Super Bowl 2018 Actual Start Time: What Time Will The Championship Game Kick Off?

There is a great deal of pre-kickoff buildup for the Super Bowl. The national anthem, coin-flip and the placekicker's meticulous placement of the ball on the tee extend the start of the game beyond its scheduled kickoff time.

While Super Bowl LII has a scheduled kickoff of 6:30 p.m. ET, the time either New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski or the Philadelphia Eagles' Jake Elliott actually kicks off will likely be several minutes afterward.

Those who prefer to skip a lot of the pageantry should probably expect to wait until at least 6:36 p.m. rolls around to see the kickoff.

Super Bowls have typically been scheduled for a 6:30 pm. kickoff, but the game has never started at that exact time. In 2016, the Carolina Panthers' Graham Gano didn't actually kick off until 6:39 p.m. In 2017, the game didn't start until after former President George H.W. Bush's appearance for the coin flip, which was followed by Atlanta Falcons' Matt Bosher's kick at about 6:36 p.m.

The factors include the length of the national anthem, as well as the referees' speed in getting the coin flip situated. Since this year's Super Bowl is at the domed U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the kicker isn't expected to spend time much time adjusting the tee.

While it's understandable that many NFL fans don't like the hype of the kickoff, this one might be worth watching. Gostkowski has just 40 touchbacks on 99 kicks in 2017, while Elliott had 42 touchbacks on 84 attempts.