April 21, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., - Penn State will clash with Big Ten Conference foes Iowa and Michigan in prime time during the 2010 campaign.
The Big Ten announced today that the Nittany Lions' Oct. 2 contest at Iowa and Oct. 30 home game with the Wolverines will kick at 8:00 p.m. and air on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. A determination on which network will nationally televise the games may not be made until 12 days before the contests.
Penn State will open Big Ten play in prime time for the third consecutive year, having hosted Illinois in 2008 and the Hawkeyes last year. The Nittany Lions will be playing at least one regular season night game for the 11th consecutive season.
The two Penn State contests are among six Big Ten football games that will air in prime time this fall on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The Big Ten Network's prime time schedule will be announced at a later date. Penn State and Ohio State are the only conference schools with more than one prime time game on ESPN or ABC this season.
Once the Big Ten Network's prime time line-up is announced, no additional Big Ten home games will be moved to prime time for the 2010 season.
The Penn State-Iowa series is tied, 11-11, with the visiting team winning 14 of the 22 meetings. Both teams finished 11-2 and in the top 10 in the final polls, with Iowa No. 7 and Penn State No. 9 in the Associated Press poll. The Nittany Lions are 7-4 in Iowa City, but lost a 24-23 heartbreaker in Kinnick Stadium in their last visit, in 2008. The Hawkeyes earned a 21-10 win in Beaver Stadium last year en route to a FedEx Orange Bowl win over ACC Champion Georgia Tech.
The Nittany Lions and Wolverines will be colliding in prime time for the second time, with Michigan earning a 17-10 win in State College in 2006. Penn State has won the last two contests with Michigan, 46-17 at home in 2008 and 35-10 last year in Ann Arbor, posting their two highest point totals in the series. Following the Oct. 30 meeting, Penn State and Michigan are not scheduled to meet again until 2013.
The Nittany Lions have long been one of college football's premier programs for television networks. Every Nittany Lion game has been televised the past six seasons and 190 of the last 192 Penn State games overall have been on TV. Since 1995, Penn State leads Big Ten teams with 173 regular season telecasts.
A Penn State contest owns four of the top five spots and six of the top 10 all-time among the highest rated Big Ten football games on ESPN. The Nittany Lions' win over Michigan State during the unbeaten 1994 Big Ten Championship season is the second-highest rated Big Ten game on ESPN with a 5.4 rating. The 2005 primetime battle between Penn State and Ohio State earned the conference's third-highest rating (4.9), followed by the 1994 Penn State-Indiana game (4.7), with the 1995 Penn State-Michigan State thriller (4.0) in fifth. The Nittany Lions' wins at Michigan State in 2005 (No. 8) and at Purdue in 1997 (No. 10) also are in the top 10.
A Penn State game also owns five of the top seven spots among the highest viewed Big Ten football games on ESPN. The Nittany Lions' pulsating win over the Buckeyes in 2005 is the conference's second-highest viewed game on ESPN, as 4.435 million U.S. cable households tuned in. The 1994 Penn State-Michigan game is third with 3.397 million households, followed by the 2005 PSU-MSU contest (3.446 m.). The 2007 win over Notre Dame (3.31 m.) is No. 6 and the Nittany Lions' 2008 thumping of Michigan is No. 7 at 3.23 million homes.
Future Penn State contests may be selected by the networks under the six and 12-day provisions of their contracts with the Big Ten Conference.
Penn State is 51-13 (79.7) since the start of the 2005 season, tied for the nation's No. 7 winning percentage over that span. The Nittany Lions earned their second consecutive 11-2 record last season, capped by a win over LSU in the Capital One Bowl, Penn State's fourth bowl victory in the past five seasons. Penn State posted its 23rd final Top 10 ranking under Coach Joe Paterno.
The Nittany Lions return 37 letterwinners for the 2010 season, including 13 starters (7 offense, 5 defense, 1 specialist), as well as 11 players that have starting experience. Penn State opens the season Sept. 4 vs. Youngstown State in Beaver Stadium and visits 2009 national champion Alabama on Sept. 11.
The Nittany Lions conclude spring practice with the Blue-White Game presented by AAA on Saturday, April 24. Kickoff is at 2:00 p.m. in Beaver Stadium and there is no admission or parking fee. The popular autograph session with the players is from 12:30-1:15 p.m. A carnival and other events, including fireworks and the Penn State Idol finals, are Friday from 6-10 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. adjacent to Beaver Stadium.
Penn State Football will hold its 36th annual summer camps in June. The camps feature two offense / defense skills and fundamentals camps for athletes entering 8th-12th grade in the fall, to be held June 20-23 and June 27-30. A "seniors only" camp will be held June 25-26, Penn State's popular 7-on-7 team passing camp will be held June 18-19 and a placekicking camp is June 4-5.
For more information on the Penn State Football Camps, please visit; www.pennstatefootballcamps.com or call the Penn State sports camps office at 814-865-0561.