Big Noon Kickoff adds second former coach to crew
Former Washington coach Chris Petersen is joining Fox Sports’ college football coverage this fall as an analyst on Big Noon Kickoff, per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. Petersen was pursued by ESPN, but he now joins the chief competitor of College GameDay.
What Chris Petersen brings to Big Noon Kickoff
Petersen retired at Washington in 2019, following an 8-5 season. In his six seasons in Seattle, the Huskies went 55-26 overall and 34-20 in Pac-12 play. Washington won two conference titles and made the College Football Playoff in 2016 where they lost to Alabama, 24-7. The Huskies also made the 2019 Rose Bowl under Petersen.
Before taking over at Washington in 2014, Petersen spent eight seasons at Boise State and established the Broncos as a perennial power in the Group of Five. Petersen was at the helm when the Broncos knocked off Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
With nearly 15 years of head coaching experience, Petersen knows the game. He knows that the college football landscape is changing with the new era of Name, Image and Likeness. And he knows what needs to change in the sport.
“It’s the money thing,” Petersen said last fall on SportsRadio KJR. “There’s just so much more money going on out here, so it’s much harder to make decisions. I really believe you can make this thing even better for the athletes. You can give them more of a stipend, that can happen. But I think you can make it better in a lot of different ways getting back to an amateur model.
“And so much of the fan base loves the amateur game. They pay so much, and it turns into semi-pro ball. I just don’t think there’s a bunch of people that are into that. I thought the XFL was going to be awesome. That would be an awesome bridge to the NFL. But I think college is about amateur football, and I think we can make it better.”
Big Noon Kickoff continues to chase College GameDay
With Petersen joining Big Noon Kickoff, the crew adds a second former college football coach to the show. Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was on the show for two seasons before leaving for the NFL to take the Jacksonville Jaguars job.
Fox hired former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops this offseason to take the same role Meyer had. Stoops will be a regular along with Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn and host Rob Stone. According to Marchand, Petersen will mostly appear in studio when the regular crew is on the road at games.
College GameDay remains the most watched pregame college football show, but Big Noon Kickoff continues to challenge the ESPN mainstay. Fox’s premier college football shows is expected to have more presence on-site this season with a commitment to travel more. Big Noon Kickoff will be on-location for Nebraska at Illinois on Aug. 28 and Ohio State at Minnesota on Sept. 2.
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