Ohio State's 59-3 win over Kent State at the "Shoe" in Week 3 was an overall energy-less broadcast. Perhaps it was by design.
FOX Sports broadcaster Gus Johnson was noticeably not enjoying himself all afternoon. At one point, Johnson incorrectly claimed that Chris Henry Jr.'s 75-yard touchdown run was his first as a Buckeye. It was actually his second.
The first came against Ball State. Johnson not remembering, or just straight-up not knowing, that result undermines that Week 1 opener against the Cardinals. Johnson's monotone calls set a tone of malaise and disinterest.
Will Johnson be reprimanded by FOX Sports? Of course not. The Golden Flashes don't get the red carpet on FOX Sports broadcasts.
If anything, they may be shown the door eventually. FOX Sports can't appreciate the narrative surrounding these types of games.
FOX Sports likely wants games like Ohio State vs. Kent State to cease
Kent State and the MAC are typically seen on ESPN and CBS Sports airwaves. That had a lot to do with the disinterest of FOX Sports announcers. It wasn't the whole story, though.
Cupcake matchups are the bane of T.V. executives' existence. In a perfect world for the almighty dollar, these types of games would go away completely.
As the Power 4 conferences expand, there's an increased possibility that more conference games are on the way. While teams like Indiana continue scheduling Group of Six/FCS cupcakes, teams like OSU and TTUN are stepping up with difficult non-conference opponents.
There's always the Super League possibility, too. You know that the Ohio State vs. Texas-type matchups would be welcomed more often.
With a 24-team CFP potentially on the way, perhaps more changes to the schedule could be around the corner.
It's clear that anything is welcome if it means fewer Ohio State vs. Kent State-type games in the Big Noon Kickoff slot.
Ohio State's environment didn't help the broadcast either
Columbus is resigned to utter dominance. Even though the Buckeyes delivered that on Saturday, the fans weren't happy. Ohio State covered most spreads with its 56-point win, but there was still an uneasiness in the air on the "Shoe" that was palpable through the broadcast.
That probably didn't help keep viewers tuned in. There were several great endings in Week 3 in the early slot, including Vanderbilt's miraculous comeback against NC State. An excited stadium being footloose and fancy-free with its team up big would've been a better watch.
The standard at OSU is the standard. There are consequences during games like this, though.
Ultimately, college football is too big a business to care about the ratings losses that a game like that causes. Still, in the never-ending push for profits, perhaps games like this won't get this spotlight anymore.
FOX Sports would probably like that. Of course, it's also up to the programs to schedule quality games against good opponents. Ohio State did that against Texas, but they also make a commitment to the MAC to help fund their programs. Perhaps FOX could focus on that a bit more.
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