The Ohio State football program has voiced its displeasure over so many noon kickoffs before. They tried to move the opener against Texas to a primetime kickoff, but the Longhorns said no. It didn't end up mattering, as the Buckeyes took them down 14-7.
Still, the Ohio State Buckeyes were not happy with the conference for allowing FOX to have such a big game not played under the lights of the Shoe. It's a theme that has been recurring since FOX created Big Noon. Not only is it a worse atmosphere for fans, but it also creates some logistical issues for hosting recruits.
Once again, the Buckeyes will have a noon kickoff against Penn State after the bye week. GM Mark Pantoni was made available to talk to the media, and he made sure that the Big Ten knows his feelings on having Ohio State play at noon seemingly almost every week.
Mark Pantoni believes noon kicks hurts the Ohio State football team's recruiting efforts
Pantoni specifically took a jab at FOX when asked about home games and recruiting.
Mark Pantoni on whether home games make a difference in recruiting:
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) October 23, 2025
“They do — when FOX doesn’t handcuff us with these noon games, as we have another one next week (against Penn State),” Pantoni said with a laugh. “But no, next weekend we will have a lot of kids coming in, a lot…
“They do — when FOX doesn’t handcuff us with these noon games, as we have another one next week (against Penn State),” Pantoni said while laughing. “But no, next weekend we will have a lot of kids coming in, a lot of 27s and 28s to start building that relationship with.”
Having kids visit for noon games makes travel hard. They can't leave until after they play on Friday night, and then they have an early flight or drive to Columbus for the game. Having all of Ohio State's best games at noon creates an advantage for other programs for visits.
Right now, there's not a lot Ohio State can do about this. The Big Ten signed a massive TV rights deal with FOX so that they get the first pick most weeks, and they usually take the Buckeyes. Ohio State is getting a lot of money from FOX as a TV partner that helps fund the roster, facilities, and other football-related things.
Fans can continue to raise a stink about it, but it's unlikely that anything will change in the schedule anytime soon.