An Ohio Republican diverted energy away from actual issues to focus on blocking early-afternoon kickoff times for college football games.
Fans, particularly students who want to tailgate and drink beforehand, often oppose their team drawing FOX’s dreaded Big Noon Kickoff assignment. That could be the case when Ohio State opens its 2025 season against Texas on Aug. 30. FOX initially published an article saying the game would start at noon but removed those references from the story Monday and has not confirmed an official start time.
Nevertheless, a state lawmaker was so aghast by the potential scheduling that he proposed legislation to criminalize it. Tex Fischer, an Ohio House of Representatives member, introduced a bill to prevent two college powerhouses from playing at noon.
Fischer’s bill would prohibit any college football game from starting before 3:30 p.m. ET in the state of Ohio if one team is a state university and both competitors are ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll. The Buckeyes and Longhorns will presumably each open 2025 with a top-10 designation.
“A few weeks ago, I said it would be a crime for FOX to put Ohio State vs Texas at noon,” Fischer wrote in response to a fan account posting a screenshot of the bill. “Promises made, promises kept!”
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However, the proposal spares Ohio State and Michigan from moving their traditional noon kickoff. These conditions don’t apply in a matchup where an earlier start time is considered a “college football tradition.”
Violating this law would incur a harsh penalty. The bill stipulates a $10 million fine to the hosting team’s athletic conference or the network broadcasting the game, depending on who scheduled the earlier kickoff.
Fischer insulted his own political record when playfully calling this bill the “most important legislation I’ve ever introduced.” He delivered a more earnest response to someone who asked why this is an issue for the government to address.
“Ohio State is a public university and the football program has a massive economic impact,” Fischer wrote.
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