Inside the Big Ten TV Draft with Scott Dochterman

In this college football podcast episode, we chat with The Athletic's Scott Dochterman about the little-known, high-stakes draft process by which Fox, CBS and NBC pick the Big Ten games that each will air this season. Learn about the insane preparation, strategy, negotiations, and decisions that shape our TV experience every fall. Plus, some insight into the Big Ten's playoff positioning strategy, why the conference is pushing for four automatic CFP bids, and more.Check out Scott's reporting on the TV draft (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6389813/2025/05/29/big-ten-football-tv-schedule-draft-fox-nbc-cbs/) and the Big Ten's push for automatic bids (https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6398844/2025/06/03/big-ten-cfp-automatic-bids/)Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction04:20 - Scott Dochterman from The Athletic explains the TV game draft11:30 - Network strategies: Fox vs CBS vs NBC18:00 - Surprising discoveries while reporting the story23:51 - The "Big Noon Saturday" product27:12 - Lessons learned from previous scheduling mistakes31:42 - Buyer's remorse over bad matchups36:15 - TV draft crushes38:25 - The sophisticated preparation process42:13 - Is there corporate espionage?44:45 - Big Ten's push for automatic CFP bids52:05 - Closing thoughts_____A fan of our college football podcast? Leave us a rating and review, and don't forget to subscribe or follow so you don't miss any of our podcast episodes:Apple Podcasts: https://play.solidverbal.com/apple-podcastsSpotify: https://play.solidverbal.com/spotifyAmazon Music: https://play.solidverbal.com/amazon-musicOvercast: https://play.solidverbal.com/overcastPocket Casts: https://play.solidverbal.com/pocketcastsPodcast Addict: https://play.solidverbal.com/podcast-addictCastBox: https://play.solidverbal.com/castboxOur college football show is also available on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@solidverbalLearn more about the show on our website: https://www.solidverbal.com/aboutWant to get in touch? Give us a holler on Twitter: @solidverbal, @tyhildenbrandt, @danrubenstein, on Instagram, or on Facebook. You can also find our college football podcast out on TikTok and Threads. Stay up to date with our free weekly college football newsletter: https://quickslants.solidverbal.com/subscribe.College football has been our passion since we started The Solid Verbal College Football Podcast back in 2008. We don't just love college football, we live it!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/solidverbalSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.