Fox probably got Notre Dame, Ohio in exchange for Joe Buck

has passed accident From Jo Buck has been headed to ESPN for weeks since that network Agree to a deal with Troy Aikman, but there was a complicating factor that was unlike Aikman (who was able to Practice opting out and becoming a free agent), Buck had one year on his Fox deal. like Jim Miller discuss Earlier this month, this led to the creation of “horse trade“Between ESPN and Fox to bring Buck to ESPN this year, and he specifically mentioned ‘You know, if I’m Fox, I might order two or three games of the Big Ten.'” Well, Andrew Marchand from New York Post I mentioned Friday that Fox had given permission for ESPN to speak to Buck, With a deal expected soon. Marchand then noted on Twitter later Friday that in return, Fox is expected to get the right to pick an additional Big Ten before ESPN this fall:

Fox and ESPN first spoke about the compensation late last night. A source familiar with the matter said that Fox will receive the rights to pick one match in the Big 10 ahead of ESPN next season.

I’m told it’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s the gist. https://t.co/M6Rkr6y6GO

– Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) 12 March 2022

It’s “a little more complicated than that,” Marchand noted, so there could be other components to this as well. But this choice is certainly important and valuable. In the current Big Ten deals, which run through the upcoming 2022-23 season, ESPN and Fox currently have an equal split of Big Ten rights when it comes to tons of football and men’s basketball (CBS also has a mini basketball package, but that’s not that important here ). But Fox is pushing the conference About $240 million annually, while ESPN pays about $190 million.

The two big differences that make Fox pay that much more Is that They get the conference championship match and first pick for regular season football matches. they Tend to use this first choice in Ohio-Michiganany He is sometimes The most watched game of the regular season is always Fox Most viewed of the regular season; So, when this game didn’t happen in 2020, it was Big blow to them. So these picks can mean a lot, and there’s some value there for Fox even if this deal only gets you one additional pick (it might be more, with that note “more complicated than that”).

There are several potential game candidates Fox could use for this selection, but the one AA has heard most likely is Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Ohio State Bucks in the first week, on September 3. The Big Ten team, but this game falls into the Big Ten TV package because Ohio is at home.) This would be a useful game for Fox on many fronts. For example, both teams are generally a good TV draw (in 2019, Ohio State was the most watched team, Notre Dame ranked 8th). And there may be more interest than usual in the Fighting Irish as this will be their first match under New coach Marcus Freeman (with Brian Kelly Departure to LSU after last season).

Update: That’s not the case, says ESPN’s Burke Magnus:

Let me put an end to this… It’s 100% wrong. Back to Championship Week. Tweet embed Tweet embed Tweet embed Tweet embed Tweet embed https://t.co/BtJFwhr0IC

– Burke Magnus March 13, 2022

Our original post continues below:

But then, there are not many other great games this week It is conceivable that Fox could appear in the Big Noon Saturday slot (main slot that they notice). The only other Power 5 games on Power 5 on Saturday are Georgia – Oregon, Illinois – Indiana, Utah – Florida, Rutgers College – Boston, and Louisville – Syracuse. The last three of these games have SEC or ACC teams in-house, so ESPN owns the rights. Georgia-Oregon is in the Pac-12 package, which is split between ESPN and Fox, but the afternoon games kick-off isn’t ideal for West Coast teams, as it’s 9 a.m. Pacific Time (Pac-12). Discover This idea, but so far it has only been implemented On rare occasions). Illinois-India might be the Big Noon’s choice if the Foxes can’t get the Notre Dame-Ohio State, but they definitely prefer the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes. This should allow them to start their season (well, the main part of their season; there will be Week 0 matches and midweek matches before that) with great fanfare. (It might not be great with schools and fans, though; there was a Million cases of schools and fans complaining about these noon kicks.)

We don’t have full confirmation yet that this is how Fox will use the pick they got in the trade for Buck. But it seems likely at this point. And if that happens, it could end up being a good business for them. There won’t be too many points for them to keep an unhappy rudeness for a year, this lets them move on to succession plans immediately; It also gives them a potentially big boost in CFB viewership for at least one week. Perhaps a better deal than it was when Disney parent company ESPN acquired NBC’s Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in exchange for allowing Michaels to cancel his contract in 2006; Yes, Oswald appeared in Some Disney video games and theme parks Since then, however, this overall effect has been limited. Getting Notre Dame-Ohio for a buck might be an even bigger deal.

[Andrew Marchand on Twitter]