The Biggest Obstacle to a College Football RedZone Might Surprise You

While the concept has gained traction with fans and even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who recently teased expansion beyond the pro ranks, any effort to bring a whip-around college football product to Saturdays faces serious friction from FOX.

The network holds rights to the Big Ten’s Big Noon Saturday, a weekly flagship window, and also shares broadcast control of the Big 12. That makes it a central player in college football’s media landscape.

Sources say FOX would only consider participating in a RedZone-style project if it were granted significant ownership in the venture. From FOX’s perspective, handing over access to ESPN would mean funneling viewers away from its own broadcasts. That’s not a trade the network is likely to make without a major seat at the table.

ESPN, now with partial control of the RedZone brand through its recent equity arrangement with the NFL, is the natural home for a college version. The network has already laid the foundation with its College Football Final and Goal Line offerings, though neither operates on the real-time scale of NFL RedZone.

That’s where the roadblock forms. FOX’s Big Noon game often dominates the early slate, and the network’s deals with both the Big Ten and Big 12 give it strong leverage. Any attempt to unify broadcast feeds for a live-scoring product would have to account for those rights.

Until then, college football fans are left with fragmented coverage. The vision for a RedZone-style experience is clear, but execution will require more than technology.