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Penn State fans, media demand boycott of FOX's Big Noon Kickoff show due to early kick

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•11/01/24•

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The Penn State student section (Credit: Daniel Althouse/Blue White Illustrated)

One of the biggest games Penn State will host in Beaver Stadium in years is slated for a noon kickoff, getting FOX’s “Big Noon” treatment as Ohio State visits. And Penn State fans are not pleased with a day game and, therefore, no whiteout.

The Penn State athletic department picks one game a year, always a night home game, for fans to come clad in white for what is consistently one of the more raucous environments in college football each year. But with the Big Ten media deal giving FOX first pick of games each week for their “Big Noon” slate, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are set to face off at noon, a decision drawing blowback to the point that a campaign to boycott FOX’s pregame programming, “Big Noon Kickoff,” is in the works.

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The campaign from Penn State faithful appears to have kicked off with some campus-centric media putting out the call for fans to not attend the FOX pregame show. As the shows are partially built off the atmosphere provided by throngs of students and fans, the absence of that crowd would create a notably dull setting — and send a pretty clear message to FOX.

ESPN’s College GameDay will also be in town, giving an easy alternative, too.

The sets, which will both be tucked on the lot of the Bryce Jordan Center, are also close enough that some boycott-happy fans could even redirect those trying to get into the “Big Noon Kickoff” set, if they’re so motivated.

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While Penn State fans are upset, FOX president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill told The Athletic that the decision for the game to be at noon puts it in front of the most possible eyes, regardless of what fans on site feel.

“It’s our job to put the schools that we’re partners with in front of as many people as possible,” Mulvihill said. “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 6 years is that it’s very clear that putting our best game on at noon is what delivers the biggest audiences for these games.”

He continued in that story, saying primetime games aren’t inherently better.

“There’s a belief that prime time is somehow inherently better, but that’s not really matched up by the analysis,” Mulvihill said.

But Mulvihill’s view speaks to the issue Penn State fans attending in person have: Too many decisions around the game are geared toward a TV audience, and not the fans attending in person.

So on Saturday morning, Penn State fans are trying to coordinate a boycott of the Big Noon Kickoff set to send a message back.