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Big Noon Kickoff
GenreCollege football pre-game show
Presented byRob Stone
Mike Hill (fill-in)
StarringMark Ingram II (2023–present)
Matt Leinart
Brady Quinn
Urban Meyer (2019–2020; 2022–present)
Charles Woodson
Clay Travis
Tom Verducci
Bruce Feldman
Tom Rinaldi (2021–present)
Chris "Bear" Fallica (2023–present)
Opening themeFox CFB Theme
"Boom" by X Ambassadors (intro song, 2021–present)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
Production
Production locationsFox Network Center (Fox Studio Lot Building 101), 10201 W Pico Blvd, Century City, Los Angeles, California
Various NCAA stadiums (for road shows)
Running time60 minutes (2019, November 7, 2020 show)
120 minutes (special on–location broadcasts, 2019; full–time, 2020–present)
180 minutes (special on–location broadcasts, 2022-present)
Production companyFox Sports
Original release
NetworkFox
FS1 (weekly simulcasts)
ReleaseAugust 31, 2019 (2019-08-31) –
present
Related
Fox College Football
Fox NFL Sunday

Big Noon Kickoff is an American college football studio show broadcast by Fox, and simulcast on sister network Fox Sports 1 (FS1). Premiering on August 31, 2019, it serves as the pre-game show for Fox College Football, and in particular, Big Noon Saturday—the network's weekly 12:00 p.m ET/9:00 a.m PT kickoff window.

It is hosted by Rob Stone, and features former national champion USC Trojans teammates, 2005 Heisman Trophy winner running back Reggie Bush and 2004 Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Matt Leinart, former Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brady Quinn, and former Utah, Florida, and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer as panelists, with Bruce Feldman acting as Fox's CFB insider, as well as Tom Verducci, who usually does baseball for Fox, and Tom Rinaldi, both working on feature reports. Radio host Clay Travis serves as a contributor, and 1997 Heisman Trophy winner and former Michigan Wolverines cornerback Charles Woodson will also join the show on select weeks, most notably if Michigan is featured.

Meyer was on the show as an analyst for the first two seasons, but left after the 2020 season to take the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching job, and was replaced by former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops for the 2021 season. Meyer returned for the 2022 season replacing Stoops. Bush left after the 2022 season,[1] with 2009 Heisman Trophy winner running back Mark Ingram II joining the cast for the 2023 season.[2]

History

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In the 2013 season, Fox aired a college football pre-game show on its Fox Sports 1 channel, Fox College Saturday. The program was unable to compete with ESPN's popular and established College GameDay, with Fox only being able to sustain an average viewership of 70,000. The show was cancelled after a single season, and its role was supplanted by the Friday-night edition of Fox Sports Live.[3][4]

Fox introduced the Big Noon Saturday window for its college football coverage in the 2019 season; the network had aired occasional noon kickoffs during the season before (including, after having acquired the Big Ten's primary football rights in 2017, the Michigan–Ohio State rivalry),[5] and they were among Fox's top-viewed games in the 2018 season. Fox has positioned the timeslot as featuring one of its flagship games of the day.[6] Fox made that decision in order to boost their ratings by avoiding competition with CBS that has their featured SEC (until 2023, Big Ten from 2024 onward) game of the week in the 3:30 p.m. timeslot, and ABC with their featured game in primetime.[7] Big Noon Kickoff was henceforth introduced as a pre-game show for the new window.[8][6]

Sports Illustrated described the show as being "built around" Urban Meyer (who retired as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes at the end of the 2018 season, and had previously been an ESPN analyst). Meyer stated that he had prepared for the role by studying clips of Fox's NFL pre-game show Fox NFL Sunday, and Alex Rodriguez (who joined ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball in 2018),[9] as an example of another player-turned-television analyst. Fox executive producer Brad Zager explained that his presence was meant to help provide "intelligent dialogue" to the show.[6]

For the 2020 season, the program was expanded to two hours.[10] On November 4, 2020, for undisclosed reasons citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Los Angeles County Department of Health Services guidance, Fox announced that the November 7, 2020 edition of Big Noon Kickoff would not feature the program's usual panel, and that the program would be shortened to one hour. The guest panel was led by Fox NFL Kickoff host Charissa Thompson, joined by Fox NFL Sunday analysts Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long, and Emmanuel Acho from Fox Sports 1's Speak for Yourself.[11][12] On November 12, Meyer revealed that he had recently recovered from a COVID-19 infection.[13]

Reception

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The Big Lead felt that Big Noon Kickoff showed promise, but that the show's "formal" and "corporate" atmosphere (in comparison to the "casual fun" of College GameDay) led to most of the panelists seeming "stiff" on-air, and exacerbated their relative lack of broadcasting experience. Quinn was considered to be a stand-out among the panelists in its premiere broadcast, considering him the most "comfortable" on-air, and noting that both him and Meyer were well-versed at leveraging their past experience to provide insights.[14]

The decision to move the network's featured game to the 12:00pm was met with heavy criticism for substantially diminishing the fan experience at marquee games as those are typically played at night or the late afternoon, and is widely viewed as a money grab. This also forced some games in the Pac-12 to kick off in the morning at the network's choosing, kicking off at either 9:00am or 10:00am local time, another highly criticized consequence of the network's decision.

Viewership

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During the first episode, the show garnered 838,000 viewers, which amounted to a 0.8 rating.[15] A special two-hour edition of Big Noon Kickoff leading into the Michigan-Ohio State game on November 30, 2019 received a series-high 1.6 overnight rating, beating College GameDay (which drew a 1.54 rating) in its time slot for the first time in the program's history.[16]

Personalities

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Current

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Former

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On-site broadcasts

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Initially, unlike its main competitor College GameDay, Big Noon Kickoff originated from Fox Sports' studio in Los Angeles, and only travelled to game sites in the event of major rivalry games or as a pre-game show for the Big Ten championship.[17] Fox scheduled four road shows in 2020, but only 3 happened, as their scheduled visit to USC was canceled due to Fox holding their crew out that weekend due to COVID-19 protocols, which Urban Meyer later revealed that he dealt with a COVID infection. The first 6 weeks of the 2021 season featured the crew going on the road, a Big Noon Kickoff first. Beginning in the 2022 season, Big Noon Kickoff moved permanently to on-location broadcasts throughout the season.[18]

With Deion Sanders' debut as head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, Fox broadcast Big Noon Kickoff from Colorado's first three games in the 2023 season; its Week 3 edition was broadcast from Boulder, Colorado for the Rocky Mountain Showdown—which ESPN also chose as its site for College GameDay that week—rather than Penn State at Illinois as originally scheduled, marking the first time that Big Noon Kickoff was broadcast from the same site for two consecutive weeks, and the first time that it was broadcast from the site of a game not televised by Fox.[19][20]

2019 season

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Date Host Visitor Location City Notes
September 20 USC 30 No. 10 Utah 23 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA First Big Noon Kickoff road show, game on FS1, 9 ET/7 MT/6 PT kickoff
October 12 No. 11 Texas 27 No. 6 Oklahoma 34 Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX Red River Rivalry, 2-hour show
October 26 No. 3 Ohio State 38 No. 13 Wisconsin 7 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH
November 23 No. 2 Ohio State 28 No. 8 Penn State 17 Rivalry, 2-hour show
November 30 No. 13 Michigan 27 No. 1 Ohio State 56 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI The Game, 2-hour show (Also live from Michigan on November 29, before Texas Tech-Texas)
December 7 No. 8 Wisconsin 21 No. 1 Ohio State 34 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN Big Ten Championship Game, 8 ET/7 CT kickoff, 1-hour show

2020 season

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Date Host Visitor Location City Notes
October 24 No. 5 Ohio State 52 Nebraska 17 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH 2020 Big Ten season opener
November 21 No. 3 Ohio State 42 No. 9 Indiana 35
December 19 No. 4 Ohio State 22 No. 15 Northwestern 10 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN Big Ten Championship Game

2021 season

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Date Host Visitor Location City Notes
September 2 Minnesota 31 No. 4 Ohio State 45 Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN 2021 Big Ten season opener, 8 ET/7 CT kickoff, 1-hour show
September 4 No. 12 Wisconsin 10 No. 19 Penn State 16 Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI
September 11 No. 3 Ohio State 28 No. 12 Oregon 35 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH 2015 CFP National Championship Game rematch
September 18 No. 3 Oklahoma 23 Nebraska 16 Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK Rivalry/50th anniversary of the Game of the Century
September 25 No. 12 Notre Dame 41 No. 18 Wisconsin 13 Soldier Field Chicago, IL Shamrock Series
October 2 Wisconsin 17 No. 14 Michigan 38 Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI
October 9 No. 3 Iowa 23 No. 4 Penn State 20 Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA 4 ET/3 CT kickoff
October 30 No. 8 Michigan State 37 No. 6 Michigan 33 Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI Rivalry
November 13 No. 13 Baylor 27 No. 8 Oklahoma 14 McLane Stadium Waco, TX
November 20 No. 13 Oklahoma 28 Iowa State 21 Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK
November 27 No. 5 Michigan 42 No. 2 Ohio State 27 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI The Game (Also live from Michigan on November 26, 1-hour show before Kansas State-Texas)
December 4 No. 13 Iowa 3 No. 2 Michigan 42 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN Big Ten Championship Game, 8 ET kickoff, 1-hour show

2022 season

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Date Host Visitor Location City Notes
September 1 Purdue 31 Penn State 35 Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN 8 ET kickoff, 1-hour show
September 10 Texas 19 No. 1 Alabama 20 DKR–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX 2010 BCS National Championship Game rematch
September 17 Nebraska 14 No. 6 Oklahoma 49 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE Rivalry
September 24 No. 4 Michigan 34 Maryland 27 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI
October 1 Iowa 14 No. 4 Michigan 27 Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA
October 8 Indiana 10 No. 4 Michigan 31 Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN
October 15 No. 5 Michigan 41 No. 10 Penn State 17 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI Rivalry
October 22 No. 2 Ohio State 54 Iowa 10 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH
October 29 No. 13 Penn State 31 No. 2 Ohio State 44 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA Rivalry
November 5 No. 7 TCU 34 Texas Tech 24 Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX Rivalry
November 12 No. 2 Ohio State 56 Indiana 14 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH
November 19 Baylor 28 No. 4 TCU 29 McLane Stadium Waco, TX Rivalry
November 26 No. 2 Ohio State 23 No. 3 Michigan 45 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH The Game, 3-hour show
December 2 No. 4 USC 24 No. 11 Utah 47 Allegiant Stadium Paradise, NV Pac-12 Championship Game
December 3 No. 2 Michigan 43 Purdue 22 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN Big Ten Championship Game

2023 season

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Date Host Visitor Location City Notes
August 31 Minnesota 13 Nebraska 10 Huntington Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN
September 2 No. 17 TCU 42 Colorado 45 Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX
September 9 No. 22 Colorado 36 Nebraska 14 Folsom Field Boulder, CO Rivalry
September 16 No. 18 Colorado 432OT Colorado State 35 Folsom Field Boulder, CO Rivalry; game televised by ESPN. Originally scheduled to broadcast from Champaign, Illinois.[19][20]
September 23 Cincinnati 6 No. 16 Oklahoma 20 Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH
September 30 Colorado 41 No. 8 USC 48 Folsom Field Boulder, CO
October 7 No. 4 Ohio State 37 Maryland 17 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH
October 14 No. 21 Notre Dame 48 No. 10 USC 20 Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN Rivalry; game televised by NBC.[21]
October 21 No. 3 Ohio State 20 No. 7 Penn State 12 Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH Rivalry
October 28 Kansas 38 No. 6 Oklahoma 33 David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS Kansas first win over Oklahoma since 1997
November 4 No. 7 Texas 33OT No. 23 Kansas State 30 DKR–Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX
November 11 No. 10 Penn State 15 No. 3 Michigan 24 Beaver Stadium University Park, PA Rivalry
November 18 Maryland 24 No. 3 Michigan 31 SECU Stadium College Park, MD
November 25 No. 3 Michigan 30 No. 2 Ohio State 24 Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI The Game, 3-hour show
December 2 No. 16 Iowa 0 No. 2 Michigan 26 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN Big Ten Championship Game

2024 season

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Date Host Visitor Location City Notes
August 31 West Virginia Penn State Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV Rivalry
September 7 Michigan Texas Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI
September 14 Wisconsin Alabama Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI
September 21 TBA TBA
September 28 TBA TBA
October 5 TBA TBA
October 12 TBA TBA
October 19 TBA TBA
October 26 TBA TBA
November 2 TBA TBA
November 9 TBA TBA
November 16 TBA TBA
November 23 TBA TBA
November 30 Ohio State Michigan Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH The Game
December 6 TBA TBA

Winners listed in BOLD
Neutral site host listed in Italics
Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (once released) released prior to game

On-site appearances by team

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Appearance(s) Team Hosted Record Win pct. Last appearance Last hosted
18 Ohio State 11 13–4 .765 November 25, 2023 October 21, 2023
17 Michigan 6 13–2 .867 December 2, 2023 September 7, 2024
9 Penn State 2 2–6 .250 November 11, 2023 November 11, 2023
7 Oklahoma 2 5–2 .714 October 28, 2023 November 20, 2021
6 Wisconsin 3 0–5 .000 October 2, 2021 September 14, 2024
5 Iowa 2 1–4 .200 December 2, 2023 October 1, 2022
4 Colorado 3 3–1 .750 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2023
5 Nebraska 1 0–5 .000 September 9, 2023 September 17, 2022
4 Texas 2 1–2 .333 November 4, 2023 November 4, 2023
4 USC 1 2–2 .500 October 14, 2023 September 20, 2019
3 Indiana 1 0–3 .000 November 12, 2022 October 8, 2022
3 Maryland 1 0–3 .000 November 18, 2023 November 18, 2023
3 TCU 2 2–1 .667 September 2, 2023 September 2, 2023
2 Alabama 0 1–0 1.000 September 10, 2022 N/A
2 Baylor 2 1–1 .500 November 19, 2022 November 19, 2022
2 Minnesota 2 1–1 .500 August 31, 2023 August 31, 2023
2 Notre Dame 1 2–0 1.000 October 14, 2023 October 14, 2023
2 Purdue 1 0–2 .000 December 3, 2022 September 1, 2022
2 Utah 0 1–1 .500 December 2, 2022 N/A
1 Cincinnati 1 0–1 .000 September 23, 2023 September 23, 2023
1 Colorado State 0 0–1 .000 September 16, 2023 N/A
1 Iowa State 0 0–1 .000 November 20, 2021 N/A
1 Kansas 1 1–0 1.000 October 28, 2023 October 28, 2023
1 Kansas State 1 0–1 .000 November 4, 2023 N/A
1 Michigan State 1 1–0 1.000 October 30, 2021 October 30, 2021
1 Northwestern 0 0–1 .000 December 19, 2020 N/A
1 Oregon 0 1–0 1.000 September 11, 2021 N/A
1 Texas Tech 0 0–1 .000 November 5, 2022 N/A
1 West Virginia 1 0–0 – August 31, 2024 August 31, 2024

Big Noon Saturday

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Big Noon Saturday
GenreCollege football telecasts
Presented byGus Johnson
Joel Klatt
Jenny Taft
Opening themeFox College Football theme (main theme)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons6
Production
Production locationsVarious NCAA stadiums
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time210 minutes or until game ends
Production companyFox Sports
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseAugust 31, 2019 (2019-08-31) –
present
Related
Fox College Football

Big Noon Saturday is an American weekly presentation of 12 p.m. ET broadcasts of NCAA Division I FBS college football games on Fox. The branding has been used since 2019. It is generally the game played at the site of Big Noon Kickoff.[22]

Due to the early kickoff times, the package has faced criticism for having undue impacts on teams not based in the Eastern Time Zone (ET), including from University of Oklahoma Athletics Director Joe Castiglione (who felt that a Noon ET kickoff for a 2021 game against Nebraska, marking the 50th anniversary of their 1971 "Game of the Century", would diminish its profile), and Stanford head coach David Shaw (who, in particular, criticized Fox Sports for scheduling noon kickoffs involving visiting Pac-12 teams).[23][24] In August 2021, University of Oklahoma president Joe Harroz cited criticism of Big Noon Saturday when discussing the Sooners' proposed move to the SEC, arguing that the Big 12 conference would be "last in line" in negotiating new media deals, and that "our fans talk about that. It also matters to student-athletes. When those who go before you, in terms of negotiations for 2025 and beyond, if those premiere slots are already taken up, it impacts things in a material way. It translates into disadvantages in recruiting the top talent, disadvantages for our student-athletes and a detriment to the fan experience."[25]

In the 2021 season, Big Noon Saturday overtook the SEC on CBS as having the highest average viewership for College Football telecasts. That seasons Michigan/Ohio State game (which saw Michigan end an eight-game losing streak in the rivalry) was the highest-rated regular-season game of the 2021 season, and most-watched regular-season game since the Alabama–LSU game in 2019.[26][8]

As of 2024, the primary broadcast team for games includes play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson and analyst Joel Klatt, with Jenny Taft as sideline reporter, with Tom Rinaldi joining the crew for big games, most notably The Game.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "What happened to Reggie Bush? Explaining Fox's Big Noon Kickoff pregame show change for 2023". www.sportingnews.com. 2023-09-30. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  2. ^ "Former Heisman winner Mark Ingram II to join FOX Sports' 'Big Noon Kickoff' cast". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
  3. ^ "Fox Sports 1 launching new Friday night college football pregame show". Awful Announcing. 2014-08-16. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  4. ^ "FS1 already giving up on Fox College Saturday?". Awful Announcing. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
  5. ^ Landis, Bill (2017-05-16). "Ohio State vs. Michigan football rivalry to be televised on FOX during 2017 season". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  6. ^ a b c "Three keys for Urban Meyer, Fox's Big Noon Kickoff". SI.com. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  7. ^ "College football fanbases aren't happy being stuck with noon ET kickoffs". 8 November 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Watch: Trailer for FOX College Football Pregame show featuring Urban Meyer". Buckeyes Wire. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  9. ^ Finn, Chad. "Alex Rodriguez added to ESPN's 'Sunday Night Baseball' crew". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  10. ^ "Fox is expanding Big Noon Kickoff to two hours, despite no Big Ten games this fall". Awful Announcing. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  11. ^ "Fox Sports' 'Big Noon Kickoff' crew won't be at USC-Arizona State because of CDC guidelines". Los Angeles Times. 2020-11-05. Archived from the original on 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  12. ^ Marchand, Andrew (2020-11-05). "Fox Sports' 'Big Noon Kickoff' crew out due to COVID-19 protocol". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  13. ^ Kaufman, Joey. "Former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer reveals he had coronavirus". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2021-02-06.
  14. ^ "Big Noon Kickoff Filled With Ups and Downs in Regular Season Debut on Fox". The Big Lead. 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
  15. ^ "Big Noon Kickoff and College GameDay Week 1 Viewership". The Big Lead. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  16. ^ "Ohio State-Michigan matches ratings from last year, Big Noon Kickoff earns biggest audience ever". Awful Announcing. 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  17. ^ "College GameDay's duel with Big Noon Kickoff from Columbus is most interesting chapter in Fox-ESPN rivalry in some time". Awful Announcing. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2019-11-23.
  18. ^ Hernández, Kristian (2022-09-01). "College Football 2022 Preview: Fox Sports Boosts Home Run Production, Onsite Studio Footprint for Big Noon Kickoff". Sports Video Group. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  19. ^ a b Keeley, Sean (2023-09-09). "Big Noon Kickoff, College GameDay both heading to Colorado-Colorado State as ESPN & Fox go all-in on Deion Sanders". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  20. ^ a b Cohn, Stephen (2023-09-09). "Fox's Big Noon Kickoff no longer coming to Champaign". The Champaign Room. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  21. ^ @BNKonFOX (October 7, 2023). "Catch the Big Noon Kickoff crew LIVE in South Bend and then tune in to watch Michigan vs Indiana on FOX for Big Noon Saturday" (Tweet) – via Twitter. [better source needed]
  22. ^ "Three keys for Urban Meyer, Fox's Big Noon Kickoff". SI.com. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  23. ^ Mandel, Stewart. "Stanford's David Shaw frustrated with Fox for early kickoff time for season-opener: 'I don't want to hear s---' about ratings". The Athletic. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  24. ^ "Oklahoma 'bitterly disappointed' with Fox after network puts Sept. 18 game vs. Nebraska at 11 a.m." ca.sports.yahoo.com. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  25. ^ "Oklahoma president cites Fox's Big Noon Saturday scheduling as a factor in leaving for SEC". Awful Announcing. 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  26. ^ "With help from Urban Meyer, Fox's Big Noon Kickoff aims high". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  27. ^ "College Football 2022 Preview: Fox Sports Boosts Home Run Production, Onsite Studio Footprint for Big Noon Kickoff". Sports Video Group. September 1, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
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