Major TV Network Sees The Big Ten As The NFL Of College Football: REPORT

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NBC reportedly has very high hopes for the future of the Big Ten.

The B1G is in the process of negotiating a new media deal after news was announced that UCLA and USC would be joining the conference in 2024.

The deal is expected to be well north of $1 billion annually, and NBC could try to fight to get in on the action.

Will NBC buy the Big Ten’s media rights? (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A report from Front Office Sports indicates NBC views the B1G as the NFL of college sports, and the conference could follow a similar TV model.

Specifically, the NBC reportedly envisions a situation where Big Ten primetime games are played Saturday night and then followed up by the traditional NFL game Sunday nights on the network.

Given Notre Dame’s deal is already with NBC, an unnamed source called it “perfect one-two punch.”

NBC reportedly envisions the Big Ten as the NFL of college sports. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Another source added, “The Big Ten would have exposure in every TV home. It would also be a smart idea to follow the model of the most successful sports league in America.”

Bringing the Big Ten to the same network as Notre Dame is a very interesting move given the fact many believe the Fighting Irish will eventually join the B1G.

Will NBC get the Big Ten’s media rights? (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

It also seems Notre Dame is ready to spend some serious money in order to secure the B1G rights. As a B1G man, a bidding war is only going to make everyone richer at the end of the day.

NBC plans to make a play for the Big Ten’s media rights. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Will NBC get the job done? Only time will tell, but welcome to the new era of college football. It’s an absolute rollercoaster ride!

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Written by David Hookstead

David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture.

He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics.

Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.

2 Comments

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  1. NBC has to say something since they didn’t get the rights to the best conference and have to settle for the Big 10,12,14. Maybe they’ll hemorrhage enough money that Concast will have to dump it.

    If you disagree, which I”m sure you do since you think Wisconsin is good, let’s line up teams 1-14 and let’s go. Bowl games always have the 5th ranked SEC team vs the 2nd ranked team of another conference, so it would be refreshing to see 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, etc.

  2. Well, here in the real world–the Big 10 is dull and is the 2nd best conference most years. The hype is one thing and NBC will be very good at the hype. But the on the field product must match and it simply (today) does not. Having Notre Dame followed by the Big 10 will likely dominate the Midwest while the rest of the country will be watchign better Football. As for night games, some Big 10 teams do not even have lights (Michigan St, Northwestern, and Purdue).

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