8 burning questions around the ‘College GameDay’ vs. ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ rivalry

Sports media rivalries beyond particular individuals’ personal feuds are rare. The corporate types usually play nicely. But for years, there has existed a growing and simmering rivalry between Fox and ESPN, with college football pregame shows Big Noon Kickoff and College GameDay serving as the most active front between the two giants.

For years, Big Noon Kickoff has evolved as an alternative to what many viewed as an SEC-centric College GameDay. Big Noon Kickoff joined College GameDay as a full-time traveling show in 2021 and, over the years, further inflamed the rivalry by poaching the likes of Tom Rinaldi and Chris Fallica away from ESPN. Additionally, Fox made a failed run at host Rece Davis.

Despite these efforts, College GameDay has maintained a significant lead in ratings and remains dominant in terms of social media presence and overall cultural relevance. Last season, in particular, seemed to paint a picture that Big Noon Kickoff still had a long way to go to become a genuine challenger to GameDay.

As we kick off a new season, Big Noon has shuffled the deck, bringing in Dave Portnoy and Barstool to the mix. ESPN’s Desmond Howard stoked the rivalry flames even more by pretending he didn’t know about it, which was an excellent troll.

Below, we look at what to keep an eye on as one of sports media’s biggest rivalries enters a new chapter.

Can Big Noon Kickoff find a good role for Dave Portnoy, and does it move the needle?

Few sports media stories have drawn as much intrigue, hype, and controversy as Dave Portnoy and other Barstool talent joining Big Noon Kickoff. But what will that look like?

Already, there are questions about how limited his role might be and if he’ll even be allowed into Big Ten stadiums for the final hour of the show, which is by far the most-watched part of the program.

Will he just mull around outside the stadium? Can Urban Meyer and Portnoy share the stage without it becoming an impromptu Jerry Springer fight?

Portnoy has long been the center of the Barstool universe, never one to mince words, and rarely deployed as a secondary star. This is going to be a tight needle to thread, and even if successful, do college football fans and existing fans want this collaboration? Or is this strictly about adding new viewers to BNK?

This is a big swing by Fox. The execution is everything, and there is no obvious playbook. Everything is possible, from catching lightning in a bottle to it becoming a high-profile failure and almost everything in between.

How will College GameDay end the show without Lee Corso’s headgear? 

The climax of College GameDay for a generation has been Lee Corso’s headgear pick. It’s the equivalent of ringing the stock market bell for the college football weekend. Every week, millions of people watch as Corso delivers his pick. The ESPN stalwart often puts on a masterclass, hiding his intentions before ultimately delighting the crowd with the selection of the home team, or basking in the boos when he turns heel and picks the road team.

Every College GameDay ends on that pinnacle moment, and it’s almost a letdown when the actual games start. The headgear segment has been one of the most reliable, consistent, popular, and viral things ESPN does. The question looms large: how does GameDay replace headgear now that Corso is retiring after this weekend’s episode?

Both Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit have said they would like the tradition to be retired with Lee Corso, and we imagine those preferences will be honored.

In weeks when Corso was absent due to medical reasons, the show would close with McAfee delivering a WWE monologue-like pick, which played well both on social media and with the crowd.

I think it’s safe to say McAfee’s time as the GameDay closer when Corso was absent has gone over well enough that he’ll continue in that role. But will GameDay start a new tradition in which his pick has some similar reveal?

Could McAfee pick between chugging two different beers?

Could he rip his shirt like Hulk Hogan while revealing the pick?

McAfee has a physicality that has lent itself well to his WWE work. This all seems to point to McAfee doing his long-winded picks in some special way (which he really favors the home team for). But what, if anything, will be the exclamation point on these picks?

ESPN has something in mind; the question is, will it take hold as a tradition and become something that becomes similarly celebrated like Lee Corso’s headgear?

Will Big Noon Kickoff stay away from snoozefests?

Talk to some in the industry, and they will tell you BNK exists to help pump ratings for the Fox noon game, and that’s why it’s almost always at that location. Because of the nearly 100% commitment to reinforcing their noon timeslot, College GameDay is often at a much more nationally exciting and relevant game, which potentially dings BNK‘s ratings.

Since going on the road full-time in 2021, BNK has gone to its share of stinkers. Last year was particularly jarring, as the first eight weeks of the season saw only one game between two ranked teams. That stretch had an average margin of victory of 27.75 points and included Ohio State hosting Marshall.

BNK has stayed committed to the playbook of mostly attending their own games, but on rare occasions, they have gone to a different Fox game, which kicks off later in the day. In contrast, ESPN is comfortable attending a few games a year that are on other networks. Case in point, one of the biggest games of last season, Ohio State at Oregon on NBC, had GameDay on site, while BNK was at the less exciting Arizona vs. BYU matchup.

Successful in spite of complaints, ‘Big Noon’ returns to its Madison, Wisconsin birthplace

As BNK seems to be more of a focus for Fox this year, will they decide “let’s go to games more people care about,” which many believe would help close the gap on ratings with GameDay? Or will we continue to see the show serve the 12 p.m. ET Fox game first and foremost?

I understand the strategy behind the latter, but part of me wonders if bringing Dave Portnoy to Columbus for a Marshall game will lead to some snide comments on air. More specifically, will the College GameDay crew start to poke fun at their competition for attending games that fans might not be particularly interested in?

It’s hard to really fancy yourself as a competitor to such a revered show with a three-decade head start when you’re trying to pretend that Marshall vs. Ohio State is worth serious analysis and hype.

Is College GameDay heading into a succession planning year?

Not too long ago, replacing Lee Corso seemed like a daunting challenge. However, College GameDay has done a tremendous job retooling around Pat McAfee and Nick Saban and complementing stalwart Kirk Herbstreit.  That said, there are plausible cases that you could see multiple members of GameDay’s Big Three not stick around for long.

When Kirk Herbstreit took on his role with Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, he admitted he thought he might have to give up one of his three gigs. Herbstreit’s weekly travel to do all three jobs (GameDay, TNF, ESPN CFB announcer) has become something he plays up on social media each week. He has also long said he would never want to leave the show before Corso retires, which is no longer a factor.

As much as Herbstreit loves doing GameDay, the added travel and the importance of his two other roles (effectively attending two of the most-watched football games each week between college and the NFL) could cause him to simplify that schedule. He could potentially do GameDay only in weeks where the show was at a college game he is calling, or perhaps could join remotely in some weeks.

Meanwhile, Saban’s eventual return to the NFL is a rumor that has gained traction and makes a lot of sense. With Bill Belichick coming to the college sidelines at North Carolina, nothing can be ruled out.

McAfee appears to have a love-hate relationship with the show and arguably has one of the busiest travel schedules in all sports media, juggling GameDay, his WWE work, and hosting his daily show.  He reportedly considered launching his own pregame show, showing some level of interest in doing his own thing away from GameDay. Between starting his own thing or just wanting to reduce his insane travel schedule, it’s hard not to see him moving on from GameDay at some point in the future.

If I were a betting man, I’d bet against all three returning next season, which begs the question: might we see other folks emerge as succession options, and could we catch wind about one of the big three leaving before this season ends?

Can Big Noon Kickoff create viral moments? 

Despite its best efforts, BNK woefully lags behind its competition in creating breakout viral moments. They play to the crowd, often encouraging students to attend with free t-shirts. Various interviews and segments are conducted in the hope that social media will take notice. And sure, there are some exciting moments, and the show is undoubtedly a lot less rigid than it used to be. Having said that, College GameDay is a social media darling that towers over BNK in terms of virality and conversation.

Pat McAfee’s field-goal tuition giveaway has quickly become a weekly crowd-pleaser. Corso’s headgear selection, McAfee’s boisterous WWE promo picks, the unveiling of local food options for the set to eat, and the celebrity guest pickers. These are reliable social media gold each week. On the BNK side, there aren’t yet repeatable staples. This is very much why BNK has turned to Portnoy and Barstool, as both have successful track records and gigantic social media followings that could help Fox close that gap.

Will we see a Pat McAfee vs. Dave Portnoy rivalry? 

Let’s be honest here. Pat McAfee is not one to take the high road. And boy, does Dave Portnoy eat up annihilating anyone who comes at him and his company. Last year, McAfee took a shot at BNK with both shows at Penn State, stating that very few people attended the Fox set compared to ESPN, as fans were annoyed by the imposed noon kickoff time.

Let’s say something like this happens again. Will Portnoy answer back in some way? Would McAfee comment if BNK finds itself in an uncompetitive matchup while GameDay is in a top-15 showdown, like they were last year? Would Portnoy call out McAfee if he went far into the season without picking against the home crowd like he’s done in the past?

Both of these individuals are well-versed in modern-day media and enjoy a good beef. They are wrestling characters who have become media superstars and business impresarios. They know how to play the game and have loyal followings who love to sit shotgun when they go into battle against anyone. McAfee has shown little ability or interest in censoring himself for the betterment of ESPN. Portnoy is already publicly feuding with Ohio State before even setting foot on the Fox set.

Conflict seems inevitable.

How much homerism will be on display?

One of the best pieces of sports media satire I’ve read is Ramzy Nasrallah’s 2014 article on a fictitious College GameDay leaked script in which they are at a Big Ten game, but continue to talk about the SEC nonstop. This was precisely the lane Big Noon Kickoff aimed to fill, as many fans thought ESPN had tilted too much towards promoting and favoring the SEC. And this was even before their $3 billion exclusive contract in 2020.

Fox is making progress competing with ESPN by presenting itself as an alternative to perceived SEC favoritism

ESPN will forever have to fend off criticism of perceived SEC bias. In contrast, Fox’s relationship with the Big Ten, which has now won two straight national championships, also has a pronounced conference lean.

With Michigan homer/troll Portnoy in the mix, will Fox and BNK tilt even more towards promoting the Big Ten and needling the SEC? Does GameDay recalibrate, knowing Big Ten fans have a friendlier coverage option, and look to serve SEC fans better? Does anyone actually care about the Big 12 or ACC?

What pushback will Big Noon receive this year?

Fox doesn’t give a sh*t about what schools and fans think about noon kickoffs. Oklahoma and Texas were quite vocal before and after departing the Big 12 about their disdain for playing at that time (11 a.m. local). Now, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan fans are finding themselves frustrated, with no recourse.

But this time around, fans seem to be organizing against it. The popular Ohio State site, Eleven Warriors, has been selling these shirts.

Multiple papers and podcasts have advocated for simply showing up at BNK and booing, displaying negative signs, or refraining from making any noise. Thus far, this has primarily existed online without extending to TV.  I can assure you, Fox is perfectly fine pissing off fans and schools, as the strategy makes them more money and has been a success from a ratings standpoint.

So, the question is, will any organized fan boycott snowball to the point where it becomes noticeable during Big Noon Kickoff or a game?

This is a situation where both Fox and Big Ten schools can’t have their cake and eat it too. The Big Ten signed the TV deal, and it is what it is. Meanwhile, Fox is content with the ratings, but the fan unrest they are causing is likely to continue snowballing.