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"Our fans deserve some marquee night games:" Ross Bjork sounds off on Buckeyes' Big Noon problem

Spencer-Holbrookby: Spencer Holbrook06/12/25SpencerHolbrook
Ross Bjork by Mick Walker -- Lettermen Row --
Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork (Mick Walker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State will open the season with a marquee home game against a fellow top-five opponent. It’ll be one of the most highly anticipated nonconference games in recent Buckeyes history.

And thanks to the FOX contract with the Big Ten, that game will kick off at Noon on FOX rather than being a night game in front of a rowdy crowd.

When asked about the plight of Ohio State being stuck with its biggest matchups at Noon nearly every week, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork had this to say, not holding back on what he believes the Big Ten flag-carrier deserves.

“I think our program, our fans deserve some marquee night games, so we started having those conversations,” Bjork said.

Of course, the Buckeyes tried to work with FOX to move the game to the night slot, but FOX needed it to move into a Sunday night spot rather than Saturday night. As part of the contract, Texas had to clear that move. The Longhorns denied it.

“Texas, in the contract, it goes both ways and they have the ability to approve or not if the game moves off of Saturday,” Bjork said. “We asked them. I don’t blame them. Those conversations started. We worked with FOX and they were understanding. But really at the end of the day, there’s no flexibility in the contracts. FOX bought the noon window. CBS bought the afternoon window. NBC bought the night window.”

Ohio State is now stuck with Big Noon kickoff for nearly all of its marquee home games. Even the Penn State game on Nov. 1 is currently expected to be another Noon game. The only night game lined up so far for the Buckeyes comes Sept. 13 against the Ohio Bobcats.

Bjork understands the contracts and how Ohio State is locked into those TV windows — and how much money they’re giving each Big Ten program.

But he also thinks Ohio State deserves some flexibility in its game times.

“What we need is we need more flexibility. Can that happen anytime soon? I don’t know, but I think every program deserves the right to have way more flexibility. We have carried the day for Big Noon. There’s no question about it if you look at the viewership. We understand why FOX went with Big Noon. We understand why we’re picked all the time, but we’re hoping just, more flexibility. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Expect any changes? Try again. Ohio State doesn’t believe it will have a say in when it might be able to play big games at times other than Noon soon. That contract lasts until 2030. Ohio State might just be stuck with its best games in the early window, no matter what it or the fanbase wants.

“Can anything change anytime soon? Probably not,” Bjork said. “Those contracts are rigid and they’re locked in for several years.”

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