Why FOX, CBS Chose Ohio State’s Most Marquee 2026 Football Games

The Ohio State Buckeyes kick off their season at 12:30 p.m. ET in Columbus Saturday against Ball State. After a nonconference schedule that includes a trip to Austin to rematch the Texas Longhorns in Week 2, the Buckeyes' schedule ramps up when Big Ten play gets underway later this month.

Transitioning to October, though, the Buckeyes' schedule gets interesting when they rematch the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday, Oct. 17, in Bloomington as a would-be continuation of last year's Big Ten title game where the Hoosiers prevailed in Indianapolis en route to an eventual undefeated season and a national title win to cap a historic year.

Much speculation surrounded the Buckeyes-Hoosiers rematch as the Big Noon Kickoff game. According to The Athletic, it appears to be the case.

Ohio State vs. Indiana Has Network Designation

Ohio State vs. Indiana last year — Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Isaiah Jones (46) hits Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) during the first half of the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Dec. 6, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Big Ten held its annual TV draft, a ritual in which all of the conference's partners make their selections for the country's biggest games. This includes the annual tradition of putting Ohio State vs. Michigan on FOX on Thanksgiving weekend, among other games from around the league to fill out the schedule.

Per the report, the Week 7 matchup will be contested on FOX, rather than the 3:30 p.m. ET window on CBS or the nightcap game on NBC. The reason being is because the network claimed the first three selections, the equivalent of an NFL team having back-to-back picks or something similar.

In the midst of the midseason stretch for Ohio State, its game against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday, Nov. 7, will air on CBS at 3:30 p.m. ET, following FOX's first three selections. Therefore, NBC gets to protect the Notre Dame-Miami game in South Bend that evening.

The full network TV schedule is not finalized for the Buckeyes just yet, as the rest of their Big Ten schedule will be implemented through six-day holds and other flex scheduling possibilities.

In all, the Buckeyes will continue their Big Noon Kickoff spree where they've been featured over 20 times since its inception. As much as most of the fanbase doesn't like the format of the game or the glory of it, it's a tradition that Ohio State fans will have to accept as the Big Ten slogs through its seven-year media rights deal.

For now, it remains to be seen if the Buckeye fanbase will change their tune about the game's placement, expecially given the rematch stakes. But only time will tell though.

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