We now know which TV network will broadcast Ohio State’s first and last games of the regular season, but kickoff times and broadcasters for the rest of the Buckeyes’ 2025 schedule are still to be determined.
Ohio State’s season opener against Texas and regular-season finale against Michigan will both air on FOX, likely making both games noon games, though neither FOX nor Ohio State has formally announced start times for either game. Start times and TV networks will be announced for Ohio State’s first three games of the season on May 29, but the rest of the season’s start times may not be announced until after the beginning of the regular season.
By looking at the week-by-week schedules across the Big Ten and making inferences about which games could be most appealing to the conference’s television partners, though, we can form our best guesses on start times and TV networks for each of Ohio State’s 12 regular-season games.
Week 1 vs. Texas (Aug. 30): Noon, FOX
Ohio State has made a push behind the scenes for its highly anticipated season opener to be a night game, and FOX’s retraction of its original article that stated Ohio State vs. Texas would be a Big Noon game leaves a sliver of hope that the Cotton Bowl rematch could still get the primetime treatment it deserves.
Now that the game is confirmed to be on FOX, however, making Ohio State vs. Texas a night game would require both contractual rearrangements and a deviation from FOX's strategy of airing its top game at noon each Saturday. Given that the other marquee games of Week 1 (Alabama at Florida State, LSU at Clemson) have already been scheduled for 3:30 and 7:30 p.m., respectively, a noon start to the season remains the most likely outcome despite Buckeye fans’ chagrin.
For those of you who are holding out hope for FOX carrying Texas-Ohio State at night - a reminder that FOX only has two windows that day to carry the game: 12pm & 3:30pm ET. Primetime has MLB on 8/30.
— Matt Sarzyniak (@mattsarz) May 12, 2025
I'd be very surprised if it isn't noon. Its their strategy for CFB.
Week 2 vs. Grambling State (Sept. 6): 3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
Given the backlash against noon games from Ohio State fans, it’s only fitting that the Buckeyes’ streak of regular-season noon games would end with a game everyone would be perfectly fine with playing at noon.
The least compelling matchup on Ohio State’s schedule, this game will very likely be one of OSU’s two Big Ten Network games. Given that BTN airs games in all broadcast windows, that makes everything from a noon game to a night game possible. Considering Ohio State played Western Michigan at 7:30 p.m. on BTN in Week 2 last season, it wouldn’t be shocking if this game landed in the same slot – but since a night game against an FCS opponent seems entirely unnecessary, we’ll split the difference and predict a mid-afternoon kickoff for this one.
Week 3 vs. Ohio (Sept. 13): 3:30 p.m., CBS
A lack of exciting Big Ten home games in Week 3 – Northwestern vs. Oregon and Purdue vs. USC are the only two games hosted by Big Ten teams featuring two Power 4 teams that week – means there’s a good chance Ohio State’s in-state matchup with the Bobcats gets a national network slot even though it projects as another lopsided game.
It likely won’t be a night game, given that NBC is set to air Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M in its Week 3 primetime slot, so this seems like a natural fit for CBS’ first Ohio State game of the season.
Week 5 at Washington (Sept. 27): 7:30 p.m., NBC
Assuming that NBC and CBS will select Ohio State/Penn State and Penn State/Oregon with the third and fourth choices in the networks’ Big Ten game draft – it’s not known which network has the first pick between them – it’s likely that Ohio State vs. Washington will end up on whichever of those networks doesn’t air the Big Ten Championship Game rematch in Week 5, given that FOX typically doesn’t broadcast West Coast games at 9 a.m. local time.
Ohio State’s West Coast trip to Oregon got the primetime treatment on NBC last year, so it’s logical to think this year’s West Coast game for the Buckeyes would land in the same slot.
Week 6 vs. Minnesota (Oct. 4): Noon, FOX
This is Ohio State’s homecoming game, and Ohio State typically plays its homecoming game in an afternoon time slot. Ohio State vs. Minnesota is one of the week’s three best Big Ten matchups along with Michigan/Wisconsin and UCLA/Penn State, which likely means this game will be on either FOX or CBS.
The Big Ten’s primary TV partner will be hungry to get the Buckeyes back on its airwaves after a month without Ohio State, so Buckeye fans should probably be prepared for another home noon game here.
Week 7 at Illinois (Oct. 11): Noon, FOX
FOX showed last year, when it aired five Ohio State games in six weeks, that it has no bones about putting the Buckeyes in its Big Noon slot multiple weeks in a row. Illinois, meanwhile, is a College Football Playoff dark horse, making this one of the season’s more quietly compelling Big Ten games.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see this game end up in any of the three national network slots, with USC/Michigan and Wisconsin/Iowa likely to draw the other network selections. Knowing that FOX has a majority of the top picks, though, we’ll guess this ends up as Ohio State’s third Big Noon game of the first half of the season.
Week 8 at Wisconsin (Oct. 18): 3:30 p.m., CBS
NBC is already set to air Notre Dame vs. USC in its primetime slot in Week 8, likely taking a night game off the table for Ohio State’s trip to Camp Randall – unless this game gets the Peacock treatment. But one wouldn’t think NBC would want to air an Ohio State game on its streaming platform at the same time as Notre Dame/USC.
Considering that and the forecast that each of Ohio State’s last two games before this one will be on FOX, CBS’ mid-afternoon window projects as the most logical landing spot for the Buckeyes’ battle with the Badgers. Another down year for Wisconsin could potentially push this game to streaming or cable, though, as Michigan/Washington and Iowa/Penn State give the broadcast networks plenty of options for Week 8.
Week 10 vs. Penn State (Nov. 1): 7:30 p.m., NBC
With FOX’s selections of the Texas and Michigan games leaving this game up for grabs for NBC and CBS, Ohio State should be pulling all the strings it can to make this a night game. It’s likely the last opportunity for Ohio State to have a home night game this year, as Ohio State doesn’t typically host night games after the first weekend of November (though it’s certainly possible that stance could loosen with how successful Ohio State’s home night CFP game against Tennessee was). And it’s the only opportunity other than Texas for the Buckeyes to play a truly marquee home game under the lights this year.
A 3:30 p.m. game on CBS if it works out that way would be preferable to noon, considering the game would likely end after sunset. But Jim Knowles’ return to Columbus for a very likely top-10 matchup should be a primetime showcase inside a raucous Ohio Stadium, and I think Buckeye fans will get their wish here.
Week 11 at Purdue (Nov. 8): Noon, Peacock
Ohio State played its first-ever Peacock-only game when it traveled to Purdue in 2023. Assuming Ohio State will have at least one conference game on Peacock again this year, the Buckeyes’ trip to West Lafayette to play the Big Ten’s worst team from a year ago would be one of the most agreeable options.
A Peacock game could theoretically be played in any time slot, but we’ll go with noon since that’s when the Buckeyes’ Peacock game at Ross-Ade Stadium kicked off two years ago.
Week 12 vs. UCLA (Nov. 15): Noon, FOX
FOX will likely want to feature one of UCLA’s road games on Big Noon Kickoff after the Bruins added Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleva at quarterback, and his return to the stadium where Cody Simon broke his helmet last December projects as UCLA’s most compelling game that won’t be played in the Pacific Time Zone.
FOX will also presumably want to have Ohio State on its airwaves at least once in November leading up to The Game, making Ohio State/UCLA an appealing Big Noon selection on multiple levels.
Week 13 vs. Rutgers (Nov. 22): Noon, Big Ten Network
Ohio State’s Senior Day home finale projects as a likely spot for the Buckeyes’ mandated conference game on Big Ten Network. That could mean either a noon or 3:30 start time at Ohio Stadium, but considering Ohio State finished last year’s regular season with six straight noon games, we’ll forecast another November streak of 12 p.m. starts this year.
Week 14 at Michigan (Nov. 29): Noon, FOX
While FOX hasn’t formally announced a start time for The Game, it’s safe to write this one in ink. Ohio State’s annual rivalry game with Michigan has kicked off at noon nearly every year since the 1990s, and it consistently draws monster ratings in that time slot. There’s no need to mess with tradition here, and FOX isn’t going to.
