Ohio State vs. Penn State is officially a noon game.
As has been anticipated for months, Ohio State’s Nov. 1 home game against Penn State will be FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff game of the week and will be played at 12 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.
Because FOX owns the first three picks in the Big Ten TV networks’ preseason draft, it was always expected that Ohio State vs. Penn State would be FOX’s third pick after Ohio State’s season opener vs. Texas and regular-season finale at Michigan. Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork acknowledged as much during an August interview with WOSU.
“I think we know the Buckeyes drive Big Noon Kickoff. That’ll be a high-powered game. So I think we probably know what’s going to happen around game time for that one,” Bjork said. “FOX, they love the Buckeyes. And Big Noon is a big deal. They’ve invested in that time slot. So we’ll presume it’s a 12 noon kickoff.”
That became a slightly less foregone conclusion over the last four weeks as Penn State lost four straight games, making Ohio State/Penn State far less of a marquee matchup than it was expected to be entering the season. Still, Ohio State vs. Penn State is a virtual lock to be the highest-rated Big Ten game on Nov. 1 – a slate otherwise highlighted by USC at Nebraska and Indiana at Maryland – with the massive fanbases both teams have along with the compelling storyline of Jim Knowles returning to Columbus as Penn State’s defensive coordinator.
As such, Ohio State vs. Penn State will be played at noon for the fourth consecutive year, and Buckeye fans who are sick of the team’s most anticipated home games being at noon are left frustrated with FOX yet again.
Ohio State and Penn State are both on byes this week before their meeting next week at the Shoe. The Buckeyes will look to improve to 8-0 on the season by beating Penn State for the ninth straight year, while Penn State – which is 3-4 and still hasn’t beaten a Power 4 team this season – will be looking to earn its first win over Ohio State since 2016 and its first win at the Shoe since 2011.
