BTN.com staff, April 23, 2015
Big Ten schools on Thursday announced football games to be televised in primetime by ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 during the 2015 season. Minnesota and Ohio State lead the way with three night games on those networks, while Michigan State boasts a pair of primetime matchups. Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State and Rutgers will each take part in one night contest on those networks.
The Big Ten non-conference home schedule will feature two primetime games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Minnesota hosts TCU to kick off the season at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN on Thursday, Sept. 3, and Michigan State faces Oregon at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 12 on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.
Five Big Ten matchups will appear on Saturday nights on those networks, beginning with back-to-back contests for defending national and conference champion Ohio State at home against Penn State at 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 17 and at Rutgers at 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 24. Halloween night will feature a primetime battle for the Little Brown Jug with Minnesota hosting Michigan at 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 31. The Big Ten's primetime schedule on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 will conclude with a doubleheader on Nov. 7 featuring Minnesota at Ohio State and Michigan State at Nebraska at 7 or 8 p.m. ET. Specific network assignments will be announced at a later date.
BTN announced the network's 2015 primetime football schedule last week, which will feature the conference?s 2014 West Division Champion Wisconsin Badgers, Cotton Bowl Champion Michigan State and Michigan in its first year under new head coach Jim Harbaugh among its contests on six key Saturday nights.
Twelve of the 14 Big Ten schools will play in primetime on BTN, and four of the games are conference contests, including Minnesota at Iowa in the first-ever primetime battle for the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy at Kinnick Stadium.
Check out the complete 2015 BTN primetime schedule here.
