The change was made late Thursday night, after Texas Christian University lost to Southern Mississippi, 40-28.

The game dropped TCU out of BCS-bowl contention. After the game ended, the Falcon football team’s game against Toledo was moved from Friday evening to Saturday at noon to accommodate ESPN.

Assistant BGSU athletic director J.D. Campbell said that ESPN had been considering carrying the game — which is for the Mid-American Conference west title — for several weeks. Campbell said several issues were considered before making the change, the first of which was what would be best for the players on the teams.

“When we were approached, we wanted to make sure that we made a decision that was best for our student athletes,” Campbell said. “We wanted to make sure it wasn’t a situation that put them at a competitive disadvantage in terms of possibly playing in the championship game.”

The championship game is scheduled for the Thursday after the game, meaning that Toledo or BG will have only five days following the matchup.

The change in schedule will mean that many fans in the area will have to re-adjust their schedule to see the game, which Campbell said was something that went into the decision-making.

He said that Bowling Green was faced with the same situation in 2001, when they were approached by Fox Sports Ohio about moving the BG-Toledo game from Friday evening to Friday afternoon, but turned down the chance for the game to be carried on the station.

“We said no … because it was a situation that didn’t fit what we wanted to do at that time,” Campbell said.

Campbell said that the fact that the game is a game with the MAC West on the line, as well as the fact that the MAC has gained national appeal, contributed to the decision.

Ticket sales for Saturday’s game have picked up since the decision, with less than 1,000 remaining, Campbell said. In addition to that students will still be admitted to the game with a student ID, and they have increased the number of tickets available for students.

The game will also be the only nationally televised football game at noon.

Campbell said that the change could not have been made unless both Toledo and Bowling Green agreed on it.

“Both schools had to approve,” Campbell said.