On Saturday night, more people will watch a University of Toledo football game than ever before.
For the first time in program history, the Rockets will appear on network television. But the good news for UT doesn’t end there. It’s against Ohio State, college football’s biggest draw, in primetime on Fox.
The opportunities for the football program, university, and brand are limitless.
“The spotlight will be on us, and it’s up to us to perform,” Toledo athletic director Bryan Blair said. “It’s an excellent chance for us to show what makes us special. Our website, our social media channels, everything has to be clicking on all cylinders, because we’ve got a captive audience for four to five hours.”
There isn’t a direct comparison of a Group of Five school playing Ohio State at night on network TV, but in 2017 the Buckeyes played Army at 4:30 p.m. on Fox. The game drew 2.506 million viewers. Austin Karp, the managing editor at Sports Business Daily, estimated Saturday’s game will have between 4.5 million and 5.5 million viewers.
The primetime slot is especially coveted because there’s less competition compared to noon and 3:30 p.m. kickoffs. Ohio State-Toledo will be up against Mississippi State-LSU on ESPN, Texas Tech-North Carolina State on ESPN2, Michigan State-Washington on ABC, and the first half of Miami-Texas A&M on ESPN.
“The rating here depends on how close Toledo can keep it, especially in the first half,” said Karp, who graduated from the UT College of Law. “Regardless, it will still get a decent number.”
ESPN and ESPN2 have been a friend of the Mid-American Conference going on two decades, sparking the MACtion sensation. It won’t be UT’s first time with a national platform, but this will be its most significant exposure, which coach Jason Candle said won’t be taken lightly.
Agreeing to the game was the first win for Toledo, as the Rockets will be paid $1.8 million. And before the result is even decided, it’s a win by being broadcast on Fox, not only for the TV rating, but because there’s a respect factor with the network believing Toledo was worthy of the 7 p.m. time slot.
Don’t forget, Toledo’s game at Notre Dame last season was relegated to Peacock instead of NBC. It was the first Notre Dame home game that was featured exclusively on NBC’s streaming arm. NBC did not release the number of viewers.
“If we were an FCS school or a traditionally terrible program, [Fox] doesn’t put you at 7 o’clock in primetime. I don’t care how good your opponent is,” Blair said. “So I think it speaks to where we’re situated in the landscape and what people think of us as a product. It’ll be a four-hour commercial. People are going to see our logo and our name on the screen. They’ll wonder where we are and what we do. They’re going to click on our website and find out more about the university. Hopefully, some high school students in Ohio say, ‘Hey, I haven’t thought about Toledo, but that would be a great place to go get an education.’ You almost can’t buy this type of coverage.”
For 30 seconds, UT will have a literal commercial during the game. The spot will feature Corey Watts, a respiratory care student from Columbus. His story is one that the university wants to highlight with the hopes that other high schoolers in the region have similar aspirations, especially in light of declining enrollment. UT emphasizes clinical experiences, research opportunities, and professional mentors in the ad.
“This game is more than football — it’s an exciting opportunity for people across the country to learn more about UToledo,” UT President Dr. Gregory Postel wrote in an email. “I look forward to cheering on our Rockets with fans in Columbus and around the country!”
Action Network analyst Darren Rovell, who essentially created the sports business reporting industry, explained that the cliched phrase about athletics being the front porch of the university has been proven for decades. All one has to do is look up enrollment statistics for Boston College in the immediate aftermath of Doug Flutie’s famous Hail Mary against Miami. Boise State, Appalachian State, George Mason, Butler, VCU, and Loyola (Chicago) have experienced similar bumps. St. Peter’s is about to see comparable growth.
“This is the biggest exposure Toledo is going to get, even if someone at the school wins a Nobel Prize or solves some sort of cancer,” Rovell said. “It is the biggest and the grandest stage.”
Winning or hanging with Ohio State is Toledo’s clearest path to increasing the value of its national TV appearance. But it isn’t the only avenue. The Rockets could wear special uniforms, have a trick play that goes viral, or attract a recruit with their style of play.
“It’s obviously a big opportunity for us, going in against a ranked opponent,” UT quarterback Dequan Finn said. “We’re confident playing against those types of teams. We can showcase to the world what type of team we are.”
First Published September 14, 2022, 5:03 p.m.
