As the Ohio State Buckeyes prepare for their Week 12 matchup against Northwestern, fans are growing increasingly frustrated at the team’s unusually repetitive noon kickoff times.
Head coach Ryan Day acknowledged the frustration over having so many early start times, though he made it clear his focus remains on the field.
The Buckeyes are closing out their regular season with six consecutive noon games, a schedule quirk that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Ohio State faithful, who have voiced their dissatisfaction.
When asked about the fan complaints, Day shared a candid response.
“Well, listen. I gotta deal with a lot of fan backlash for things other than the times of games, so I’m gonna leave that for other people to deal with. I got other things I got to deal with,” he said.
While fan backlash is unavoidable, Day underscored his commitment to maintaining the team’s readiness and attitude toward any game time or setting.
“Whenever they tell us to play, we’re gonna play. It doesn’t matter where it is – it could be on a baseball field, it could be 11 a.m., it could be at night. We’re gonna put the football down and go play. I’ll worry about the team,” he said.
With the Buckeyes pursuing a Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff berth, Day’s no-nonsense approach reflects his laser-focus on winning his first national title.
Ohio State, currently trailing undefeated Oregon and Indiana in the Big Ten standings, must secure victories in its final three matchups – against Northwestern, Indiana, and Michigan – to keep its conference title hopes alive.
Getting back to the noon kicks, we all know WHY the Buckeyes have so many of them … It’s because they are the biggest draw in the Big Ten and arguably the biggest draw in the entire sport.
FOX pays a lot of money for their coveted “Big Noon Kickoff” slot, and more times than not, they make sure Ohio State is in that window. In other words, the Buckeyes gets “punished” for being too good.
The decision makes perfect sense business-wise and ratings-wise. However, you can’t blame Buckeyes fans for wanting a little extra time to tailgate every now and then!
Ohio State has as good of a chance as anyone to win the national title.
In some ways, Day’s team has managed to fly somewhat under the radar as the national talk has largely been focused on other teams. It’s almost like Ohio State has been taken for granted.
Having said that, when push comes to shove, we know that Day and the Buckeyes will be ready. (Or at least they better be.)
What are your thoughts on the noon kick controversy???
