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Report: Texas blocked Ohio State attempt to move kickoff time, date for season opener

Spencer-Holbrookby:Spencer Holbrook•05/22/25•

SpencerHolbrook

Jaydon Blue
Jaydon Blue (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

COLUMBUS — Last week, FOX announced it had the rights to the Ohio State season-opening matchup against Texas. It is expected that this top-five matchup will kick off at Noon on Aug. 30.

Well, according to a report from 247sports, Texas has said no to a request from Ohio State to move the matchup from Saturday to Sunday evening — a primetime slot.

Further reporting says Ohio State is doing what it can to get that game out of the Noon window, including the proposal for the night kickoff on Sunday, Aug. 31. But the Longhorns aren’t budging, as they’d almost certainly rather play a Noon game rather than play in a powder-kegged Horseshoe in primetime like fellow SEC heavyweight Tennessee did in January. That game, of course, was a Buckeyes blowout.

Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl semifinal of the College Football Playoff last year on its way to a national title — which saw the Buckeyes go through the Longhorns’ backyard and win a game on the way to the championship win.

FOX has routinely used Ohio State to boost its ratings of its premier product, Big Noon Kickoff. Since 2019, Ohio State has played on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff 18 times, five more than the next-closest program, Michigan, which has appeared 13 times in that slot since 2019.

The folks at FOX argue that ratings are good from a television standpoint, which is why the continuation of putting the very best Big Ten matchups of the season at Noon is a good thing. Fans and everyone who doesn’t work for FOX argue that the atmosphere for Noon games does not compare to afternoon or evening kickoff times — and that recruiting is negatively impacted as recruits have a harder time playing Friday night games and getting to the Horseshoe for Noon kickoffs on Saturday.

Ohio State did its part to find a remedy for the issue, reportedly suggesting a Sunday evening kickoff to open the season against the Longhorns. Texas, however, has said no.

Expect a Saturday spectacle for Ohio State vs. Texas — with kickoff likely at Noon.

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