FOX isn’t punting on college football this season just because it will not have its marquee property. Even without Big Ten football, FOX is still amping up its coverage, expanding the network’s pregame show Big Noon Kickoff to two hours in 2020 according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.
The show will largely be reliant on the Big 12. FOX made noon kickoffs an event last season by putting its biggest game in the earliest TV window. This season it will not have programs like Ohio State or Michigan at its disposal to grab big ratings. How that will effect the pregame show remains to be seen.
Expanding to two hours in 2020 is a strategic move in Big Noon Kickoff’s attempt to catch up to ESPN’s College GameDay. The latter has traditionally dominated Saturday mornings for college football fans, but this season the show is bound to look completely different. Four conferences have opted out of fall football completely. Several schools are committing to playing without fans. That will certainly have an effect on College GameDay, which usually is broadcast live from in front of a packed crowd on a college campus.
ESPN is yet to announce its plans for College GameDay this season, but if the show still runs from 9 am until noon, then expanding Big Noon Kickoff to two hours will make FOX considerably more competitive. FOX is expected to continue broadcasting its pregame show from its LA studios this fall.
