Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian shake hands after a press conference. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Report: Texas Longhorns Blocked Request to Move Opener vs. Ohio State

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated May 22, 2025 1:50 PM ET

Just over three months remain until the college football season begins, yet the biggest game of Week 1 still remains without a kickoff time.

The matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes is still set for Saturday, Aug. 30, on FOX, and most have just assumed that it would be part of "Big Noon Kickoff." However, the network has still yet to announce an official kickoff time for this game, despite doing so for games much later in the season.

Apparently, there's a reason for that. According to Patrick Murphy of 247Sports, Ohio State approached FOX about moving the game back, either to a later time slot or to Sunday, Aug. 31. However, Texas said no to that request, so the game will likely retain its noon ET kickoff time.

If the game had been moved to Sunday in primetime, it would've gone against the Notre-Dame Miami game on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET. While this game would still be massive, going against another game featuring two high-profile teams definitely could've eaten into its ratings.

It's not too hard to see why each school choose to do what it did. Texas likely knows how tough it is to play at Ohio Stadium in prime time, and thus felt that a daytime game would've been a bit more manageable.

On the other hand, Ohio State seems to absolutely loathe "Big Noon Kickoff." The Buckeyes have been part of the program more than any other Big Ten team, including five appearances last year alone. They've also been forced to play most of their big games at noon ET for the past few years, including many of their annual clashes against Michigan and Penn State.

How much to Buckeyes fans hate this? Ohio Rep. Tex Fischer, a Republican from the Youngstown area, recently proposed a bill that would prohibit any Ohio State games from starting before 3:30 p.m. ET if the game features another state university or an AP top 10 opponent. Yes, really.

If the report about Texas keeping the noon kickoff is accurate, Ohio State is probably none too happy with its Week 1 opponent.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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