‘Blame the Big 12’, ‘Stop the NFL Takeover’ — CFB Fans Divided as Will Compton Demands No College Football Games on Friday Nights
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Friday night featured several college football games, including Texas Tech’s narrow 28-26 win over Houston. With the bigger slate of games coming on Saturday, Friday’s action helped set the tone for the weekend.
However, former NFL linebacker Will Compton has made it clear that he would prefer to see college football stay off the Friday night schedule, sparking plenty of reactions from fans.
Will Compton’s Bold Friday Night Football Stance Triggers Debate
High school sports participation reached a record high during the 2025-26 academic year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth.
As high school sports, particularly football, continue to grow, Compton argued that Friday nights should be reserved for high school football.
“This should be the LAST game of college football on a Friday Night in the state of Texas! You can have Thursday night. You can have all day Saturday. But you should NOT have Friday Night. Hell, this should be the rule across the country!! Fridays belong to high school ball,” Compton said.
Compton’s comment triggered a wave of reactions from fans.
“Stop the NFL takeover on all the other days, then the NCAA won’t play on Friday,” a fan said.
“A college game shouldn’t be played in London tomorrow either. Blame the Big 12… trying to get ratings/$$$$,” a person said.
“Been playing on Friday nights for twenty years..I think your outrage is a bit late in the game,” one remarked.
High school football games occasionally receive national television exposure and attract only a small fraction of the audience that regularly watches college and professional football.
That is why Compton’s idea received some pushback.
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“High school football isn’t interesting enough to wanna watch on TV. Unless my kid is playing, I’ve got zero interest,” one personsaid.
However, high school football remains the foundation of the sport’s participation pipeline, as many young athletes compete at the high school level every year before moving on to college football or other opportunities.
Meanwhile, the growth of NIL opportunities and the college transfer portal has also changed how high school football is covered. The spotlight has increasingly shifted toward individual recruits rather than the high school programs they represent.
For example, five-star prospect Abraham Sesay, who is committed to Notre Dame’s 2027 recruiting class, has already drawn significant attention for his individual talent. However, far fewer casual college football fans may be familiar with his high school team, the Downingtown East Cougars.
That disconnect is one reason some fans agreed with Compton’s argument that Friday nights should remain primarily associated with high school football.
“So true! NCAA Football, ENOUGH FRIDAY NIGHT GAMES!!! Leave it to the kids!” a fan commented.
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“The best way to fix it is to boycott the NCAA Friday games. When NU plays on a Friday, I treat it like a Husker bye week and go watch Friday night HS football,” another added.
Compton’s comments are likely to remain a point of discussion as the college football season progresses. But in the meantime, attention will turn to Saturday’s loaded slate, which includes several big games, highlighted, of course, by the LSU-Ole Miss showdown.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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