Ross Bjork: Ohio State asking for 'flexibility' with Big Ten TV schedule, amount of noon games

In 2024, Ohio State played seven of its 12 regular-season games in the Noon ET window. Buckeyes fans voiced their displeasure with the lack of primetime games and early kickoff times, and Ross Bjork has expressed a similar sentiment.

This week, Bjork said Ohio State is asking for “flexibility” with regard to the TV schedule. Under the Big Ten’s current media deal, FOX has the first pick of games for each week. That means those teams would play in the early window since that’s the network’s Big Ten window. CBS has the 3:30 p.m. slot and NBC gets primetime.

Bjork noted the impact of Ohio State’s brand while breaking down why the Buckeyes get the noon slate. That said, he added the current media agreement doesn’t allow much wiggle room with regard to game times under its draft system.

“We’ve spent a lot of time working with FOX, working with the Big Ten to understand, look, we know why we’re chosen for Big Noon Kickoff,” Bjork said on All Sides with Amy Juravich. “We know it. Our brand is the biggest brand. We have the most viewership, we have the biggest fan base, we’ve carried the window in that noon kickoff. What we’re asking for is just a little more flexibility. Why does every one of our games have to be at noon? But the TV contracts, the way they’re laid out is, FOX has the first pick – they own the noon window. They don’t own a night window, they don’t own a 3:30 window. They have the first pick, and then it goes to sort of a pooling of NBC and CBS and the Big Ten Network. CBS owns the 3:30 window and NBC owns the 7:30 window.

“There’s not flexibility within that. FOX can’t just say, ‘Hey, for this game, we want a 7:30 window and for this game, we want a 3:30.’ So the lack of flexibility that was kind of built into this, to me, that’s the part that we have to continue to chip away at.”

During the 2024 season, Ohio State was the second-most watched team in college football, averaging 6.8 million viewers on the year. But the Buckeyes played in seven noon games, including The Game against Michigan.

Ross Bjork: ‘Why can’t we have more adaptability?’

The Big Ten’s media deal took effect in 2023, but fully kicked in last year when CBS gained exclusive rights for the 3:30 p.m. ET after the SEC’s deal with ESPN started. The seven-year, $7 billion deal is due to expire in 2030.

Ross Bjork said his goal is to create more flexibility ahead of that expiration date. However, if things stay status quo, FOX will continue to pick the biggest game on the slate since it gets the top choice.

“So when the CBS and NBC contracts come up in 2030 – which seems like a long time [away], but it’ll go fast – how can we create flexibility within our TV partners?” Bjork said. “How can we create more just movement – why do we always have to play at noon? Why can’t we have more adaptability throughout? That’s what we’re asking for. That’s what we’re really kind of pressing with the Big Ten.

“But right now, there just is no flexibility, so FOX is going to pick the biggest game. And if you look week by week, we’re going to be in that window a lot. … Everyone, be patient. But the message also is, it should not matter when we play. We’re asking our fans to show up, be loud, support the team, create a home field advantage. And then, we’ll work on that stuff off the field.”