Report: FOX Sports unlikely to license Big Ten, Big 12 games for possible college football RedZone

Fans hoping for a college football version of the NFL RedZone following a deal between ESPN and the NFL might have to wait a bit for some complicated wrinkles to be ironed out. Rights will have a lot to do with it.

While the NFL’s television rights deals are relatively consolidated, college football’s are not. And that could create some serious hurdles to a college RedZone package.

According to a report from Front Office Sports, FOX Sports could be a significant hurdle in the race to produce a college RedZone offering. FOX carries the Big Noon game of the week in the Big Ten, as well as other conference offerings for both the Big Ten and Big 12.

And FOS reports that FOX is unlikely to license its Big Ten or Big 12 games to ESPN for fear of cannibalizing its own viewership. Per FOS: “Fox would require significant ownership in the venture to have any willingness to participate.”

The news comes after hints of a potential college RedZone offering for fans. The NFL’s recent deal with ESPN allowed the sports giant to take over the NFL RedZone package.

Even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has hinted at a college version of the extremely popular broadcast. To wit:

Roger Goodell hints at College RedZone

Roger Goodell is looking into having a RedZone channel for college football after ESPN acquired the NFL Network. While appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the NFL commissioner hinted at the potential launch of College Football RedZone.

“It’ll continue to be produced right here in this building,” Roger Goodell said from NFL Network’s broadcast studio in L.A. when asked about the future of NFL RedZone. “It will be the NFL RedZone. I don’t think fans will see any difference to that.

“Obviously, in the context of that, though, ESPN purchased the RedZone name, and they will be able to utilize that for other sports, college football and other things, and I think that could be an exciting thing for our fans also to see a RedZone, maybe in college football or other sports. That’s something that they now own and have the ability to do that. But as far as Red Zone, NFL Red Zone, there won’t be any changes for our plans.”

On3’s Brian Jones also contributed to this report.