Ohio State AD on noon kickoffs: Program, fans 'deserve some marquee night games'

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- One of the seemingly most controversial elements of the college football season is the noon kickoff time, which is where Ohio State often finds itself. The Buckeyes will again in week one against Texas.

Athletic director Ross Bjork said he would like to see the team have more primetime games, but noted that the situation is complicated due to contracts.

"I think our program, our fans, deserve some marquee night games," Bjork said. "So we started having that conversation. Texas in the contract, it goes both ways. They have the ability to approve or not if the game moves off of a Saturday. We asked them. I don't blame them."

Bjork said Fox was understanding of the school's perspective, but "at the end of the day, there's no flexibility in the contracts. Fox bought the noon window, CBS bought the afternoon window, and NBC has the night window."

Bjork said he would like every program to have more flexibility.

"We have carried the day for Big Noon," he said. "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."

The contracts are locked in for several years, Bjork said, which complicates the situation. He said it's important to find a balance.

"I think we need to be thoughtful about, OK, there's going to be a balance," he said. "We do have a TV partner with Fox. They're paying us a lot of money."

Bjork also spoke about a bill that was introduced at the Statehouse that proposed a $10 million fine any time Ohio State plays in a top 10 matchup that is scheduled at noon, with the exception of the Michigan game.

"I get the intent," he said. "Again, [it's] really complicated. We already signed these contracts. There's communication about that bill. We get the intent, we get the spirit of it."

Bjork said it's nice to see people in Ohio care about the issue, and while he is uncertain about the bill's future, he said it's a good way to get people talking.

"People care about the issue, and people want to talk about it," he said. "Don't know where it will go out of committee, but if this is a way to bring light to it, we're OK with that. We're OK having those conversations."