Ohio State Buckeyes Not Pleased With Expanded Friday Night Football Games
Not everyone is pleased with the Big Ten's decision to feature more games on Friday night, including those at Ohio State.
A current Ohio State spokesperson recently told D1Ticketer that the program is far from excited to potentially have games on Friday due to the logistics of student-athletes' schedules and the impact on recruiting.
"They do present challenges, namely: significant all-day traffic concerns on a Friday with classes in session and our stadium on campus; and the fact we don't want to go head-to-head with the rich tradition of Ohio high school football Friday nights," the representative said.
Game dates and times for the 2024 schedule have yet to be released in the Big Ten following the additions of Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington. From a travel standpoint, programs will require more extended travel plans when making trips from the east coast out west or vice versa.
According to The Athletic, the Big Ten is expected to feature at least nine Friday night football games on Fox properties beginning next season. Friday night football in the conference has sporadically appeared on Fox properties, primarily the Big Ten Network and FS1 since 2017.
This season, the Big Ten features five conference games on Friday night, including the Black Friday double-header of Iowa-Nebraska and Penn State-Michigan State at Ford Field. Still, doubling the number of games to kickstart a weekend in college football could provide logistical problems for programs in terms of travel and game preparation on campus throughout the week.
Ohio State Buckeyes walk out of the tunnel at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, prior to their Week 6 matchup against Maryland
USA Today-Sports
Ohio State isn't the first program to speak out against Friday night games. Prior to its Week 2 win over Indiana State, Indiana coach Tom Allen mentioned his disdain for Friday matchups due to its shared spotlight with prominent high school games throughout the country.
“That’s not a decision that we make," Allen said in September. "That comes straight from the Big Ten, so if anyone wants to complain about that, don’t talk to me. Friday night is for high school football, bottom line. I’ll say it ‘til I’m blue in the face, ‘til somebody tells me to shut up. Then I’ll probably say it again. Friday night football is for high school football.”
Ohio State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will face Purdue at Ross–Ade Stadium this Saturday at noon E.T.
