College football is going through a major transition period. The powers that be at the top of the sport are doing their best to manage NIL collectives and the transfer portal, but are also looking to maximize television viewership and attention.
Everything is pointing toward a scenario where college football may be moving in on Friday nights, which have historically been reserved for local high school games.
Awul announcing’s Manny Soloway noted:
Prior to 2020, before streaming services were abundant, scripted programming dominated over-the-air television. The idea of airing sports on weeknights—when these scripted programs were cheaper to produce and often attracted more viewers—would have been laughed out of the room. Even the NFL wasn’t spared from this. It’s part of the reason Fox ended its deal to air Thursday Night Football a year early in 2021.
A the audience for scripted television continues to trend older, and younger audiences mainly tuning to enjoy live sport these days, since most scripted television can be enjoyed on their own time thanks to streaming services, Fridays are becoming an increasingly valuable window for sports.
Smaller football conferences such as the MAC, Conference USA, and Sun Belt air games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights already to get increased eyes on the product, and the power conferences are moving to weeknights as well. There are already typically two Power Four games on Friday nights: the ACC or Big 12 on ESPN, and the Big Ten or Big 12 on FOX. Friday nights could also help networks such as TNT with the Big 12 and The CW with the ACC and Pac-12 grow their college football audience.
As the fight for visibility continues, Fridays may make the most sense. Fans reacted to this looming reality on social media.
“Dear college football, Friday belongs to high schools. Play on Saturdays. Signed, football fans,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Friday nights are for HS ball,” another person added
More Friday night college football games means more competition for high school football, which at many (most?) high schools is the funding source for the rest of the athletic programs.
Federal law prohibits the NFL from playing on Fridays, but not college. https://t.co/8rtQGeXBEm
— Nick Stevens (@NickStevensHS) November 14, 2025
“Nobody that actually attends wants this,” someone else added.
It’ll be interesting to follow the situation in the coming years.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.