Utah-Texas Tech game set for Big Noon Kickoff

Utes and Red Raiders slotted into premier TV window for college football slate

The Utah Utes enter the field before the game against the Cal Poly Mustangs at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

A Big 12 showdown between No. 20 Utah and No. 21 Texas Tech is set to feature on Big Noon Kickoff.

Broadcast details and a kickoff time for a potential top-25 matchup involving the Utes and Red Raiders were revealed Monday, almost a full two weeks before their clash from Rice-Eccles Stadium on Sept. 20 at 10 a.m. MT on FOX.

FOX's Big Noon Kickoff is one of the premier TV time slots on the college football slate, featuring the network's top broadcast crew in Gus Johnson on play-by-play, Joel Klatt as an analyst and Jenny Taft reporting from the sideline.

regular-seasonThe TV window accounted for four of the top 10 regular-season viewership counts in 2024 and achieved the highest average viewership among all time slots on all networks from 2021-23.

"We have no problem playing early in the day; just tell us what time kickoff is and we will be there," said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham in a news release from the school. "Our fans are awesome and will show the country the home-field advantage that Rice-Eccles Stadium is known for. Obviously, we'll have a big TV audience in that time slot, so that's great exposure for our program."

Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham watches game action against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Rose Bowl. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Last season, Big Noon Kickoff's four most-watched games drew in an average viewership of about 10.2 million. The network started the 2025 campaign with the most-watched Week 1 college football game of all time, featuring Texas and Ohio State, which drew in a high of 18.6 million viewers.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for our football program to play in front of a large TV audience in the Big Noon Saturday time slot on FOX and showcase the energy and atmosphere of Rice-Eccles Stadium," said Utah's director of athletics, Mark Harlan. "Thanks to FOX and the Big 12 for giving us this stage to amplify our incredible football program and this great university. Our awesome fans will be firing up their grills bright and early—they'll just be mixing in some omelets and pancakes on their tailgate menus. We look forward to a fantastic day on campus."

The Sept. 20 game will also mark the first meeting between the Utes and Red Raiders at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The two teams haven't faced off since 1973.