The might of Ohio State is gearing up to destroy another opponent in Week 3. This time, it’s a familiar name, an in-state team, the Ohio Bobcats. Peter Navarro-led will try not to get bamboozled by the No. 1 team in what is just the 4th matchup between the two programs. Predictably, the Buckeyes have won all 3, with the last win coming in 2010. Fans will be glued to their seats, either at the Horseshoe or lounging on their sofas, staring at the TV screen. The latter set is not happy with how the game is going to be broadcast.

“Realizing once again I gotta explain to my parents the Buckeyes game is only on Peacock today,” sports commentator and BIGPLAY Cleveland Show host McNeil summed up the mood in Ohio on X. Comprising 102,780 seats, the Horseshoe is one of the largest college football stadiums across the country. But the tickets? the lowest starting at $76 and hitting the sky at $532-plus.

Naturally, for those who can’t make it to Columbus, TV coverage has always been the lifeline. But the Big Ten’s $350 million deal with NBC, starting from 2023-2029, is a pressing source of exasperation to the fans. For fans to watch the game live on TV, they need to buy Peacock’s $10 subscription. According to the deal, eight football matches will be exclusively streamed on Peacock. But the Peacock Games are not announced beforehand, but rather decided as the season progresses. “That’s the idea, not pushing out an entire season schedule in August,” Peacock’s executive vice president Rick Cordella had said in 2022.

It’s a lottery come true for the streaming service. With the Ohio State brand, the Buckeyes grab the most eyeballs. The Ohio State-Texas saga saw to that, as Columbus raked in a whopping 16.62 million views. Fox Sports president of insights and analytics Mike Mulvihill shared another interesting nugget. “It’s pretty likely this will be a third straight year of record-breaking total viewing of CFB,” he wrote on X. Earlier, he had revealed that in the past two weeks, the CFB viewing has jumped by 25%.

There’s no lottery for the fans. If you want to watch the game, get the subscription. Simple as that. However, the radio broadcast might give some respite. SiriusXM’s 196 channel will broadcast the game on Saturday. Although the visual aesthetics will have to be sacrificed, and missing them will give the fans a major burn this weekend, it will be a “helmet-stripe” game. They are encouraged to wear colors that, when they come together, drape the Horseshoe like a Buckeye football helmet.

Ohio State fans protest against the $1.2 billion giant

The streaming services have entered the sports broadcast chat, and it’s here to stay. Peacock will stream the Ohio State game on Saturday. Some fans remain resigned to the fact. “Convinced my fan $10.99 Peacock subscription was much cheaper than going to the show,” Another individual wrote. “Just tried to explain it to my 80-year-old barber, it didn’t go well.” Rightfully so, college football is stitched to the social fabric, and not being able to watch it is disheartening.” 

That is the underlying theme of the frustration. CFB fans no longer feel that they are at the center of any discussion about the future of the game. Otherwise, you won’t have to pay for another broadcaster every week. There was already an uproar last year when it was announced that Ohio State’s matchup against Texas would be a Big Noon Kickoff rather than a late start under the lights. Again, FOX had the say, and it chose its marquee Saturday slot.

Another fan wrote, “Big Tens bragging about rich TV deals, finding out it includes cable and streaming channels.” While one fan had a biting retort to Ohio State’s exclusive streaming on Peacock. “@peacock and @NBCSports are total garbage. Will not pay extra. I’ll go back to the radio. Screw those greedy a–.” That’s what the future may be like. If you don’t listen to what fans are saying, they will desert you. The decision-makers are not attuned to what the masses are saying. The excitement, craze, and emotions of college football do not come from boardroom meetings. They come from hard-working people who tune in every Saturday to watch their team play.