Starting with the 2017 season, the Big Ten Conference will play six prime-time football games on Friday nights.
None of the six are scheduled for air on the Big Ten Network. Instead they’ll be televised by an ESPN channel, FOX or FS1.
The games would be limited to September and October and the Conference is committed to six Friday games for the next six seasons.
Mark Rudner is the Big Ten senior associate commissioner for television administration. He told BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart that the Big Ten Conference has studied this and talked with people on campuses, school presidents, chancellors and athletic directors who all have approved of the plan moving forward.
Rudner also said they have had conversations with the executive directors of high school athletic associations across all 11 states and the move has their blessing.
The 2017 schedule hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it isn’t expected to impact more than six of the Conference schools.
