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Penn State and Michigan will face off this Saturday in a matchup that will have huge title implications. Not only will this be a major decision for the Big Ten championship race, but it could also either continue or end any national championship aspirations these programs currently possess.
Unfortunately, due to FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, the game won’t be featured in prime time. College football fans have been voicing their frustrations about the Penn State-Michigan start time through social media.
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The game will feature teams ranked No. 3 and No. 11 in the College Football Playoff poll with the undefeated Wolverines traveling to Beaver Stadium to take on the one-loss Nittany Lions.
A win for UM will likely knock PSU out of the B1G and CFP title conversation. A win for Penn State would make things very interesting, however.
The Nittany Lions have already lost to Ohio State, but should they beat the Wolverines, who still have a game to play against the Buckeyes, there’s a chance we get three one-loss B10 East schools. That could make for a very tough decision for the selection committee comes season’s end.
With all that’s on the line in this conference matchup, many around the sport were hoping for a night game in State College. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed thanks to FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff slot.
This decision was made far prior to the season’s start. Penn State wrote a press release back in May noting the noon kick.
The blue and white’s home game against Michigan on Nov. 11 will also be featured on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff.
Fans unhappy with noon start for Penn State-Michigan.
The pregame show flows directly into FOX’s “premier matchup each week,” involving teams from the B1G, Big XII, Mountain West, and PAC 12.
This year’s schedule has seen matchups between Colorado-TCU, Colorado-Nebraska, and Ohio State-Penn State, which sparked a similar reaction from Big Ten fans.
“Noon is Primetime.”
While the slogan does it’s best to pump up the day’s opening contest, many believe that the best games are played at night.
“Big games are under lights.”
“This is a complete disservice to college football fans across America… It should be under the lights in Beaver Stadium. Big Noon Kickoff fails us again.”
“It won’t be a night game because FOX has ruined the big games in the Big Ten. It’s embarrassing that all the marquee games are at noon.”
“Michigan State vs OSU is a night game, but the Penn State Michigan game is at noon. Makes sense!”
“It’s such a joke that a game of the caliber and importance of Michigan and Penn State would be put in the noon window. Folks on the West Coast having to tune in at 9 AM to see the game? Thanks again, FOX.”
Regardless of the start time, the environment at Penn State should be raucous when Michigan rolls into town. We’ll see if the Nittany Lions can pull the upset and keep CFP hopes alive, or if the Wolverines will continue their on-field dominance with another convincing win.