Gus Johnson doubles down on ‘Big Noon’: ‘This is a business…Fox paid a lot of money’

Gus Johnson may not exactly be endearing himself to Ohio State fans.

The Fox Sports play-by-play announcer delivered his most direct comments yet about Big Noon Saturday during a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio with Adam Schein, essentially telling everyone complaining about the noon kickoffs that this is reality and they might as well accept it.

“I just think whatever time the game is on, that’s when the game is on,” Johnson said. “This is a business. This is our slot. This is where we’re most successful at this time of day. Fox paid a lot of money to the Big Ten. They agreed to take the money. This is what our executives feel is the best opportunity for us to win at this time of day. And I like it.”

“FOX paid a lot of money to the Big Ten. They agreed to take the money. This is what our executives feel is the best opportunity for us to win at this time of day.”

Gus Johnson tells @AdamSchein why he loves the Big Noon Kickoff timeslot.

🎧 https://t.co/RTimOxpXmN pic.twitter.com/lsGd7u1T2C

— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) August 27, 2025

Johnson’s comments come at a particularly interesting time for Ohio State and Fox. The Buckeyes finished last season with six straight noon games. They’re locked into more this year, including this Saturday’s opener against Texas. The backlash has reached the point where Ohio state legislators have introduced bills aimed at limiting Fox’s scheduling power, complete with $10 million fines for putting top-10 matchups at noon.

That’s how you know the relationship has gone completely off the rails.

Johnson acknowledged the early kickoffs created challenges for him, too.

“I hated it at first, because I’ve called games during COVID, nine a.m. on the West Coast, 10 a.m. with Colorado, 11 a.m. in the Big 12, and noon,” he said. “So, for me, it’s a little hard to have to be on 10, on blast, that early in the morning. But I had to get used to it. I had to make some changes, in terms of when I went to bed, and all that kind of stuff.”

But he’s clearly bought into Fox’s strategy completely now.

Johnson’s support for Big Noon comes at a time when everyone else seems fed up with it. Ohio State Athletic Director Ross Bjork has openly advocated for more primetime games. Ryan Day deflected questions about fan complaints by noting he deals with criticism about plenty of other things. Even Joel Klatt felt compelled to defend Big Noon on social media after fans exploded over Ohio State-Indiana being scheduled for noon.

None of that seems to bother Johnson. His partnership with Klatt has been central to Fox’s Big Noon success, with Ohio State — and “Maserati Marv” — serving as the primary vehicle. Johnson has made “the world-famous Ohio State Buckeyes” his signature call, which has become both a trademark and a source of annoyance for fans of other Big Ten teams.

The strategy has worked, at least from a ratings perspective. Fox created a premier college football window that doesn’t compete directly with ESPN’s prime slots, and it’s been massively successful. Johnson understands this business reality and embraces it.

“We all want a night game. We love it. We understand it. But this ain’t the situation,” Johnson said. “And to take a quote from one of my favorite people, ‘It is what it is.'”

That puts Johnson in an interesting position as Ohio State’s relationship with Fox grows more complicated by the week. The network added Dave Portnoy, a proud Michigan alum, to Big Noon Kickoff this season. So Ohio State fans, already frustrated with the noon kickoffs, now get to watch their biggest rival’s most vocal supporter on the pregame show every week.

Johnson is clearly fully committed to Fox’s approach, regardless of how Ohio State fans feel about it. He’s not seeking sympathy about the early schedule, and he’s not overly concerned about fan complaints.

At least he’s being honest about it.