Miami Ohio RedHawks
- When: Saturday [Date], 3:30 PM Eastern Time (2:30 PM Central Time!)
- Where to Watch: ESPNU
- How to Stream: Listed all those messy streaming options. Added links? Nah, just the names – let people figure out their own subscriptions!
Re-read it a few times. Kept thinking “Is this clear enough for someone who just wants the basics?” Cut out some jargon. Bolded the crucial bits: start time and channel. Added that time zone warning again for good measure. Saved it. Hit publish. Crossed fingers hoping I got it right and it actually helps some folks on game day!
