OSU Football: Fox Sports to Broadcast College Football Games on Friday Night Next Season
Saturday is not the only day college football can shine.
Fox is looking to prove that in 2024 with plans to broadcast a Friday night game each week. Although there have been Friday night games in the past, Fox Sports is looking to close in on the market and become the go-to for Friday night football.
In Andrew Marchand’s report on The Athletic, he noted that the primetime slot on Friday would feature games from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Mountain West. Although the broadcast schedule will not be negotiated until May, there is plenty of time to look at potential candidates for those matchups.
Oklahoma State played in one Friday night game last season when it hosted Kansas State on October 6. That game was broadcast on ESPN, but the possibility of a Fox matchup in 2024 is on the table.
Potential marquee matchups, such as a September battle against Utah, could be flexed into a Friday slot. Yet, the Cowboys' best chance of a Fox Friday game could be their regular season finale at Colorado which is already scheduled on a Friday.
Although ESPN dominates the SEC’s coverage, Fox Sports appears interested in dominating the Friday night slot with other conferences. Fox still plans to showcase its best game of the week with the Big Noon Kickoff in addition to the Friday broadcast, which will replace WWE Friday Night Smackdown.
This move also makes top football games across college and the NFL showcased on five nights of the week. However, the Friday move could have flaws depending on the college audience’s overlap with high school football fans.
With Friday being the main night for high school games across the country, getting people to tune in every week could be a challenge. It could also impact recruits’ ability to visit schools if the high school player and college play on the same night.
It remains to be seen how these Friday games will affect college football, but it will give the Big 12 and potentially OSU another chance to have the spotlight.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.