It’s May, and Ohio State is fresh off a national championship, so naturally, we must find something to complain about. In college football’s attempt to keep up with the NFL and its 12-month media relevancy, various kickoff times and network broadcast schedules are starting to be announced. ESPN announced its Labor Day weekend schedule, featuring a handful of ACC matchups. FOX, meanwhile, has announced that the two biggest matchups on the Ohio State schedule will be broadcast on its network. Naturally, Ohio State fans took the news that the game at home vs. Texas would be at noon with grace.
If you were to poll Ohio State fans to rank what they hate the most, FOX‘s “Big Noon Kickoff” would finish second behind The Team Up North. For plenty, slotting the Buckeyes at noon against the biggest teams on the schedule (The Game notwithstanding due to tradition) is seen as a wasted opportunity. This year, Ohio State has two marquee matchups at home (Texas and Penn State). At the same time, there are no potential top-end, non-Michigan matchups on the road. It’s a sneaky difficult away slate, but it’s nothing compared to Texas and Penn State.
So, that begs the question: Is FOX doing a disservice to Ohio State and Ohio State fans by making all of the big matchups on the schedule at noon? It’s complicated.
Ohio State Fans vs. ‘Big Noon Kickoff’: A Never-Ending Battle
Fox’s Golden Child
For the first 94 years of its existence, Ohio State did not play night games at home. It was partially due to tradition, but mostly because Ohio Stadium just did not have lights. Then, in 1985, Ohio State beat Pitt under the lights for the first-ever night game in Columbus. It wasn’t until 1993 that the Buckeyes played another home night game. In 2014, permanent lights were added to Ohio Stadium, opening up the possibility. From 1890 through 2013, Ohio State had played 14 night games at home. From 2014 through 2024, it had played 14 (plus one 6:00 p.m. ET game in 2014).
Of those 14, FOX had one (2022 vs Toledo), and it was sandwiched between two ABC broadcasts in a rare back-to-back-to-back home night slate. ABC has broadcast nine home night games.
Since its inception heading into 2025, “Big Noon Kickoff” has featured Ohio State 22 times, five more than the next (Michigan). FOX loves Columbus as well, considering the Buckeyes have hosted the event 14 times, whereas Michigan has done so six times.
Assuming Ohio State and Texas are highly ranked, it will be the eighth time “Big Noon Kickoff” heads to Columbus for a ranked matchup. It will be the sixth top-10 matchup. And that’s before we find out who had the rights to the Penn State game and whether or not Michigan will improve from last year.
Help From The Legislature
From the state that brought us the “boneless wings can have bones in them” decision and the “make it a felony to plant a flag” bill comes a new ridiculous proposal. Republican state representative from Ohio’s 59th district, Tex Fischer, has proposed a bill aimed at “fixing this issue.”
Rep. @texfischer is out with a bill designed to curtail the Big Ten from scheduling Ohio State football games at noon.
The bill includes an exception that allows the Michigan game to kick off in its traditional noon slot.
Buckeyes have been in heavy noon rotation thanks to Fox. pic.twitter.com/LHKSxgEOUI
— The Rooster (@rooster_ohio) May 15, 2025
In essence, Rep. Fischer is proposing to make it illegal to schedule top-10 matchups played at state universities in Ohio to kick off at noon, aside from the Ohio State-Michigan game. He proposes that such games are to kick off no earlier than 3:30 p.m. ET. The penalty? Fining either the host team’s conference or the television network $10 million. The fine would be levied against whoever scheduled the game as such. Additionally, Rep. Fischer is trying to make it so that no state university “shall enter into or renew a contract” with the NCAA, conference, or media that breaks this “law.”
Thankfully for the citizens of the Buckeye State, all other issues have been solved so that the legislature (who may or may not still be operating on illegally drawn district maps) can spend its time on such an important matter.
Just like with Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) and his anti-flag planting bill, this is just grandstanding. Ohio State fans do not need help from its legislature to make it look bad and whiny. This is not helping.
No Easy Solution
Second-year Athletic Director Ross Bjork said this offseason that improving the game-day experience is a point of emphasis. How does he do that with these marquee matchups kicking off at noon?
The last time we saw Ohio State at Ohio Stadium, it was in that 42-17 beatdown of Tennessee in the College Football Playoff that had an 8:00 p.m. ET kick. This author can attest that the Horseshoe was as electric as it has been in a long time. Add in the fact that Tennessee traveled well and bought up large swathes of tickets. It was felt all the way in the press box.
The fact of the matter is that this is completely FOX‘s decision. The Big Ten has contracts with FOX, NBC, and CBS. Those three entities fight over which games they get to cover. Ohio State-Michigan is usually the first pick, and that will stay at noon. After that, it’s fair game.
FOX, CBS, and NBC agreed to a seven-year, $7 billion deal with the Big Ten; they get to call the shots. Would it be nice if the Texas game could kick off at 3:30 or 7:30? Yes. But Ohio State is at the whim of its media deals.
“Big Noon Kickoff” is going to stick around, and it will feature Ohio State. The fact of the matter is that “Big Noon Kickoff” is FOX‘s money maker, and no Big Ten team draws a crowd quite like Ohio State does, for better or for worse. Until either of those things changes, it’s only logical that this marriage will continue.
It’s disappointing, but when money is the end-all, be-all in college football, you follow where the dollar points you. The night-game atmosphere is elite in Columbus. The paycheck is more elite.
Main Photo: Samantha Madar-Imagn Images
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