BTN, formerly Big Ten Network, is back with 40-45 Big Ten Conference college football games this year. Live game coverage begins Friday, Sept. 2., with Youngstown State at Michigan State at 7:30pm ET. BTN’s early-season schedule includes 15 games during the first three weekends in September and tripleheaders on Sept. 10 and 17. BTN schedule and press releases below:
BTN TO AIR 15 FOOTBALL GAMES DURING FIRST THREE WEEKENDS
Network to air first-ever college football tripleheaders on Sept. 10 and 17
CHICAGO – BTN will air 15 Big Ten games during the first three weekends of the 2011 college football calendar, highlighted by the network’s first-ever college football tripleheaders on Sept. 10 and 17.
New in 2011, the Big Ten Conference has greater flexibility to schedule its football games throughout the day.
“The ability to schedule games with greater flexibility will enable Big Ten fans to catch more Big Ten football than ever before,” BTN President Mark Silverman said. “Airing consecutive games instead of having four to five on at once will create a much better experience for our viewers.”
BTN will kick off its football schedule with Michigan State, the defending conference tri-champion, hosting Youngstown State. The action kicks into high gear on Saturday with four games, including the season openers for Illinois, Iowa, Penn State and Purdue.
Eight of the conference’s 12 teams will play their home openers on BTN during first two weekends in September.
Every BTN football game telecast will once again be surrounded by Big Ten Football Saturday, the network’s pre-game, halftime and post-game show hosted by Dave Revsine and analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith. The Big Ten and its television partners will announce the remaining matchups and game times either six or 12 days before each game.
Overall, BTN will televise between 40 and 45 football games this fall. When BTN is producing simultaneous football games, the network will split the feeds to allow Big Ten fans to watch the game with the most regional interest. In addition, cable and satellite providers will be able to carry the additional games via “Extra Football Game Channels.” Each week, fans can check local listings, their on-screen channel guide or www.BTN.com/channelfinder to find channel assignments for specific games.
[Update: Nebraska games on BTN have been added to the schedule.]
Below is the 2011 BTN football schedule, including the previously announced
primetime games. All times Eastern.
Friday, September 2
7:30 pm — Youngstown State at Michigan State
Saturday, September 3
12:00 pm — Indiana State at Penn State
12:00 pm — Tennessee Tech at Iowa
12:00 pm — Middle Tennessee State at Purdue
3:30 pm — UT-Chattanooga at Nebraska
3:30 pm — Arkansas State at Illinois
Saturday, September 10
12:00 pm — Toledo at Ohio State
12:00 pm — South Dakota at Illinois
3:30 pm — Eastern Illinois at Northwestern
3:30 pm — New Mexico State at Minnesota
7:00 pm — Fresno State at Nebraska
7:00 pm — Virginia at Indiana
Saturday, September 17
12:00 pm — Eastern Michigan at Michigan
12:00 pm — Southeast Missouri State at Purdue
3:30 pm — Miami, Ohio at Minnesota
3:30 pm — South Carolina State at Indiana
7:00 pm — Arizona State at Illinois
Saturday, September 24
12:00 pm – San Diego State at Michigan
12:00 pm – LA-Monroe at Iowa
3:30 pm – South Dakota at Wisconsin
3:30 pm – Western Michigan at Illinois
7:00 pm — North Dakota State at Minnesota
Saturday, October 1
12:00 pm – Minnesota at Michigan
Saturday, October 8
7:00 pm — Michigan at Northwestern
Additional Games – TBD
Saturday, October 15
7:00 pm — Northwestern at Iowa
Additional Games – TBD
Saturday, October 22
7:00 pm — Penn State at Northwestern
Additional Games – TBD
Saturday, October 29
Additional Games – TBD
Saturday, November 5
Additional Games – TBD
Saturday, November 12
Additional Games – TBD
Saturday, November 19
Additional Games – TBD
Saturday, November 26
Additional Games – TBD
Big Ten Network Announces 2011 Primetime Football Slate Eight Big Ten teams will play night games on Big Ten Network this fall
CHICAGO – A trio of October conference games involving Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern and Penn State, a Friday night season opener at Spartan Stadium and non-conference matchups against ACC and Pac-12 foes highlight the 2011 primetime football schedule on the Big Ten Network. Five of the seven games involve 2010 bowl teams.
“We’re very excited about our primetime schedule and think it’s the strongest we’ve ever had,” Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said. “There’s always extra electricity in the air for Big Ten night games, and we have some top-quality matchups.”
In all, the network will televise more than 40 games this fall. Start times and television arrangements for other early-season games, including the possibility of other prime time games, will be announced at a later date.
2011 BIG TEN NETWORK PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
Sept. 2, 7:30pm ET Youngstown State at Michigan State
This game will mark just the 10th night game in the 88-year history of Spartan Stadium, and the first since last year’s thrilling and memorable overtime victory against Notre Dame. It will be the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and the Penguins.
Sept. 10, 7pm ET Virginia at Indiana
First-year Indiana coach Kevin Wilson will make his Memorial Stadium debut under the lights. The teams met two years ago in Charlottesville, but it will be the first time that Indiana has hosted an ACC team in Bloomington since 2000.
Sept. 17, 7pm ET Arizona State at Illinois
The Fighting Illini will play the Sun Devils in Champaign for the first time since 1987, and for only the third time in history. Arizona State will be the first Pac-10/Pac-12 team to visit Memorial Stadium since 1994.
Sept. 24, 7pm ET North Dakota State at Minnesota
Jerry Kill will coach his first home night game as Minnesota’s head coach, but it won’t be his first night game at TCF Bank Stadium. Kill’s Northern Illinois won at Minnesota 34-23 almost a year ago to the day, on Sept. 25, 2010. It will be North Dakota State’s first visit to TCF Bank Stadium.
Oct. 8, 7pm ET Michigan at Northwestern
The game will mark just the 13th night game in Northwestern’s home stadium history. The primetime contest will be played almost 76 years to the date of the first-ever night game in Big Ten history, when Northwestern hosted Purdue on Oct. 5, 1935, in Evanston.
Oct. 15, 7pm ET Northwestern at Iowa
Iowa will host only its sixth primetime game ever at Kinnick Stadium, and first against Northwestern. The Hawkeyes are 3-2 all-time under the lights in Iowa City, but Northwestern has won the last three meetings at Kinnick Stadium (2006, 2008 and 2009).
Oct. 22, 7pm ET Penn State at Northwestern
In last year’s meeting at Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions overcame a three-touchdown deficit and Joe Paterno became the first major college coach to earn 400 career victories. Penn State is one of only two Big Ten teams that are undefeated against a Pat Fitzgerald-coached team.
what station airs the northwestern game on BTN
You’ll find Iowa at Iowa State live on FSN: http://tinyurl.com/3q97dkt
Where is the Iowa/Iowa State game for Sept. 10? All I can find in the newspaper is a delayed telecast at 1:00 am in the morning. I would think this game is on one of the extra channels via Comcast.
Yeah, BTN’s press releases are outdated, and they didn’t issue any recent football schedule releases. We’ll fix that and update the schedule.
Where is the Nebraska game that was scheduled for Sept. 3, 2011?
Why are there no Nebraska games listed here? Is this article up to date? I know for a fact the Nebraska-Chattanooga game is the main 3:30 BTN game today, Sat., September 3rd, and next week’s game vs. Fresno is a BTN primetime game.