Fox is set to expand its college football coverage by introducing a package of Friday night games. The schedule will feature matchups from prominent conferences including the Big Ten, Big 12, and Mountain West. Although the specific game schedule is expected to be announced in late May or early June, the addition of Friday night games is a notable development.
While Friday games were traditionally limited to the opening week of the season and the day after Thanksgiving, all three conferences have started incorporating Friday matchups, with the Big Ten having a limited package on the Big Ten Network and FS1 since 2017. The Big 12 and Mountain West also had Friday night games on various networks in recent seasons.
This expansion aims to fill a scheduling gap for Fox on Friday nights during the fall when WWE’s “Friday Night SmackDown” transitions to the USA Network in October. Some games could potentially air on Fox in September as “SmackDown” moves to FS1 during that period.
Fox has previously experimented with staking a claim to underutilized timeslots, evident in the success of “Big Noon Saturday” launched in 2019. Last season’s package averaged 6.74 million viewers on Fox, showcasing an 8% increase over the previous year. The addition of Friday night games represents another strategic move by Fox to enhance its college football coverage.
