Lights. Camera. Football. If you want to watch more big Ohio State football games at night, there's a bill in the Statehouse to make that happen.
Rep. Tex Fischer (R-Boardman) said FOX's Big Noon game isn’t a big deal for fans. He said there’s more excitement and student attendance with evening games.
"The atmosphere is just different when you are kicking off under the lights," Fischer said.
But Fischer said FOX has scheduled OSU in the noon slot too frequently. This week it was announced that Ohio State's 2025 season opener against Texas will be played at noon on August 30.
His bill, which has yet to be formally introduced, would require that if the Buckeyes are ranked in the top 10 and play another top 10 team, the game can't start before 3:30 pm. But there is one carveout – Michigan.
“That is traditionally a noon kickoff. I don’t think anyone is too concerned or looking to change that. I certainly am not," Fischer said.
Under Fischer's bill, scheduling a game before 3:30pm would result in hefty penalties.
“It would be a $10 million fine to either the broadcast network or their conference, kind of depending on the specifics of what that contract is and who the burden of the violation would fall upon," Fischer said.
In recent years, streaming services have been getting exclusive contracts to broadcast college athletics.
For the second time, Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) is sponsoring a bill that would ban OSU football from entering into contracts with exclusive streaming services. But that is not part of Fischer's bill.
