Big Ten to air 9 Friday night games on Fox

Fox will air nine Big Ten conference games comprising 12 different teams on Friday nights this fall with six squads playing twice, according to its Friday night schedule unveiled Wednesday.

With the Big Ten adding four West Coast schools, Fox increased its Big Ten payment to obtain rights to carry Friday night football. Fox will air nine Big Ten Friday games over 10 weeks, beginning in week four and concluding in week 13.

The matchups include a former Rose Bowl battle, a night game in Nebraska, two cross-country clashes, a pair of reignited rivalries and a high-profile collision. All four of the Big Ten’s newcomers will play on Friday with Washington, Oregon and UCLA all playing twice. Also, competing two games on Fridays include Rutgers, Michigan State and Purdue. Six teams will not play a Friday night Big Ten game. They include Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Here is the Big Ten’s Friday night schedule:

Sept. 20: Illinois at Nebraska. This is the second consecutive season the former Big Ten West foes square off on a Friday and the third time since 2017. But it’s also their first Friday night battle in Lincoln. Last year, the Huskers ended the Illini’s three-game series winning streak with a 20-7 win in Champaign.

Sept. 27: Washington at Rutgers. This is the third meeting between the coastal squads and the first since 2017. The Huskies’ trip east is sandwiched between a pair of home games.

Oct. 4: Michigan State at Oregon. Although the teams have played only seven times historically, two of their recent battles were significant. In 2014, the Ducks beat the Spartans and ultimately qualified for the College Football Playoff title game. The next year, Michigan State edged Oregon, 31-28, eventually winning the Big Ten title and securing a CFP berth. They also hooked up in the 2018 Redbox Bowl, of which the Ducks survived, 7-6.

Oct. 11: Northwestern at Maryland. This is the teams’ fifth meeting since the Terrapins joined the Big Ten in 2014. Maryland won the first two games, while Northwestern won in 2022 and 2023.

Oct. 18: Oregon at Purdue. The teams have played three times with Oregon winning twice. The Ducks’ scoring advantage is 77-75 in those matchups with their 38-36 win in 2009 providing that margin.

Oct. 25: Rutgers at USC. It’s the first meeting between these teams hailing from the nation’s two largest media markets. Rutgers plays host to UCLA the previous week and enjoys a bye week after the long flight west. This game kicks off at 11 p.m. ET following Game 1 of the World Series. The other Friday games start at either 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. ET.

Nov. 8: Iowa at UCLA. This is their 10th all-time encounter but their first since Jan. 1, 1986, when the Bruins shocked the No. 3-ranked Hawkeyes, 45-28, in the Rose Bowl. This is just the second time in 33 years Iowa has played in Pasadena and the first since Jan. 1, 2016.

Nov. 15: UCLA at Washington. The 77th edition of the teams’ long-time series continues in their first contest as Big Ten foes. They last met in 2022 when the Bruins topped the Huskies, 40-32.

Nov. 22: Purdue at Michigan State. The teams have played just twice over the previous eight years but this is their 69th meeting overall. The last time they faced off in 2021, Purdue knocked off the previously unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Spartans, 40-32.

In all, the Big Ten will air 16 Friday contests. Next week, the league will announce its early-season schedule, other Friday games on FS1 and BTN and the second Black Friday matchup (alongside Nebraska at Iowa). CBS and NBC broadcast the Big Ten’s Black Friday games.

In addition, Fox will air two Friday night Big 12 games with Arizona traveling to Kansas State in week three for its Big 12 debut and on Black Friday in week 14, Utah and UCF battle in Orlando for their first matchup. With the Big Ten championship game heading to CBS on Dec. 7, Fox will air the Mountain West championship in primetime on Friday, Dec. 6.

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(Photo: Kirby Lee / Getty Images)