COLUMBUS — Ohio State has announced that their home game next week against Wisconsin will kick off at 12:00 pm on FOX.
Both the No. 4 Buckeyes and No. 6 Badgers are expected to win this weekend in their respective games at Northwestern and Illinois, which will make the game one of the biggest of the 2019 season.
FOX prefers to air their big games in the 12:00 pm slot where there is less competition, which has worked well for them this season. Of course, this game would get ratings no matter the kickoff time.
Wisconsin has the top defense in the nation, allowing just 173.7 yards and 4.8 points per game.
Ohio State, meanwhile, has the nation’s No. 7 offense (534.5 ypg) and the No. 4 scoring offense (49.3 ppg).
The Badgers also have the No. 8 scoring offense (42.5 ppg) and the the No. 11 rushing offense (248.7 ypg), but they will be matching up against a Buckeye defense that ranks eighth in the nation against the run (82.0 ypg) and fourth in scoring (8.8 ppg).
Needless to say, this will be the stiffest test for both teams so far this season, but may not compare to the stiffness of the drinks being made during what will be a cram session of a tailgating period.