Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork spoke with reporters on Thursday and was asked about the announcement of the Buckeyes' season opener against Texas being set for Noon ET as part of the Big Ten's television contract with Fox for Big Noon Saturday.

Fans were certainly clamoring for the contest to be a night game. After all, the matchup on paper is the biggest game of the Week 1 slate.

"Look, I think our program, our fans, deserve some marquee night games," Bjork said. "...What we need is more flexibility [with the television contract]. Can that happen anytime soon? I don't know. But I think every program should deserve the right to have way more flexibility. We have carried the day for Big Noon. There's no question about it. You look at the viewership. So, we understand why Fox went with Big Noon. We understand why we're picked all the time. But we're hoping for just more flexibility. That's what we're looking for. And so, I think Commissioner Petitti is going to work with our TV partners. We're going to continue to have those conversations, but can anything change anytime soon? Probably not. Because those contracts are rigid and they're locked in for several years."

Fox has certainly benefitted from putting the biggest game in the Big Ten for the weekend at Noon ET on Saturday when it's not competing with primetime night game inventory with the SEC and other conferences.

So don't expect Fox to change its stance on Noon kickoffs anytime soon, and expect to see Ohio State in that timeslot plenty as the defending national champion and one of the perennial powers in college football.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ohio State AD Sends a Message to Fox on Big Noon Games.

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