FOX already has its post-SmackDown plans in place — more college football. The company announced that matchups from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Mountain West conferences would air in primetime on Friday nights.
This move was rumored months back but it’s now officially official. There’s no word yet on what exact games will be featured because the conferences have not had their annual game selection meetings yet, but we can expect to see top teams from each division involved, including debuting teams like USC and UCLA in the Big Ten.
FOX notes that the Friday night timeslot is what some would consider an “underutilized” time but the network has had success with unfamiliar timeslots. Last season’s “Big Noon Saturday” package, another underutilized timeslot, averaged 6.74 million viewers on FOX, an 8 percent increase over 2022.
The college football package will air alongside FOX’s other Friday night tent pole events in the fall, including WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown in September until the show moves to USA Network, and the MLB playoffs and World Series in October and early November.
“FOX is football, and our new Friday night package will make FOX the leader in America’s game throughout the weekend,” said Michael Mulvihill, FOX president of insight and analytics, in a statement. “We’ve built our collegiate business by seizing opportunities in previously underutilized timeslots, first with “Big Noon Saturday” and now on Friday nights. Our goal this fall is to have the No. 1 college football game on both Fridays and Saturdays and the top NFL game on Sundays.”
