The Gophers’ highly anticipated meeting with No. 1 Ohio State will air live on NBC, as part of the network’s weekly Big Ten Saturday Night broadcast. Here’s what you need to know.
Subscribe: Sign up to receive the free Gophers On SI newsletter
This will be Minnesota’s second time on NBC’s primetime broadcast since the network added Big Ten football before the 2023 season. The only other time was last year’s blowout loss at home against Iowa. Their broadcast is quickly becoming one of the best in college football.
Eagle is the son of longtime CBS play-by-play broadcaster Ian Eagle, and Noah is carving out a serious name for himself as one of the fastest-rising names in sports broadcasting. Blackledge has been with NBC since 2023 after working for ESPN from 2006 to 2023.
Ohio State has become a TV network pawn in modern college football broadcasting. The Buckeyes are almost exclusively playing in FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff window. A Big Ten night game has been something the fanbase has been clamoring for in recent years. This Saturday will be their first home night game against a Big Ten opponent since 2022 against Michigan State, which is hard to believe for a program of Ohio State’s stature.
This week’s game is a big one for the Buckeyes’ fanbase, which is one of the biggest and most vocal in college football. Playing in Columbus is a tough test for any team in the country, but the environment could be extra rowdy on Saturday night.
Another night game slot means the Gophers will kick off five of their first seven regular-season games at 6:30 p.m. CT or later, with a late-night slot already scheduled next week against Purdue and a Friday night primetime game the following week against Nebraska.
If Minnesota pulls off the shocking upset over No. 1 Ohio State, it would have a great argument for being the most surprising result in college football this season. However things shake out on Saturday night, the Gophers will have a huge national spotlight. It’s likely the most significant Big Ten game of the week, and arguably among the top five games of the week nationally.
Source link
