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

@rollerCD

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