FOX got a big payoff Friday night from the Big 12, and Texas Tech’s 28-26 win over Houston may have given the network even more incentive to keep leaning on the conference in that slot.
The game drew 3.028 million viewers on FOX College Football Friday, according to FOX Sports PR. With two ranked Big 12 teams on the field and the result hanging in the balance until Houston’s failed attempt at a game-tying two-point conversion in the final seconds, the audience climbed to a peak of 4.074 million.
FOX said the broadcast finished 31% above its average Friday night college football audience from last season.
The bigger picture is strong for the network, too. FOX said its Friday night college football package is averaging 2.575 million viewers this season, which is up 11% from last year’s Friday average.
That matters for the Big 12, which is already part of FOX’s Friday-night plans. The network has turned Friday into a dedicated primetime college football window and, when promoting its 2026 package, specifically listed the Big 12 alongside the Big Ten and Mountain West.
The conference already has eight Friday games on the schedule this season, including Missouri-Kansas and Houston-Texas Tech in September. West Virginia-Utah will also air on FOX on Black Friday.
None of that guarantees an immediate shift away from Saturdays. There are still plenty of moving parts, from travel logistics to fan concerns, and in Texas, high school football can complicate things even more.
Still, television has a way of steering these decisions, and games like Texas Tech-Houston make the case loud and clear. When a Big 12 matchup clears three million viewers on a Friday night, people in the TV business pay attention. If the conference keeps delivering numbers like that, Friday could become an even bigger stage for the Big 12 in the years ahead.
In Other News...
Astros Just Found Late Season Bullpen Help In A Huge Spot
Miguel Ullola kept the Astros on track in a key win over the Athletics, turning in 3.0 scoreless innings at a time when Houston needed someone to settle the game down. The call-up from the minors has quickly gone from emergency depth to a real bullpen option, and his recent work has given the club a useful arm as the season tightens.
Through 10 appearances, Ullola has posted a 2.30 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 15.2 innings, a solid stretch for a pitcher asked to handle meaningful late-season work. For Houston, the bigger question now is whether this outing was a one-night boost or the latest sign that the bullpen just found another pitcher it can trust when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About Ryan Pressly's Exit
Ryan Pressly spent years as one of the most trusted arms in the Houston bullpen, the kind of reliever who seemed to show up whenever the games mattered most. His postseason work in 2022 and 2023 helped cement that reputation, and he was part of the clubs run of combined no-hitters, making him a familiar name to Astros fans who watched him handle big innings under the brightest October lights.
So the way his exit developed this offseason is bound to leave a sting. Pressly learned he was losing the closer job to Josh Hader, and the communication around that decision reportedly came poorly from former Astros GM Dana Brown. For a pitcher who had given so much to the organization, Presslys dissatisfaction with how the situation was handled adds another layer to a departure that already feels personal for a fan base that remembers what he meant when the pressure was highest. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Suddenly Have A New Reason To Believe In This AL West Race
The AL West race has tightened again just as the regular season enters its final stretch, with the Astros and Rangers still locked together in a chase that has become hard to ignore. Houston has spent much of the year trying to separate itself from Texas, and every meaningful night elsewhere in baseball seems to carry a ripple effect for a division that refuses to settle.
One of the louder reminders came from the American Leagues other end of the standings, where White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery set the league strikeout record and helped underscore how unpredictable this season has been. Add in the Cubs, Guardians and White Sox already punching their postseason tickets, plus the Brewers reaching the 100-win mark and claiming the top playoff seed, and Houston's own race takes on even more urgency, especially with rookie Lucas Spence suddenly giving the Astros a fresh jolt after homering three times in one game. [Read more 🡒]