Report: NBC to air trio of Big Ten games in September as new media deal begins

The 2023 football season marks a seismic move for the Big Ten, embarking on a new media rights deal with FOX, CBS and NBC. And the latter broadcaster is set to carry primetime games for the league — except they won’t be airing prime competition.

NBC is effectively getting the third pick of games after FOX and then CBS and the September slate of games, reported by Brett McMurphy of the Action Network, seems to reflect that. Fortunately for NBC this season, at least, they also have the rights to a blockbuster Ohio State–Notre Dame matchup in South Bend on Sept. 23.

The rest of the NBC schedule for Big Ten football in September is as follows, according to the report from McMurphy. (All times are Eastern Standard Time.)

• Sept. 2: West Virginia at Penn State, 7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 9: Charlotte at Maryland, 7:30 p.m.
• Sept. 16: Syracuse at Purdue, 7:30 p.m.

The Mountaineers traveling to Happy Valley is a pretty juicy matchup in Week 1, especially with the love Penn State is getting as a potential playoff team. Other options would’ve likely been Ohio State traveling to Indiana or Michigan hosting East Carolina.

Week 2 was slim pickings with the best matchup — Nebraska at Colorado — going elsewhere. The best alternative to the game NBC reportedly got would be Minnesota hosting Eastern Michigan.

Syracuse and Purdue provided an entertaining show in 2022, but there’s no guarantee of similar fireworks in West Lafayette in 2023. With a few prime Power 5 non-conference matchups and one notable conference bout — Penn State travels to Illinois  — there was a plethora of options. Michigan State hosts Washington, Indiana welcomes Louisville and Jeff Brohm and Maryland will play Virginia in College Park that weekend.

What happens as the season goes along and the weather gets colder remains to be seen for the NBC primetime slot for Big Ten games.

Big Ten schools make schedule adjustments in light of new TV deal

Traditionally Big Ten schools haven’t played night games late in the season due to worsening weather. This has been a consideration not only for the athletes but fans and stadium staff.

With just three months left until the regular season begins, new commissioner Tony Petitti has been in a “sprint” to work things out according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel regarding NBC’s need for late-season night games. Athletic directors and coaches at schools in the conference were left “surprised,” this issue got left unresolved as were executives at NBC.

“There was so much looming when Petitti took over that it’s just been a sprint to figure out how to get this done,” Thamel said. “My understanding from talking to people in the television landscape is that it’s extremely rare for longform deal to not be done three months before kickoff. These deals were obviously announced to much celebration over the summer. So there were details left unsettled that need to get settled in order for these contracts to get finalized and for the games to be televised here in September.”

A few schools, however, have agreed to make sacrificed in order to uphold the deal. Michigan State and Penn State recently agreed to play a Black Friday game on Nov. 24 that will air on NBC. Additionally, Ohio State agreed to host the Spartans on Nov. 11 in what will mark the latest home night game in school history.