Does early kickoff give Miami an advantage over Texas A&M’s vaunted 12th Man?

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When the Hurricanes last traveled to College Station, Texas, they had to deal with the electric Kyle Field environment under the lights in front of Texas A&M’s notorious “12th Man.” That game kicked off at 8 p.m. local time.

Miami’s return to Texas A&M has higher stakes — it’s both teams’ first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff — but this time, breakfast will be served at the tailgates around campus. Kickoff is slated for noon Eastern Time, 11 a.m. local time.

The decision angered Texas A&M fans, who would have preferred a late kickoff. Night games typically have a more intense atmosphere, which could bolster the home-field advantage provided by more than 100,000 boisterous Aggies fans. Meanwhile, two other playoff games — James Madison at Oregon and Tulane at Ole Miss — are scheduled for 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. kickoffs, respectively, even though neither game is expected to be as close or as intensely watched as UM vs. Texas A&M.

But both Miami coach Mario Cristobal and Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said they do not believe the early kickoff will have an effect on the environment — although many analysts believe the early start time favors UM.

“I think playing in Kyle Field is an advantage to the home team,” Elko said. “I’m excited for that. I’m excited to see our students turn out. I’m excited to see our fans turn out. It’ll be really cool to see that number post on the screen of how many people showed up for an 11 a.m. kick because I still think that’s what makes college football unique here at Texas A&M.”

Kyle Field is the fourth-largest stadium in college football, and the largest in the SEC. Its official capacity is 102,733, but Texas A&M has fit as many as 110,000 fans into the stadium, earning its raucous fans the nickname “12th Man.”

Earlier this season, the Aggies had an announced crowd of 108,582 against South Carolina, which was the largest home crowd of the season. The Aggies averaged 106,159 fans per home game this year and did not have a home game without at least 100,000 in the stands.

Cristobal has coached at Kyle Field four times. The first time was when he was the head coach at FIU in 2010. The Panthers nearly pulled off an upset, falling to the Aggies 27-20 in front of a relatively small crowd of 79,069. But when Cristobal went back to College Station as an assistant coach at Alabama, the crowds were much bigger.

There were 87,596 in the stands when Cristobal and the Crimson Tide won 49-42 in 2013, and there were 105,733 in attendance when Alabama beat Texas A&M 41-23 in 2015.

Cristobal returned to College Station for a 2022 matchup between UM and Texas A&M, which the Aggies won 17-9 in front of 107,245.

“That’s one of the best atmospheres in all of college football or pro football, I imagine,” Cristobal said. … So I’ve been there four times, and all four times it’s a maniacal scene. Great support, extremely loud. Certainly they do a great job. What can you say? I mean, it’s very well-documented. So again, preparation has to be at its best.”

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