September day games at Nippert Stadium split the crowd into two groups: the shaded and the cooked. The field runs diagonally, about 31 degrees off north, the shade collects on the northwest sideline, and below is how much of a noon, 3:30 or night Cincinnati kickoff every area spends in shade, ray-traced for this exact bowl.
Pick your game and kickoff. Watch the shade move across the bowl through the game.
The field runs diagonally, about 31 degrees off north, so the afternoon sun crosses the bowl broadside. The stands on the northwest side block it first: that sideline averages about 41% of a 3:30 game in shade against 7% for the southeast side. Every number here is ray-traced for this exact orientation (31 degrees), latitude and kickoff time, by the same engine as the live map.
Share of a full game spent in shade, by area, for a mid-September Saturday:
| Seats | Noon | 3:30 | 7:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast sideline, lower rows | 0% | 14% | 98% |
| Southeast sideline, upper deck | 0% | 0% | 82% |
| Northwest sideline, lower rows | 0% | 42% | 100% |
| Northwest sideline, upper deck | 0% | 40% | 100% |
| Northeast end zone, lower rows | 0% | 26% | 100% |
| Northeast end zone, upper deck | 0% | 11% | 96% |
| Southwest end zone, lower rows | 0% | 32% | 100% |
| Southwest end zone, upper deck | 0% | 27% | 100% |
A 100% cell means that area never sees direct sun that game. The 7:00 column climbs everywhere because the sun sets mid-game.
| Seats | Game in shade | Reaches half shade |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest sideline, lower rows | 42% | about 2.5 hours in |
| Northwest sideline, mid level | 42% | about 2.5 hours in |
| Northwest sideline, upper deck | 40% | about 2.5 hours in |
| Southwest end zone, lower rows | 32% | about 3 hours in |
Southeast sideline, upper deck sit in sun for 100% of a 3:30 game, and Southeast sideline, mid level sit in sun for 93% of a 3:30 game. Noon kickoffs start with the sun about 49 degrees high and nearly every open seat lit. You cannot buy full shade at noon here, only a head start: northwest sideline, lower rows gain it soonest.
At a 3:30 kickoff the sun stands about 46 degrees up in the southwest. Minute by minute, this is what the model shows: shade climbs the northwest sideline from the bottom up. The lower rows reach half shade about 2.5 hours in, the upper deck about 2.5 hours in. That surprises people who assume the top of the stadium shades first. It does not. The stands behind you rise at roughly the same pitch as the afternoon sun, so the front rows drop into shadow first and the shade line walks upward row by row. The southeast sideline, upper deck never reach half shade before the final whistle.
At a 7:00 kickoff the sun starts about 9 degrees up and disappears before halftime, so every area heads to 100% in the night column. When the schedule offers a night game, that is the shade play, not a seat trick.
Shift the same 3:30 game to late October and the numbers move on their own: about 56% shade on the northwest sideline instead of 41%, with the kickoff sun 15 degrees lower (31 vs 46). November crowds rarely need this page at all.
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These figures come straight from the engine that runs the live map: a 3D bowl model ray-traced against the actual solar path for the dates and kickoffs listed. Overhangs, press boxes and one-off canopies are not modeled, so use the numbers to rank areas, then confirm the exact row on a seat map. Independent tool; not affiliated with the NCAA or any school.
Same conference, same afternoon sun. Shade guides for the rest of the Big 12: