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LGHL You’re Nuts: If you were in charge, how would you set up Ohio State’s broadcast schedule?
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You’re Nuts: If you were in charge, how would you set up Ohio State’s broadcast schedule?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about what we would do if we were in charge of our favorite position group, team, conference, or sport. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”If I Was in Charge” articles here.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
As a West Coast Buckeye, I recognize that my ideal schedule likely makes me a bit of an outlier, but given that the West Coast is also Big Ten country these days, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to consider those of us lagging three hours behind.
Now, if you’ve followed along for a while, you might remember that I am weirdly a fan of noon games (or 9 a.m. PT) games. I love my little ritual of making my coffee and watching football in my jammies before the rest of the day gets underway. But all football games are not equal, and some games are not intended to be “Lazy Saturday morning” games.
This is especially true of the highest-profile games, like the Ohio State-Texas matchup in Week 1 of this upcoming season, the scheduling of which is currently on the receiving end of many fans’ ire.
I respect Fox’s desire to dominate the early timeslot, I really do. It’s a good business decision. But some games beg to be shown in primetime. Night games indisputably have a different atmosphere than games that require raggedy, hungover college kids to be functional humans before lunch, and top-caliber teams deserve to have that energy behind them for their biggest matchups.
Additionally, while real sports fans try to cater their schedules to their teams, this is not always possible. Noon on Saturdays is prime time for kids’ football and soccer games, for birthday parties and family functions. It’s not always possible to tune in, but managing to stay home on a Saturday night for primetime viewing is much more feasible. Think of the children!
As such, what I would propose is this: Matchups between two top-10 teams would automatically get a primetime slot, unless there were two top-10 matchups in one week, in which case the honor would go to the teams with the lower average of their rankings. For example, if the No. 1 team were playing the No. 10 team in the same week the No. 2 and No. 3 teams were playing, the No. 2 versus No. 3 matchup would get the primetime slot. That’s because the average between 1 and 10 is 5.5, while the average between 2 and 3 is 2.5. 2.5 is lower, so they would get the slot, because arguably, it would be the tighter matchup. The lower of the two could persist in Fox’s beloved noon time slot.
Unless we are choosing between two top-10 matchups in the same weekend, these games are always going to be primetime-caliber.
Additionally, any matchup that has massive playoff implications (i.e. a No. 10 and No. 12 team are playing each other at the end of the season, with the understanding that likely only one of them will make the playoffs), or a situation where a team could eke its way into the conference championship should get primetime slots if possible.
Other ranked matchups — which leaves a lot of great football to be played – could continue to hold the noon spot, where they would likely be the most desirable game in that time slot. A little excitement is fine, but the first game of the day shouldn’t make every other game to follow seem boring, or I’m turning the TV off.
If I turn on a boring noon game while I do chores and let it play in the background while I multitask, I am more likely to leave the TV on for the next two rounds of games. But if the first game is the best one, I’ll tune in, and say, “OK, on with my day,” and off the TV goes. You have to keep me engaged if you want me to keep watching, and blowout games are not the way to do that.
I do have one exception to my “Top-10 matchups always get a primetime slot” — The Game. Though I argued above that most top matchups are not meant for lazy Saturday viewing, Ohio State vs. Michigan is exempt from this argument, and that is merely due to the timing of Rivalry Week.
Because Rivalry Week falls on Thanksgiving week, I would always schedule the Ohio State-Michigan game for noon. Thanksgiving is a holiday that lends itself to lazy everything. You’re stuffed with food, tired from parties, and the weather is starting to get cold in most of the country. There is literally no better time of year to roll out of bed, stay cozy, and turn on a football game after 48 hours of stuffing your face, so even when it is a Top-2 matchup, Ohio State-Michigan gets the noon slot.
Beyond that, see rules above and stop making me go to the gym at 6 a.m. so I can be home in time for kickoff.
Look, I know I’m not winning this week’s poll, and that’s ok, because I think that there is a logic to my option that transcends reductive polls on silly little blogs.
Whether it is the presumed ESPN bias against Ohio State and the Big Ten or the nonstop string of Big Noon games forced on the Buckeyes by Fox, OSU fans have had a rather tumultuous relationship with the networks broadcasting their favorite team’s games in recent years. But, hear me out, I have a proposal that would eliminate all of these types of issues: real, imagined, and ginned up with faux outrage on social media.
I think Ohio State, on its own or in conjunction with the Big Ten, should launch a streaming service. Technically, the league already has with BTN+, which broadcasts a not insubstantial number of women’s basketball and Olympic sport events for $119.95 annually or $12.99 per month. Since I don’t think that there’s any way, short of leaving the conference, to do this without the rest of the league, I’ll operate under that assumption, but personally, I’d prefer they go it alone.
I realize that there are complicated contracts involved that would make this darn-near impossible, not the least of which is that Fox owns 61% of BTN. What would happen to the cable network if the league went all streaming? I have no idea, I’d let the folks who make far more money doing this figure that out.
Nonetheless, the freedom and flexibility that Ohio State would have over its broadcasts would be huge. Yes, there would still need to be someone coordinating time slots, but if the B1G were in charge, OSU would have much more input in the process, and you wouldn’t have to try and juggle games from other conferences. Sure, if Alabama and Georgia were playing at 3:30 p.m., you might not want to put Ohio State and Oregon in the same window, but Texas and Ole Miss, or Utah and BYU, would mean literally nothing in the grand scheduling scheme.
Noon games? Cupcakes and Michigan only, except on rare occasions where the rest of the B1G schedule necessitates it. This would mean that the conference could put the biggest game of the week in primetime, which means a better atmosphere for both fans and recruiting.
Now, while I think the scheduling would be a huge bonus, I’m really into this idea for the broadcasters. There are literally like two broadcast teams that I actually enjoy working college football. One does ESPN games, so we never get Mark Jones and Louis Riddick, and the other has broken up so Brock Huard can coach his kid’s high school football team.
Think about how amazing it would be to have Paul Keels calling the action on TV. I know that I’ve tried to sync up the TV with the radio broadcast, but that never seems to work. Even if the Voice of the Buckeyes remains on radio, having a play-by-play and color team that actually knows the team would infinitely improve my game-watching experience.
Now, my day job is covering streaming services, so I realize that streaming comes with its own issues, and ever-increasing subscription prices is one of them. But I still believe that the flexibility and customization of an all-streaming option would be massive.
Of course, it certainly wouldn’t generate nearly as much revenue as the current deal, so maybe some sort of hybrid model would work until the linear TV experience completely fades away, but I’m telling you when (not if) Buckeyes+ becomes available, I will be the first to sign up.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about what we would do if we were in charge of our favorite position group, team, conference, or sport. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”If I Was in Charge” articles here.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: If you were in charge, how would you set up Ohio State’s broadcast schedule?
Jami’s Take: Top-10 matchups in prime time
As a West Coast Buckeye, I recognize that my ideal schedule likely makes me a bit of an outlier, but given that the West Coast is also Big Ten country these days, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to consider those of us lagging three hours behind.
Now, if you’ve followed along for a while, you might remember that I am weirdly a fan of noon games (or 9 a.m. PT) games. I love my little ritual of making my coffee and watching football in my jammies before the rest of the day gets underway. But all football games are not equal, and some games are not intended to be “Lazy Saturday morning” games.
This is especially true of the highest-profile games, like the Ohio State-Texas matchup in Week 1 of this upcoming season, the scheduling of which is currently on the receiving end of many fans’ ire.
I respect Fox’s desire to dominate the early timeslot, I really do. It’s a good business decision. But some games beg to be shown in primetime. Night games indisputably have a different atmosphere than games that require raggedy, hungover college kids to be functional humans before lunch, and top-caliber teams deserve to have that energy behind them for their biggest matchups.
Additionally, while real sports fans try to cater their schedules to their teams, this is not always possible. Noon on Saturdays is prime time for kids’ football and soccer games, for birthday parties and family functions. It’s not always possible to tune in, but managing to stay home on a Saturday night for primetime viewing is much more feasible. Think of the children!
As such, what I would propose is this: Matchups between two top-10 teams would automatically get a primetime slot, unless there were two top-10 matchups in one week, in which case the honor would go to the teams with the lower average of their rankings. For example, if the No. 1 team were playing the No. 10 team in the same week the No. 2 and No. 3 teams were playing, the No. 2 versus No. 3 matchup would get the primetime slot. That’s because the average between 1 and 10 is 5.5, while the average between 2 and 3 is 2.5. 2.5 is lower, so they would get the slot, because arguably, it would be the tighter matchup. The lower of the two could persist in Fox’s beloved noon time slot.
Unless we are choosing between two top-10 matchups in the same weekend, these games are always going to be primetime-caliber.
Additionally, any matchup that has massive playoff implications (i.e. a No. 10 and No. 12 team are playing each other at the end of the season, with the understanding that likely only one of them will make the playoffs), or a situation where a team could eke its way into the conference championship should get primetime slots if possible.
Other ranked matchups — which leaves a lot of great football to be played – could continue to hold the noon spot, where they would likely be the most desirable game in that time slot. A little excitement is fine, but the first game of the day shouldn’t make every other game to follow seem boring, or I’m turning the TV off.
If I turn on a boring noon game while I do chores and let it play in the background while I multitask, I am more likely to leave the TV on for the next two rounds of games. But if the first game is the best one, I’ll tune in, and say, “OK, on with my day,” and off the TV goes. You have to keep me engaged if you want me to keep watching, and blowout games are not the way to do that.
I do have one exception to my “Top-10 matchups always get a primetime slot” — The Game. Though I argued above that most top matchups are not meant for lazy Saturday viewing, Ohio State vs. Michigan is exempt from this argument, and that is merely due to the timing of Rivalry Week.
Because Rivalry Week falls on Thanksgiving week, I would always schedule the Ohio State-Michigan game for noon. Thanksgiving is a holiday that lends itself to lazy everything. You’re stuffed with food, tired from parties, and the weather is starting to get cold in most of the country. There is literally no better time of year to roll out of bed, stay cozy, and turn on a football game after 48 hours of stuffing your face, so even when it is a Top-2 matchup, Ohio State-Michigan gets the noon slot.
Beyond that, see rules above and stop making me go to the gym at 6 a.m. so I can be home in time for kickoff.
Matt’s Take: Launch Buckeyes+ streaming service
Look, I know I’m not winning this week’s poll, and that’s ok, because I think that there is a logic to my option that transcends reductive polls on silly little blogs.
Whether it is the presumed ESPN bias against Ohio State and the Big Ten or the nonstop string of Big Noon games forced on the Buckeyes by Fox, OSU fans have had a rather tumultuous relationship with the networks broadcasting their favorite team’s games in recent years. But, hear me out, I have a proposal that would eliminate all of these types of issues: real, imagined, and ginned up with faux outrage on social media.
I think Ohio State, on its own or in conjunction with the Big Ten, should launch a streaming service. Technically, the league already has with BTN+, which broadcasts a not insubstantial number of women’s basketball and Olympic sport events for $119.95 annually or $12.99 per month. Since I don’t think that there’s any way, short of leaving the conference, to do this without the rest of the league, I’ll operate under that assumption, but personally, I’d prefer they go it alone.
I realize that there are complicated contracts involved that would make this darn-near impossible, not the least of which is that Fox owns 61% of BTN. What would happen to the cable network if the league went all streaming? I have no idea, I’d let the folks who make far more money doing this figure that out.
Nonetheless, the freedom and flexibility that Ohio State would have over its broadcasts would be huge. Yes, there would still need to be someone coordinating time slots, but if the B1G were in charge, OSU would have much more input in the process, and you wouldn’t have to try and juggle games from other conferences. Sure, if Alabama and Georgia were playing at 3:30 p.m., you might not want to put Ohio State and Oregon in the same window, but Texas and Ole Miss, or Utah and BYU, would mean literally nothing in the grand scheduling scheme.
Noon games? Cupcakes and Michigan only, except on rare occasions where the rest of the B1G schedule necessitates it. This would mean that the conference could put the biggest game of the week in primetime, which means a better atmosphere for both fans and recruiting.
Now, while I think the scheduling would be a huge bonus, I’m really into this idea for the broadcasters. There are literally like two broadcast teams that I actually enjoy working college football. One does ESPN games, so we never get Mark Jones and Louis Riddick, and the other has broken up so Brock Huard can coach his kid’s high school football team.
Think about how amazing it would be to have Paul Keels calling the action on TV. I know that I’ve tried to sync up the TV with the radio broadcast, but that never seems to work. Even if the Voice of the Buckeyes remains on radio, having a play-by-play and color team that actually knows the team would infinitely improve my game-watching experience.
Now, my day job is covering streaming services, so I realize that streaming comes with its own issues, and ever-increasing subscription prices is one of them. But I still believe that the flexibility and customization of an all-streaming option would be massive.
Of course, it certainly wouldn’t generate nearly as much revenue as the current deal, so maybe some sort of hybrid model would work until the linear TV experience completely fades away, but I’m telling you when (not if) Buckeyes+ becomes available, I will be the first to sign up.
Let us know who you are agreeing with:
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LGHL The 109th Indianapolis 500 features a number of Central Ohio connections
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The 109th Indianapolis 500 features a number of Central Ohio connections
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Die-hard Ohio State fan Graham Rahal will be looking to win his first Indianapolis 500 in his 19th start in the prestigious race.
The greatest spectacle in motorsports takes place today just three hours west of Columbus. The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this afternoon, with Josef Newgarden looking to become the first driver to win the prestigious race in three straight years. Along with Newgarden chasing history, there will be a couple of connections to Ohio State and central Ohio.
Even though Graham Rahal didn’t attend Ohio State, the talented driver grew up in New Albany and is a massive Buckeye fan. Rahal will be making his 19th career start in the Indianapolis 500, and is still searching for his first win in the most famous race in motorsports. Last year, Rahal finished in 15th place after starting in the 33rd spot on the grid for the second year in a row. This year, Rahal will start slightly closer to the front after qualifying in the 28th spot.
Rahal has finished in the top-5 in the Indianapolis 500 three times, with his best career finish in the race being when he placed third in 2011 and 2020. Rahal does have a bit of momentum entering the race, as he is coming off a sixth place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix Road Course, marking his best finish since 2023 when he finished in second place at the Gallagher Grand Prix, which was also held at the IMS Grand Prix Road Course. Last year, Rahal finished in the top 10 in five IndyCar races, with his best finish coming at Iowa Speedway when he finished in eighth place.
After five races this season, Rahal currently sits 13th in the IndyCar standings with 92 points. At this rate, Rahal is on track for his best finish in the yearly standings since he finished 11th in 2022 with 345 points. In 2023, Rahal finished in 15th place in the standings, following an 18th-place finish last season. The last time Rahal finished in the top 10 at the end of the year was in 2021 when he finished in seventh place, marking the seventh straight season where he finished in the top 10 in the season standings. The best season for Rahal came in 2014, when he finished the season in fourth place.
Rahal is one of four drivers in this year’s Indianapolis 500 field who will be representing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Bobby Rahal, who is Graham’s father, has ties to Ohio after he was born in Medina and graduated from Denison University. The racing team is also owned by David Letterman and Mike Lanigan. Takuma Sato, who won the 2020 Indianapolis 500, will start in ninth spot, Devlin DeFrancesco starts 18th, and Louis Foster will start his first Indianapolis 500 in 22nd spot. Along with Sato’s victory in 2020, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing also won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 when Buddy Rice kissed the bricks.
Along with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Meyer Shank Racing also has ties to the Columbus area. Owner Michael Shank was born in Columbus, and the team’s headquarters are in Pataskala. The team will field two drivers in this year’s race. Felix Rosenqvist will start in the middle of Row 2 in his seventh start in the race as he looks for his first career Indianapolis 500 win.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26006241/2188953641.jpg "Washington Capitals v Columbus Blue Jackets")
Photo by Colin Mayr/NHLI via Getty Images
If Rosenqvist can use starting near the front of the pack to his advantage to win, he will deny Helio Castroneves his fifth Indianapolis 500 victory, which would be the most in history, breaking the tie he is currently in with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears. Castroneves’ most recent win in the Indianapolis 500 came in 2021. The victory in 2021 by Castroneves is the lone Indianapolis 500 victory for Meyer Shank Racing. Castroneves will start this year’s race in 22nd place.
Even though he doesn’t have any ties to Ohio State or the state of Ohio, one other fun note from today’s race is that Kyle Larson will try and run not only the Indianapolis 500, but he will also try and race the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte this evening. Last year, Larson tried to accomplish the feat, but the Indianapolis 500 was delayed nearly four hours by rain, not allowing Larson to complete the 1,100 miles of racing. Tony Stewart is the only driver who has been able to complete both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day, finishing sixth at Indy before finishing third in Charlotte.
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Die-hard Ohio State fan Graham Rahal will be looking to win his first Indianapolis 500 in his 19th start in the prestigious race.
The greatest spectacle in motorsports takes place today just three hours west of Columbus. The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this afternoon, with Josef Newgarden looking to become the first driver to win the prestigious race in three straight years. Along with Newgarden chasing history, there will be a couple of connections to Ohio State and central Ohio.
Even though Graham Rahal didn’t attend Ohio State, the talented driver grew up in New Albany and is a massive Buckeye fan. Rahal will be making his 19th career start in the Indianapolis 500, and is still searching for his first win in the most famous race in motorsports. Last year, Rahal finished in 15th place after starting in the 33rd spot on the grid for the second year in a row. This year, Rahal will start slightly closer to the front after qualifying in the 28th spot.
Rahal has finished in the top-5 in the Indianapolis 500 three times, with his best career finish in the race being when he placed third in 2011 and 2020. Rahal does have a bit of momentum entering the race, as he is coming off a sixth place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix Road Course, marking his best finish since 2023 when he finished in second place at the Gallagher Grand Prix, which was also held at the IMS Grand Prix Road Course. Last year, Rahal finished in the top 10 in five IndyCar races, with his best finish coming at Iowa Speedway when he finished in eighth place.
After five races this season, Rahal currently sits 13th in the IndyCar standings with 92 points. At this rate, Rahal is on track for his best finish in the yearly standings since he finished 11th in 2022 with 345 points. In 2023, Rahal finished in 15th place in the standings, following an 18th-place finish last season. The last time Rahal finished in the top 10 at the end of the year was in 2021 when he finished in seventh place, marking the seventh straight season where he finished in the top 10 in the season standings. The best season for Rahal came in 2014, when he finished the season in fourth place.
Rahal is one of four drivers in this year’s Indianapolis 500 field who will be representing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Bobby Rahal, who is Graham’s father, has ties to Ohio after he was born in Medina and graduated from Denison University. The racing team is also owned by David Letterman and Mike Lanigan. Takuma Sato, who won the 2020 Indianapolis 500, will start in ninth spot, Devlin DeFrancesco starts 18th, and Louis Foster will start his first Indianapolis 500 in 22nd spot. Along with Sato’s victory in 2020, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing also won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 when Buddy Rice kissed the bricks.
Along with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Meyer Shank Racing also has ties to the Columbus area. Owner Michael Shank was born in Columbus, and the team’s headquarters are in Pataskala. The team will field two drivers in this year’s race. Felix Rosenqvist will start in the middle of Row 2 in his seventh start in the race as he looks for his first career Indianapolis 500 win.
If Rosenqvist can use starting near the front of the pack to his advantage to win, he will deny Helio Castroneves his fifth Indianapolis 500 victory, which would be the most in history, breaking the tie he is currently in with A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Rick Mears. Castroneves’ most recent win in the Indianapolis 500 came in 2021. The victory in 2021 by Castroneves is the lone Indianapolis 500 victory for Meyer Shank Racing. Castroneves will start this year’s race in 22nd place.
Even though he doesn’t have any ties to Ohio State or the state of Ohio, one other fun note from today’s race is that Kyle Larson will try and run not only the Indianapolis 500, but he will also try and race the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte this evening. Last year, Larson tried to accomplish the feat, but the Indianapolis 500 was delayed nearly four hours by rain, not allowing Larson to complete the 1,100 miles of racing. Tony Stewart is the only driver who has been able to complete both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day, finishing sixth at Indy before finishing third in Charlotte.
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