Fox Shifts Broadcast Crews for Ohio State Game
Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt will move from Big Noon Kickoff to Utah vs. Arizona, with Connor Onion and Robert Griffin III set for Ohio State vs. Northwestern.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Football
Fox will air No. 20 Ohio State vs. Northwestern on Saturday, November 15, at 12:00 p.m. ET on Big Noon Kickoff with a different booth crew than usual. Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft will instead call No. 2 Utah vs. No. 23 Arizona at 10:30 p.m. ET, according to Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope.
Why it matters
Ohio State and Northwestern have each lost their last two games and are 6-3, making the matchup less consequential than the Utah-Arizona game. Networks typically assign their strongest crews to the games with the most playoff impact in the stretch run.
Ohio State's last win came October 17 against Indiana, followed by losses to USC and Oregon, and the Buckeyes sit at 6-3 with three regular-season weeks remaining. Projections cited in reporting have Ohio State finishing 9-3, but whether that holds depends on results against Northwestern, Nebraska and Michigan that have not yet been played.
The players
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the sports division of the Fox broadcasting network, which holds the rights to Big Noon Kickoff and a range of college football telecasts.
Gus Johnson
Gus Johnson is a veteran play-by-play announcer known for his high-energy calls of college football and March Madness games.
Joel Klatt
Joel Klatt is a former Colorado quarterback turned college football analyst who has worked on Fox's college football coverage.
Robert Griffin III
Robert Griffin III is a former Heisman Trophy-winning Baylor quarterback and NFL player who now works as a college football analyst.
Ohio State University
Ohio State University is a public university in Columbus, Ohio, whose football program is one of the most successful in NCAA history.
The details
Connor Onion and Robert Griffin III will work the Ohio State broadcast booth, and Alexa Landestoy will report from the sidelines. Eleven Warriors' Dan Hope first reported the change on X, noting that the usual Big Noon Kickoff crew was reassigned to the Utah-Arizona game.
Timeline
October 17: Ohio State last won, defeating Indiana.
Saturday, November 15, 12:00 p.m. ET: Ohio State vs. Northwestern on Big Noon Kickoff, Columbus time as local kickoff.
Saturday, November 15, 10:30 p.m. ET: Utah vs. Arizona with Johnson, Klatt and Taft.
Season Trajectory
Fox's decision to give Utah vs. Arizona the top crew reflects the way late-season broadcast slots track playoff relevance, which is now concentrated among undefeated Utah and a one-loss-or-better Arizona team. For Ohio State, a 6-3 record with two straight losses leaves little margin to change its postseason standing before the final three weeks.
Fans who watch Big Noon Kickoff will see Connor Onion and Robert Griffin III in the booth for the Ohio State game rather than Johnson and Klatt. Anyone planning to watch the Utah-Arizona matchup should note the 10:30 p.m. ET start, which places it late in the Saturday schedule.
The takeaway
A shift in broadcast booths can signal where a network sees the season's biggest stakes, and for Ohio State fans the next three weeks will show whether a 9-3 finish is still realistic. Watching how the Buckeyes respond against Northwestern will offer the clearest early read on that outlook.
What happens next
Ohio State hosts Northwestern at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 15, on Fox's Big Noon Kickoff, and Utah plays Arizona at 10:30 p.m. ET that same night.
Further reading
For more on the team at the center of this booth change, see Football coverage in Columbus.
