Big Ten announces TV times, channels for Week 8, including intriguing Nebraska-Indiana matchup

The Big Ten announced TV times and channel designations for its Week 8 slate, including an intriguing matchup between Nebraska and Indiana, who are currently a combined 11-1 amid breakout seasons for their respective programs.

Another pivotal game on the slate is an afternoon showdown between Michigan and Illinois in Champaign. At the moment, the one-loss Fighting Illini are the No. 23 team in the AP Poll, and the two-loss Wolverines are right behind them at the No. 24 spot.

Check out the schedule below:

FRIDAY, OCT. 18

+ Oregon at Purdue — 8 p.m. ET (FOX)

SATURDAY, OCT. 19

+ Nebraska at Indiana — 12 p.m. ET (FOX)
+ UCLA at Rutgers — 12 p.m. ET (FS1)
+ Wisconsin at Northwestern — 12 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
+ Michigan at Illinois — 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
+ USC at Maryland — 4 p.m. ET (FS1)
+ Iowa at Michigan State — 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

In Week 8…

+ No. 3 Oregon will play another primetime game. Also, for the second time in three weeks, the Ducks will play on Friday night. After back-to-back home games, including this week’s top-three showdown versus No. 2 Ohio State, they’ll get back on the road to face a reeling Purdue team that already parted ways with offensive coordinator Graham Harrell this season.

+ Nebraska will host No. 18 Indiana. The Cornhuskers received 51 votes in this week’s AP Poll, so they could return to the AP Top 25 Sunday, even though they’re off this weekend. The Huskers’ lone loss came in overtime against Illinois. A 7-0 start wasn’t out of the question for Nebraska at the beginning of the season. Now it could be the reality for Indiana, which has stormed out to six straight wins in its first year under head coach Curt Cignetti. The upstart Hoosiers are also off in Week 7.

+ UCLA will make the long Big Ten trip east to Piscataway, where the Bruins will face a physical Rutgers team. Greg Schiano’s imprint is especially clear on this Scarlet Knights squad, which enters Week 7 ranked 22nd nationally with 205.8 rushing yards per game and tied for 17th in the country with 15.8 points allowed per game.

+ Wisconsin will head to the shores of Lake Michigan. There, the up-and-down Badgers will square off against a Northwestern program that’s taken a step back in the Big Ten during its second year under head coach David Braun. First Wisconsin has to deal with Rutgers, also on the road. Northwestern, meanwhile, gets Maryland in Week 7 — in College Park, the Wildcats will hope to build on the progress they made offensively against Indiana last week.

+ Michigan will go head-to-head with an Illinois team that has surprised so far this season. The Wolverines’ College Football Playoff hopes are dwindling, and there is no more margin for error. Illinois, now 4-1, hosts Purdue in Week 7 before welcoming in Michigan the following week. The Fighting Illini comes into Week 7 allowing only 14.2 points per game, good for 12th among all FBS teams.

+ USC will play at Maryland. The Trojans have now lost a pair of games after suffering a 24-17 setback at Minnesota in Week 6. They’re hosting No. 4 Penn State in Week 7 and will surely be back in the AP Top 25 with a win over the Nittany Lions. Another loss would significantly hurt USC’s CFP chances.

+ Iowa will take on Michigan State in Spartan Stadium, marking the Hawkeyes’ third road game in a four-game span. Following a 3-0 start to the season, Michigan State has dropped three games in a row. That said, two of those defeats came against Ohio State and Oregon. The Spartans have Week 7 to regroup while Iowa is hosting Washington.