Fans hoping to catch the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Nebraska Cornhuskers will need to be ready to get out of bed early to watch the return of the former Big 12 rivalry.
Oklahoma vs. Nebraska will kick-off at 11 a.m. local time in Norman later this September, much to the chagrin of those hoping to tune-in. OU athletic director Joe Castiglione was among those upset with the decision, but ultimately wasn’t able to bring about any change.
On the first day of Big 12 Media Days, conference commissioner Bob Bowlsby was asked about the early start time for Oklahoma vs. Nebraska. He agreed that he would’ve liked for the game to take place later in the day, but maintained that he had to honor the league’s media contracts.
“I think Joe’s position on it was, it was a marquee game and he would have liked to have seen it played in prime time,” Bowlsby said, via 247Sports. “He’s entitled to that position, and we talked about it extensively in the time before he made his comments. Having said that, we all signed the TV contract, and we can change it the next time around if we want to change it, but we are going to live by our stipulations on the television agreements, and that’s what we did on this occasion.”
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby responds to Oklahoma-Nebraska kickoff time backlash #Sooners (via @JTheSportsDude & @ryaber) https://t.co/0xpmsReSs5
— OklahomanSports (@OklahomanSports) July 14, 2021
Castiglione didn’t mince words when expressing his frustration shortly after FOX announced that the game would fill the network’s noon ET slot. The Oklahoma AD clearly wasn’t pleased with the timing and blasted FOX’s decision to put the rivalry meeting that early.
“We are bitterly disappointed that the great Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry, on the 50th anniversary of the Century, will kick off at 11 a.m,” Castiglione said in a statement back in late May. “We tried every avenue possible to proactively make our case. The Big 12 Conference also supported our strenuous efforts to secure a more traditional time that would honor this game and our fans. However, in the end, our TV partner chose to exercise its full contractual rights and denied our requests.”
With Bowlsby’s final comments on the matter, the game looks to be locked in place. Oklahoma vs. Nebraska will take place at noon ET on Sept. 18.
The post Big 12 Commissioner Addresses Oklahoma vs. Nebraska Complaint appeared first on The Spun.
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