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Big Ten Announces Nine Football Games to Appear on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 in 2007
May 1, 2007
The Big Ten Conference office released the game times and television plans for nine home football contests today to appear on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, kicking off the first season of a new 10-year national rights contract with the networks. The Big Ten's ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 schedule includes seven prime-time games and a pair of afternoon Homecoming matchups. The Big Ten's nighttime lineup of games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 begins on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. EDT on ESPN, when Penn State welcomes Notre Dame to Beaver Stadium for the first time since 1991. The two programs met last season for the first time since 1992 with the Fighting Irish picking up a home victory. The Nittany Lions ended the campaign with a 9-4 mark, capped by a triumph over nationally-ranked Tennessee in the Outback Bowl. The Big Ten schedule will hit prime-time on Saturday, Sept. 22, with a pair of games during the opening weekend of conference action including Wisconsin hosting Iowa at 7 p.m. CDT on ABC and Purdue traveling to Minnesota for an 8 p.m. CDT kickoff on ESPN2. The Badgers, coming off their first 12-win season in school history and a victory in the Capital One Bowl, snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a narrow three-point victory in Iowa City last season. New Gophers head coach Tim Brewster will take part in his first nationally-televised prime-time outing against the Boilermakers, which earned a narrow 27-21 home triumph over Minnesota last year. The conference's prime-time slate continues when two-time defending Big Ten champion Ohio State makes the first of its three nighttime appearances on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. The Buckeyes, coming off their first outright conference title since 1984 and first back-to-back crowns since 1977, will open prime-time action at Minnesota on Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. CDT. The following weekend OSU will again appear on one of those three networks with a nighttime road outing against Purdue on Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. EDT. The month of October will feature two more prime-time games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 including Michigan traveling to Illinois for a 7 p.m. CDT kickoff on Oct. 20, the first meeting between the two programs since 2004. The Buckeyes will wrap up the conference's ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 prime-time slate on Oct. 27 with an 8 p.m. EDT tilt at Penn State, a matchup of the schools that tied for the 2005 Big Ten Championship. In addition, the Big Ten office also revealed that the Homecoming games for Penn State and Ohio State will be televised by ABC. The Nittany Lions will host Wisconsin on Oct. 13 at 3:30 p.m. EDT before the Buckeyes welcome Michigan State on Oct. 20 for a 3:30 p.m. EDT kickoff. The conference previously announced two Homecoming contests to appear in prime-time on the Big Ten Network -- Indiana at Michigan State on Oct. 13 and Illinois at Minnesota on Nov. 3. The Big Ten's remaining Homecoming games will be played at Noon EDT with television plans to be determined. The Big Ten will hold the 2007 Football Media Days and 36th annual Kickoff Luncheon on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 31 to August 1, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, featuring all 11 head coaches and some of the conference's top returning players. The 112th season of Big Ten football kicks off on Saturday, Sept. 1, with all 11 schools in action. 2007 BIG TEN FOOTBALL ON ABC/ESPN/ESPN2
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