An interesting battle is brewing where everyone is winning but fans it seems with Big Noon kickoffs. Not that the fans are suffering, they aren't. But Ohio State and Michigan have clauses that they don't want night time games in November due to cold weather. Fox controls the TV rights and having a Big Ten game at Noon is a ratings winner and big money for Rupert Murdoch. Noon can also be 11 a.m. Central time for some Big Ten teams.
College coaches love it because more recruits can come, their players can get physical treatments after the game and they can get a jump on the next week.
The problem is that Ohio State has been named as the Big Noon game for a seven-week stretch (not all home games), and they are a ratings juggernaut, so Fox is thrilled. Ohio State at Penn State drew 9,770,000-plus viewers, easily the best of the weekend.
Nebraska and Ohio State, which wasn't competitive I believe, had the best numbers of the Oct. 26 weekend at 5,960,000-plus.
The next few games for them: At Northwestern, and home vs. Indiana and Michigan, all three at 12 p.m. ET.
Michigan went through this the last few years too while riding high.
