ESPN-Fox Pregame Battle in Focus at Ohio State–Penn State

College football fans may feel like they’ve already witnessed a few “games of the year” so far this season. But another is getting added to the list Saturday as No. 4 Ohio State visits No. 3 Penn State—setting up a rare showdown between the sport’s biggest TV networks.

Fox has the game broadcast at noon ET, but Saturday morning will feature a battle of the top two pregame shows as the network’s Big Noon Kickoff and ESPN’s College GameDay descend upon the same campus for the second time this fall. In September, both shows broadcast from Ann Arbor ahead of Texas-Michigan.

The TV ratings for both pregame shows are impressive, but College GameDay has been able to extend its lead over Big Noon Kickoff after Fox made some gains on ESPN last season. 

ESPN says College GameDay is on pace for its most-watched season, averaging 2.2 million viewers each week. That’s more than double the number of people tuning in to Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff every week, which is just under one million (and similar to its average in 2023).

Different Flavors

ESPN has been boosted this year by the addition of Nick Saban to the College GameDay cast and has seen Pat McAfee’s field-goal-kicking contest turn into a weekly viral sensation—sometimes paying out six-figure sums to lucky students who can convert a 33-yard extra-point attempt.

Fox is in just its third season of regularly taking Big Noon Kickoff on the road each week, a practice it began in 2022 after the show launched in 2019. Urban Meyer highlights the list of hosts, which also includes Chris “The Bear” Fallica, a former member of College GameDay.

The rival shows may or may not converge at the same location again this year, but there’s no doubt the war for viewers at home will wage on.