Members of the Ohio State Assembly are very concerned about college football.

The Legislature has introduced a bill to prohibit Ohio and other state schools from participating in most home games by 3:30 p.m. under Rep. Tex Fischer (R) before the proposal’s terms, including at least one state school and games including the first 10 teams will begin earlier than the afternoon. Of course, with one exception.

"If the college football game between the two teams starts earlier, the department (b) of this section will not apply," Bill notes. "For this purpose, the 'college football tradition' is the start time between the two institutional teams, whose soccer teams compete with each other at least fifty times, and the start time is at least the same, at least ninety-five percent."

Of course, this warning will be with Michigan’s annual competition exemption. On Saturday after Thanksgiving, it is traditionally the Buckeyes and Wolverines performing traditionally.

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The bill was shocked by Ohio State fans in its Big Ten media rights contract with Fox. The network has the ability to choose the conference’s top game every weekend during the football season and has its noon election game this week as part of its Big Noon Saturday program. In the late afternoon and evening other top games across the country, Fox earned strong ratings on time.

That period already featured Ohio State University. Seven of the 12 regular season games of the Buckeyes were at noon 2024 at noon ET, with six of them at home. Marquee competitions with Penn State, Indiana and Michigan were all on Fox at noon.

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The early start time frustrated fans participating in the game for many reasons, including the inability to hold the tail during the day. But Fox is a big reason Ohio State and the top 10 other teams get so much money each year. It's hard to see OSU and ten other big schools with less early trolley deals on TV.

The bill that bans early kickoff comes months after the bill was introduced banned flag planting at football fields. Michigan's flag-playing exhibition spawned the bill after the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 in 2024. Ohio State went on to win the college football playoffs after losing to the Wolverines.