ESPN’s Saturday afternoon programming choice didn’t exactly win over the Big 12 crowd.
With Houston holding a 26-20 lead over Oregon State and about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, ESPN pulled the game from its main channel and shifted the rest of the action to ESPNews so it could show the kickoff of Texas vs. Texas State.
That switch sparked immediate backlash, including from college sports columnist John Canzano, who posted:
ESPN left Houston-Oregon State with 9 mins left in the fourth… score 26-20… to make the kickoff of the SEC game (Texas State vs. Texas).
Sent Houston-OSU to ESPN News.
Hierarchy (Power 2) move by Big 12 "partner."
Brett Yormark can't be happy.
- John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) September 5, 2026
The move is especially touchy for Big 12 fans because Houston is in its fourth season in the conference, and ESPN is one of the league’s primary media partners. The Big 12’s current rights deal with ESPN and FOX runs through the 2030-31 academic year.
Texas, meanwhile, left the Big 12 after the 2023-24 academic year to join the SEC.
It’s easy to see why ESPN wanted to get to Texas on time. The Longhorns bring a bigger national audience than most teams. But cutting away from a tight game with nearly a full quarter left is the kind of decision that gets noticed fast, and not in a good way.
For Big 12 viewers following Houston on Saturday, it was another moment that fed the belief that ESPN may not be the conference’s ideal television partner.
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