Keeping track of speculations and official announcement of game times and networks for the Big Ten.

https://www.mattsarzsports.com/contract/big-ten/2026

FOX Big Nooners:
Sept. 5: North Texas at Indiana
Sept. 12: Oklahoma at Michigan
Sept. 19: Kent State at Ohio State
Sept. 26: Ohio State at Illinois
Oct. 3: Michigan at Minnesota
Oct. 10: Indiana at Nebraska
Oct. 17: Ohio State at Indiana
Oct. 24: Indiana at Michigan
Oct. 31: Wisconsin at Iowa
Nov. 7: UCLA at Minnesota
Nov. 14: Northwestern at Ohio State
Nov. 28: Michigan at Ohio State

OSU: 5, Mich: 4, Ind: 4, Minn: 2, Ill: 1, Neb: 1, Wisc: 1, Iowa: 1, UCLA: 1, NW: 1

CBS 3:30pm:
Sept. 5: Boise State at Oregon
Sept. 12: Mississippi State at Minnesota
Sept. 19: USC at Rutgers
Sept. 26: Iowa at Michigan
Oct. 3: Ohio State at Iowa
Oct. 10: UCLA at Oregon
Oct. 17: Penn State at Michigan
Oct. 24: Michigan State at UCLA
Oct. 31: Minnesota at Indiana
Nov. 7: Oregon at Ohio State
Nov. 14: USC at Indiana
Ore: 3, Iowa: 2, Mich: 2, UCLA: 2, Minn: 2, OSU: 2, Ind: 2, USC; 2, PSU: 1, MSU: 1, Rut: 1

NBC 7:30pm:
Sept. 5: Western Michigan at Michigan
Sept. 12: Iowa State at Iowa
Sept. 19: No Big Ten Game (Michigan State at Notre Dame)
Sept. 26: Oregon at USC
Oct. 3: Washington at USC
Oct. 10: USC at Penn State
Oct. 17: Wisconsin at UCLA
Oct. 24: USC at Wisconsin
Oct. 31: Ohio State at USC
Nov. 7: No Big Ten Game (Miami Florida at Notre Dame)
USC: 5, Wisc: 2, Ore: 1, Mich: 1, Iowa: 1, Wash: 1, PSU: 1, UCLA: 1, OSU: 1

FOX Fri: NW: 2, Ill: 2, Wash: 2, USC: 1, Ind: 1, PSU: 1, Iowa: 1, Pur: 1, Neb: 1, UCLA: 1, Ore: 1, MSU: 1
CBS Other: Neb: 1, Iowa: 1 (Black Fri)
NBC Other: USC: 1 (Week 0), Wash: 1 (Labor Day Sun), Minn: 1, Wisc: 1 (Black Fri)
FOX Other: Wash: 1, Minn: 1, Neb: 1, Ore: 1

Ill: FOX (OSU, Neb, UCLA)
Ind: FOX (NTex, NW, Neb, OSU, Mich), CBS (Minn, USC)
Iowa: CBS (Mich, OSU, Neb), NBC (ISU), FOX (Wisc)
Md:
Mich: FOX (Okl, Minn, Ind, OSU), CBS (Iowa, PSU)
MSU: FOX (Ore), CBS (UCLA)
Minn: FOX (Wash, Mich, UCLA), CBS (Miss St), NBC (Wisc)
Neb: FOX (Ill, Ind, Ore)
NW: FOX (Ind, PSU, OSU)
OSU: FOX (Kent, Ill, Ind, NW, Mich), CBS (Iowa, Ore), NBC (USC)
Ore: CBS (Boise, UCLA, OSU), NBC (USC), FOX (MSU, Neb)
PSU: FOX (NW), CBS (Mich), NBC (USC)
Pur: FOX (Wash)
Rut: CBS (USC)
UCLA: FOX (Ill, Minn), CBS (Ore, MSU), NBC (Wisc)
USC: NBC (San Jose St, Ore, Wash, PSU, Wisc, OSU), CBS (Rut, Ind), FOX (Fres)
Wash: FOX (Minn, Iowa, Pur), NBC (USC)
Wisc: NBC (UCLA, USC, Minn), FOX (Iowa)

(09-06-2026 10:30 AM)schmolik Wrote:  Sept. 26 Speculation:

Big Ten:
Illinois at Ohio State, FOX Big Nooner, Iowa at Michigan, CBS 3:30pm, Oregon at USC, NBC 7:30pm

I don't know who gets top pick but CBS had the top pick Week 4 in 2024 and 2025. Which game is most attractive? Again it seems like a toss up. A lot could depend on whether Michigan loses or wins vs. Oklahoma. We know Oregon-USC won't be the Big Nooner.

Other Big Ten:
FOX Friday. Sept. 25 8pm: Northwestern at Indiana
BTN Friday, Sept. 25: Howard at Rutgers

BTN has two Saturday windows, 1:30pm and 5pm and women's volleyball in prime time.

FS1 is committed to NASCAR at noon

Matt Szarniak lists noon and 3:30pm as possibilities for NBC/Peacock. NBC has to make up three games for Notre Dame pre-emptions but two of them were for San Jose State-USC Week 0 and Washington State-Washington Sunday (Today:) They also get another game in exchange for selling the Big Ten Championship back to FOX. So NBC could have a 2nd Big Ten game this week. There is a Notre Dame at Purdue game which would be great for them. They could also take it and Peacock it. NBC doesn't have a Peacock exclusive this year for Notre Dame so this is a way for NBC to get one. Or they could figure everyone who wants Peacock has it and forget using it to blackmail fans altogether.

With Wisconsin at Penn State falling down in the Big Ten list, it would make sense for it to go to BTN to get their BTN game out of the way although PSU still has both Purdue and Rutgers on their schedule.

NBC/Peacock: Notre Dame at Purdue, noon or 3:30pm
BTN: Wisconsin at Penn State, Nebraska at Michigan State
FS1: UCLA at Maryland, Minnesota at Washington (UCLA will be scheduled away from USC)

Another possibility is Minnesota at Washington airing after women's volleyball on BTN. BTN is airing 11pm ET games Weeks 2 and 3.

Week 4 Official:

Is Minnesota@Washington really better than Northwestern@Indiana? I guess...

(09-16-2026 01:33 AM)The Beaver Wrote:  Is Minnesota@Washington really better than Northwestern@Indiana? I guess...

Northwestern-Indiana can't air in the graveyard shift. I wonder if FOX had that game in mind there...

(09-16-2026 05:41 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(09-16-2026 01:33 AM)The Beaver Wrote:  Is Minnesota@Washington really better than Northwestern@Indiana? I guess...

Northwestern-Indiana can't air in the graveyard shift. I wonder if FOX had that game in mind there...

Indiana's still eastern time, they can do 8 PM kickoffs, right?

(09-17-2026 09:35 PM)The Beaver Wrote:  

(09-16-2026 05:41 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(09-16-2026 01:33 AM)The Beaver Wrote:  Is Minnesota@Washington really better than Northwestern@Indiana? I guess...

Northwestern-Indiana can't air in the graveyard shift. I wonder if FOX had that game in mind there...

Indiana's still eastern time, they can do 8 PM kickoffs, right?

FOX usually doesn't do Saturday prime time games as it runs into NBC prime time games. They are airing Northwestern-Colorado this week. NBC is airing Michigan State-Notre Dame. FOX did air Northwestern-Illinois last year against UCLA-USC. Most weeks FOX doesn't broadcast against NBC or CBS or vice versa.

(09-19-2026 05:57 AM)schmolik Wrote:  Big Ten Week 5 Speculation:

FOX Big Nooner: Ohio State at Iowa (When in doubt, OSU is the Big Nooner)
CBS 3:30pm: Michigan at Minnesota
NBC 7:30pm: Washington at USC

Locked In:
Fri. 8pm FOX: Penn State at Northwestern
Sat. 8pm: Indiana at Rutgers

BTN times: 12:30, 4:15, 8

BTN Speculation:
The only remaining schools are Central Time Zone teams

FS1 4pm: Maryland at Nebraska (Both schools are playing conference games on BTN 9/26, it makes sense for them to put the others on BTN)

BTN: Michigan State at Wisconsin, 12:30pm, Purdue at Illinois, 4:15pm, Indiana at Rutgers, 8pm

(Illinois has a noon ET kickoff 9/26 while MSU and Wisc have 5pm ET kickoffs so switch order).

(09-21-2026 03:42 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Official Week 5:

Big Ten:


Minnesota has never hosted a Big Nooner before. Other than the Pacific 4, the only Big Ten schools to not host a Big Nooner are Rutgers and Purdue, both who were the road team in Big Nooners at Ohio State.

(09-21-2026 03:43 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(09-21-2026 03:42 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Official Week 5:

Big Ten:


Minnesota has never hosted a Big Nooner before. Other than the Pacific 4, the only Big Ten schools to not host a Big Nooner are Rutgers and Purdue, both who were the road team in Big Nooners at Ohio State.

CBS 3:30, I love it!

(09-21-2026 03:43 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(09-21-2026 03:42 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Official Week 5:

Big Ten:


Minnesota has never hosted a Big Nooner before. Other than the Pacific 4, the only Big Ten schools to not host a Big Nooner are Rutgers and Purdue, both who were the road team in Big Nooners at Ohio State.

Northwestern plays in their new stadium on Friday.

(09-26-2026 04:06 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Week 6 Big Ten Speculation:

Friday: Iowa at Washington, 9 (Announced)

FOX Big Nooner: Indiana at Nebraska
CBS Big Time 3:30: UCLA at Oregon
NBC Big Saturday Night: USC at Penn State (USC, PSU, and the Big Ten confirm this, NBC has not)

BTN: Ball State at Northwestern, 12:30, Maryland at Ohio State, 4:15, Minnesota at Purdue, 8
FS1: Illinois at Michigan State, 3:30 (FS1 is showing horse racing at noon but also has a 7pm window)

After UCLA stomped over Maryland, it makes sense for Maryland-Ohio State to be OSU's BTN game. The one snag would be if CBS picks ahead of FOX and takes Indiana-Nebraska. FOX would probably be forced to take Maryland-Ohio State for its Big Nooner and then Northwestern-Ohio State likely has to go to BTN later this season. Maybe they force CBS to take UCLA-Oregon then.

Week 6 Official:



Week 7 Speculation:

FOX Big Nooner: Ohio State at Indiana
CBS 3:30pm: Penn State at Michigan
NBC 7:30pm: Nebraska at Oregon

Week 7 Official:

(10-05-2026 05:30 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Week 7 Official:

Nebraska/Oregon on CBS?

(10-06-2026 02:42 PM)cubucks Wrote:  

(10-05-2026 05:30 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Week 7 Official:

Nebraska/Oregon on CBS?

Not official, CBS hasn't made a decision yet.

(10-12-2026 03:02 PM)schmolik Wrote:  Week 8 (Oct. 24) Official:

Big 10:



CBS game TBD.

Oregon still needs a BTN conference game with Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan State (Friday), and Washington left. It should seem obvious Illinois would be a BTN game with Northwestern being ranked.

Week 9 Speculation:

FOX Big Nooner: Minnesota at Indiana
CBS Big Time: Northwestern at Oregon
NBC Big Saturday Night: Ohio State at USC

NBC hasn't had OSU at all this season. I find it hard to believe that NBC won't get them and this looks like their best chance. We know they won't be the Big Nooner. Florida/Georgia is in the 3:30pm window. The game would likely be NBC's first pick all season.

BTN: Michigan at Rutgers, Washington at Nebraska, Wisconsin at Iowa, Nevada at UCLA
Peacock: Purdue at Penn State, 3:30pm
FS1: Illinois at Maryland, noon

BTN has an 11pm window that seems destined for Nevada-UCLA. Michigan looks to get their BTN game out of the way here. Penn State still has to play a BTN game but still has Rutgers and Maryland on their schedule plus Minnesota and Washington aren't exactly top teams either. Washington and Iowa still need BTN games. I read some Twitter complaint about Iowa not getting a night home game so here you go.

Official Big Ten Halloween:



If I had to guess CBS had priority over FOX and chose Minnesota-Indiana, leaving FOX with Wisconsin-Iowa. I'd expect that to be FOX's lowest rated Big Nooner of the season. It looks like BTN canceled their graveyard shift window. Northwestern-Oregon gets Peacocked.

Maybe they think people might actually want to watch ranked, undefeated UCLA?