Missouri-Kansas, Indiana’s Big Ten opener headline Fox Friday night college football slate

Key Points:

• Fox is expanding its Friday night college football schedule from nine to 12 games this fall, featuring teams like Indiana, Oregon, and Texas Tech, including notable matchups such as the Missouri-Kansas Border War and Penn State at Northwestern’s new stadium.
• Despite some backlash from coaches and fans, Fox reported that Friday games averaged higher viewership (2.3 million) than Saturday mid-afternoon or primetime games last season, highlighting the advantage of being the marquee game on a Friday night.
• Texas Tech booster Cody Campbell publicly criticized Fox’s plan to move a Texas Tech-Houston game to Friday, calling it “absurd,” but Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark dismissed the complaint, emphasizing that Campbell does not control conference decisions.
• ESPN also airs Friday college football games, primarily featuring ACC teams, and has announced a full Friday lineup starting Sept. 4; however, Fox was the first to place Friday games on a broadcast network in 2024 after ending its WWE deal.
• Fox executives emphasize that airing games on a major broadcast network on Fridays provides greater national exposure compared to cable or streaming, benefiting schools and conferences, with full early-season schedules from major networks expected by the end of May.