Joel Klatt defends Big Noon Saturday amid controversy

Big Ten fans have not been too happy with FOX and Big Noon Saturday in recent weeks, placing the conference’s biggest games and placing them a noon ET/11 a.m. CT. The latest is next Saturday’s showdown between Indiana and Ohio State on Nov. 23, set to take place in Columbus. Penn State fans chimed into the conversation not too long ago when they hosted the Buckeyes in a top-five showdown.

So, with all the heat on the network, Joel Klatt has decided to defend the games he usually is a commentator on. Klatt explained why FOX decides to make these kickoffs at noon and how the numbers coming back to them prove the process is working.

“Lots of talk about Big Noon Saturday…Here are some things I think you should know,” Klatt said in a thread via X. “Big Noon Saturday has been the most watched CFB window for the last few years…last year our window avg. almost 7m viewers/game. Prior to Big Noon this window in CFB was non-existent. Fox Sports saw a clear opportunity to build value into the sport by creating a 3rd window for premium CFB. That clearly worked.”

Since Big Noon Saturday’s inception in 2019, the three most frequent teams to appear have been Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State — arguably the Big Ten’s biggest brands. Even when the pregame show, called Big Noon Kickoff, was not on site, those three teams have played at noon ET while the main crew set up elsewhere.

Klatt’s comments come after Ohio State is set to finish its 2024 season on six consecutive early window games. Five of those are on FOX with Klatt calling the game alongside play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson. This week’s Northwestern matchup will be on Big Ten Network.

CBS and NBC are also a part of the Big Ten’s television deal, airing their games at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET respectively. There is a process to selecting games but more times than not, FOX winds up with the biggest matchups. Klatt knows the importance of them and vowed to continue to put out a great on-air product.

“I love this sport and am committed to showcasing the incredible environments, programs, and players that make our sport so incredible,” Klatt said. “You will find me and the entire hard-working Fox Sports Big Noon crew wherever we are sent, celebrating this great sport and its amazing fans.”