Oklahoma-Michigan getting ‘Big Noon’ treatment from Fox in Week 2 rematch

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Oklahoma-Michigan getting ‘Big Noon’ treatment from Fox in Week 2 rematch

Oklahoma-Michigan getting ‘Big Noon’ treatment from Fox in Week 2 rematch

A year after College GameDay and a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC, Oklahoma and Michigan are getting the Big Noon treatment. Fox announced Monday that the rematch of last year’s Week 2 game — a 24-13 Oklahoma win in Norman — will kick off at noon ET on Sept. 12 in Ann Arbor, almost certainly…

Oklahoma-Michigan getting ‘Big Noon’ treatment from Fox in Week 2 rematch

A year after College GameDay and a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC, Oklahoma and Michigan are getting the Big Noon treatment. Fox announced Monday that the rematch of last year’s Week 2 game — a 24-13 Oklahoma win in Norman — will kick off at noon ET on Sept. 12 in Ann Arbor, almost certainly…

Big-time college football is back, and one of the most anticipated rematches of the season just got a major scheduling shakeup. When Oklahoma travels to Ann Arbor to face Michigan on September 12, the game won't be under the lights—it'll be under the bright, early afternoon sun of Fox's "Big Noon" window.

Fox officially announced Monday that the Week 2 clash between the Sooners and Wolverines will kick off at 12 p.m. ET. This is a notable shift from last season, when the same matchup was a primetime affair on ABC with a 7:30 p.m. start and featured the full "College GameDay" experience. Oklahoma won that game 24-13 in Norman, but now Michigan gets a chance at revenge on its home turf, with the "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show almost certainly setting up shop at The Big House.

But that's not the only headline from Fox's scheduling announcement. The network also locked in the annual Ohio State-Michigan rivalry game for November 28 at noon—cementing "The Game" in its now-traditional Big Noon slot. Even bigger news: Fox has bought back the rights to the Big Ten Championship Game from NBC, meaning it will air the conference title game in five of the next seven years under the current media rights deal. Reports indicate NBC was forced to sell after Fox's majority stake in the Big Ten Network gave it effective veto power over sublicensing, and the $45-55 million sale price fell well short of the $70 million NBC had hoped to get from a streaming partner.

This scheduling domino effect could shake up the rest of the Big Ten TV slate. As the conference's primary rights holder, Fox holds the first three picks in the annual TV draft, with CBS and NBC splitting the remaining six. If Fox used one of those top picks on Oklahoma-Michigan—as Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope suggests—that could leave a marquee Ohio State game (against Indiana or Oregon) available for CBS or NBC. However, don't expect Ohio State-Oregon under the lights that weekend, as NBC is already committed to airing Notre Dame-Miami that evening.

For NBC, this continues a frustrating trend of being on the short end of the draft process—a dynamic the network has reportedly voiced concerns about behind the scenes.

Whether you're a Sooner, a Wolverine, or just a fan of great early-season matchups, mark your calendars. This one's going to be a nooner to remember.

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