Ohio
As Ohio State football fans fume over noon kickoffs, Fox counts eyeballs and money
A reminder to Ohio State football fans who attend games: You don’t much matter. At least not to TV networks.
Let’s dive into the current hullabaloo over OSU having too many noon kickoffs. The Buckeyes are in the midst of six consecutive nooners, which has not happened since … ever? More on that in a moment, but first to the issue at hand: Fox Sports loves noon games, while some/many fans who attend games do not. Who wins? Fox, of course. Money always wins.
It’s not just an OSU thing. Two weeks ago, Penn State fans took to social media to vent about the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions kicking off at noon instead of in prime time. Fans also showed up at ESPN’s GameDay, which was at State College despite ESPN not broadcasting the game, to protest the game time. The target of their NSFW chants? Fox, which selected the game for its Big Noon Saturday broadcast because of the likelihood of strong ratings, which typically average close to 7 million viewers. Makes sense. The game between No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State pulled in 9.4 million viewers.
As the Big Ten’s primary rights holder, Fox gets first dibs in the annual network draft that determines kick times, and always chooses Ohio State vs Michigan. Fox, CBS and NBC then take turns choosing teams, and because Ohio State is a top brand, the Buckeyes often get picked by Fox for Big Noon Kickoff. But not always, because the “draft” process means Fox does not have complete control over which teams it gets to televise. Fox did get first choice in picking the Buckeyes for four noon games, but last week’s Purdue game “fell” to them, and the network was only too happy to make it a Big Noon Kickoff.
FOX president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill told The Athletic that “There’s a belief that prime time is somehow inherently better (than noon), but that’s not really matched up by the analysis.”
Noon games typically do better than prime time, Mulvihill said, adding, “It’s our job to put the schools that we’re partners with in front of as many people as possible. If we can provide our schools as much exposure as possible, that should not just benefit Fox, but that should benefit those programs. What we’ve found over the last six years is that it’s very clear that putting our best game on at noon is what delivers the biggest audiences for these games.”
This week’s OSU game at Northwestern is at noon on the Big Ten Network, 61% of which is owned by Fox. The Buckeyes finish the regular season at home against Indiana (noon on Fox) and Michigan (noon on Fox). Were the Hoosiers 2-8 instead of 10-0, Fox would not have chosen the game for its Big Noon Saturday. Originally, the Indiana game was scheduled to appear on the Big Ten Network, but as the season unfolded and the Hoosiers kept winning, Fox swapped IU-OSU with Northwestern-OSU and made the Buckeyes and Hoosiers their Big Noon Saturday game, while moving the Ohio State-Northwestern game to BTN.
Then there is this: Ohio State and Michigan have stipulations in their TV deals with Fox, CBS and NBC that prohibit the networks from scheduling the schools at night in the final three games of the regular season, a source confirmed to the Dispatch. The Buckeyes and Wolverines could choose to accommodate a request to play a late-season night game — and OSU did so last Nov. 11, playing Michigan State at 7:30 p.m. on NBC — but neither program has been especially receptive to the idea. Maybe that changes for Ohio State under athletic director Ross Bjork, who in his previous job as AD at Texas A&M was more used to playing night games closer to Thanksgiving, but former OSU AD Gene Smith leaned against it.
Given OSU’s reservations about playing late-season night games, next week’s Indiana game never stood much chance of starting after sundown. If Buckeyes fans want to complain about not having enough night games, at least after Daylight Savings Time ends, maybe take it up with Ohio State.
Part of me wonders what the fans’ big stink is with noon games. I don’t recall complaints prior to 1985, when almost every game kicked at 1 p.m. Then again, fans had nothing to compare early afternoon kicks to; the first night game was not until 1985 and 3:30 p.m. games were not yet a thing. Now that Buckeye Nation has experienced the increased excitement of night games, noon kicks can feel like snoozers by comparison. And the last thing Ohio Stadium needs is more yawning spectators.
Who wants to watch a game in freezing temperatures?
Positives? Noon games mean higher temperatures – no fun in September but welcomed in November – and allow many Ohio travelers to return home before dark.
Some of the complaints about noon game include:
∎ Less time to tailgate. It’s apparently not enough to suck down breakfast screwdrivers (or mimosas, in the chichi stadium lots); fans want more time to party.
∎ There is a school of thought that says “hydrated” crowds bring more enthusiasm to the Shoe. A later game also quells the stress of having to rush out the door at dawn to make kickoff.
∎ Slightly more challenging for recruiting. Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that “I’ve got to deal with a lot of fan backlash for other things than the times of games, so I’m going to leave that for other people to deal with.” But Day added that noon games can make it more difficult for out-of-state recruits to attend.
Is 3:30 p.m. the sweet spot to make most fans happy?
It’s not OSU’s call, but 3:30 p.m. feels like the sweet spot in kickoff times; not too early to require long-haul travelers to rise before dawn and not too late to turn the Horseshoe into a Baby Boomer morgue.
A 60-something friend of mine explained that “Noon kills the whole day. I’m so tired after that I need a nap. 3:30 is about the best. You can get something done early before heading to campus. I’m old, so night games are hard to dress for. Too warm or too cold? And driving a bike or car in the dark after a beer or two isn’t ideal.”
Fox hears your complaints, whining, whatever you want to call it. But the network is more concerned with eyeballs on screens than butts in seats. When it comes to kickoff times, football fans need to get with the program. The TV program.
roller@dispatch.com
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Thousands of people are expected to head to downtown Columbus for the 23rd annual Home Improvement Show this weekend.
Organizers say visitors can find ideas for everything from small interior design projects to major renovations.
The event is being held at the Ohio Expo Center and includes seminars, exhibits and demonstrations from local and national companies.
The show begins at noon Friday and runs until 6 p.m.
It continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Adult tickets cost $5 at the door.
Matt Patricia’s contract extension earlier this offseason included a pay raise that figures to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football this year.
But Patricia, who will make $3.75 million in guaranteed compensation as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2026, also held an appreciation for his situation.
“Ohio State is such a special place, not only just the history, the tradition, the football program, the school, but the people here,” Patricia said. “Having a chance to have a little stability with my family, it’s hard when you have to move your family around, your kids and the new school and all that.”
Before he joined Ryan Day’s staff last year, the 51-year-old Patricia had bounced around as an assistant in the NFL for much of the decade.
He spent 2021 and 2022 in a variety of roles with the New England Patriots, then a year as a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He took off from coaching in 2024. The frequent relocation gave him perspective.
“We had an unbelievable experience settling into Columbus,” Patricia said. “Everybody’s been so nice and welcoming. It feels like home. It’s a big deal for us to be in a place where everybody’s happy. That’s really important.”
Patricia had a significant impact on the Buckeyes in his first year replacing Jim Knowles. Despite heavy roster attrition following their national championship season, he kept the defense atop the Football Bowl Subdivision. For the second straight season, no one allowed fewer points than Ohio State.
The 9.3 points per game allowed by the Buckeyes were the fewest by any defense since Alabama in 2011.
The success made Patricia a hot commodity on the coaching market, rebuilding his reputation as a sharp and creative football mind only a decade removed from his tenure as a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the Patriots. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant.
Patricia said he heard about opportunities in the NFL and elsewhere across the college football landscape, though none of them would pry him away from Ohio State.
“It wasn’t necessarily something where you’re looking to leave,” Patricia said, “but you do have to listen when those things come up. I’m just glad everything worked out.”
His challenge in his second season mirrors his previous one, as the Buckeyes are again managing the loss of eight starters on defense.
But unlike 2025, they have fewer returning pieces, relying on a larger class of transfers to help fill the holes on the depth chart.
“With as much coming into the program for the first time, not only are you trying to catch them up on the football scheme, but you’re also trying to catch them up on everything else,” Patricia said. “This is how we work, this is how we do things, this is the standard we’re looking for, this is how we practice, this is how we prepare, this is how we go to school. That has to be also taught. It becomes a lot, but that’s why you bring in the right guys that have the mental makeup to do all that.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
Gahanna Lincoln High’s principal shares thoughts on new building
Principal Jessica Williams speaks about the new Gahanna Lincoln High School on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Gahanna, Ohio.
Which central Ohio school districts get the most bang for their buck?
On average, school districts in Ohio spend $16,069 per-pupil for education, according to the education think tank Fordham Institute.
However, different district types spend different amounts of money. For example, large urban districts with very high poverty spend around $21,000 per-pupil, but small towns with low poverty spend around $14,900. The district type closest to the state average are those considered rural and high poverty and suburban districts with low poverty.
Aaron Churchill, lead Ohio researcher for the Fordham Institute, said that urban districts – like Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district – often have higher spending because they can pull more in tax revenue and the state supports them at a higher rate because they are serving a higher proportion of disadvantaged students. Small, high-poverty towns on the other hand, generate less tax revenue from property values and district employee wages, the highest expense for schools, may be lowered by less market competition.
Churchill said schools should be focused on directing their funding toward initiatives that improve student outcomes and achievement.
“It’s making sure we’re focused on quality, we’re focused on performance, and that we’re rewarding performance,” Churchill said. “And we don’t do enough of that in the education system now.”
Churchill said there is a long-running debate among education researchers about whether increasing spending translates to meaningful results for students. Overall, school funding has increased on average over $2,000 per-pupil since 2015 and reached a record-high in 2025, according to the Fordham Institute.
“You can see in the numbers that we’re spending more than we ever have,” Churchill said. “The real million-dollar question is ‘Can our schools spend the money well?’”
Which central Ohio districts have the best results compared to funding?
The Dispatch compared overall spending per-pupil for central Ohio school districts to the ODEW’s performance index, using 2025 state data.
The Performance Index uses the performance level results for students in third grade through high school on Ohio’s state testing. The Performance Index (PI) score accounts for the level of achievement of every student, not just whether they are “proficient.” Higher performance levels receive larger weights in the calculation, but all achievement levels are included. Overall, the state average of performance scores was 91.8, according to 2025 state data.
The central Ohio school district with the highest spending was Columbus City Schools, which spent $24,505 per pupil and received a PI score of 60.7. The district with the highest PI was Grandview Heights Schools, which received a 106 PI score and spent $21,567 per pupil. New Albany-Plain Local Schools was a close second in PI at 105.1 while spending more than $4,000 less than Grandview Heights at $16,923 per-pupil.
Here’s how central Ohio schools stack up by spending versus achievements on tests, according to the Ohio Department of Education (sorted by highest spending per-pupil):
- Columbus City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $24,505; PI score: 60.7
- Grandview Heights Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,567; PI score: 106
- Bexley City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,025; PI score: 102.7
- Dublin City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18,702; PI score: 97.6
- Worthington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18.573 ; PI score: 94.3
- Madison-Plains Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $17,646; PI score: 88
- New Albany-Plain Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,923; PI score: 105.1
- Westerville City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,815; PI score: 89.7
- Olentangy Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,780; PI score: 103.9
- Groveport Madison Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,236; PI score: 72.6
- Upper Arlington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,282; PI score: 103.6
- Canal Winchester Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16.154; PI score: 89.1
- Average Ohio school district – Spending per-pupil: $16,069; PI score: 91.8
- Reynoldsburg City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,956; PI score: 72.2
- Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,742; PI score: 89.7
- Hilliard City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,694; PI score: 90
- South Western City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,600; PI score: 78.5
- Whitehall City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,593; PI score: 66.95
- Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,163; PI score: 94.5
- Jonathan Alder Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,803; PI score: 95.9
- Pickerington Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,470 ; PI score: 90.9
- Big Walnut Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,239; PI score: 95.1
- London City – Spending per-pupil: $13,750; PI score: 81.3
- Marysville Exempted Village Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,608; PI score: 95.5
- Licking Heights Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,585; PI score: 85.4
- Hamilton Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,971; PI score: 82.2
- Bloom-Carrol Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,720; PI score: 90.89
- Licking Valley Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,587; PI score: 85
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
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