University of Oregon Ducks play the California Golden Bears at Autzen Stadium

Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8), runs against California in a night game in 2013 at Autzen Stadium.

(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

EUGENE -- Oregon football will play at least three games after 7 p.m. in 2014, starting with the Ducks' season opener Aug. 30 against South Dakota.

Kickoff times for five of the Ducks' season were released Thursday morning, though the start of the other seven regular-season games won't be determined until typically a week before each game.

Oregon's marquee non-conference game against Rose Bowl champion Michigan State is set for 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 6.

The slate includes games from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and looks like this:

Aug. 30 vs. South Dakota, 7:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks

Sept. 6 vs. Michigan State, 3:30 p.m. on Fox

Sept. 13 vs. Wyoming, 11 a.m. on Pac-12 Networks

Oct. 2 (Thursday) vs. Arizona, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

Oct. 24 (Friday) vs. Cal at Levi's Stadium, 7 p.m. on Fox

Oregon played two night home games in 2013 and in October, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said the conference would prefer fewer late starts.

It was at one of Oregon's 2013 night games at Autzen Stadium, against California on Sept. 28, that Scott addressed late kicks by calling them "a balancing act."

"We have to be mindful of spreading those as evenly as possible," Scott said. "It is a challenge to sell tickets when you're talking about late games."

However, Scott would later acknowledge that West Coast games -- which because of geography are usually the latest games of the day to be played -- deliver good ratings in late time slots.

"The truth is they rate well," Scott told reporters Oct. 3. "We get a lot of attention because there's not a lot that's going on. But we're very mindful to spread it amongst all of our campuses. We realize it is a burden for fans. It's a burden for campuses."

In a February report in the San Jose Mercury News, Scott was described as being "keenly aware of the frustration" from coaches, administrators and fans over the late starts.

-- Andrew Greif | @andrewgreif