Big Ten Prime-Time Schedule Released, Ohio State Gets Three Games Under The Lights

The Big Ten just announced it's prime-time schedule for the 2012 season, with 14 total games getting that label, six of which will be on the ABC/ESPN family of networks. Eight of them will be on the conference's own Big Ten Network. ESPN released the full schedule, and there's a couple pertinent things to note.

For one, the Ohio State Buckeyes don't play under the lights until Oct. 6 when they'll take on Nebraska at 8:00 p.m. eastern on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 (it has yet to be decided which network). But they'll end up with two games after that, with an Oct. 13 matchup against Indiana on the Big Ten Network at 8:00 p.m. and a matchup against Penn State at 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 27 on either ESPN or ESPN2.

That makes three prime-time games for the Buckeyes, which is the most in the conference alongside Nebraska. That's three of their four games in October played at night under the lights. It's interesting to note that the Buckeyes can't play in the postseason, yet still get all of these prime-time games, but that goes to show you just how rabid their fanbase can be.

The full schedule as per ESPN is below (all times eastern):

Aug. 31
Boise State at Michigan State, 8 p.m., ESPN

Sept. 1
Indiana State at Indiana, 8 p.m., Big Ten Network

Sept. 8
Vanderbilt at Northwestern, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 15
Notre Dame at Michigan State, 8 p.m., ABC
Utah State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m., BTN
Ball State at Indiana, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 22
Syracuse at Minnesota, 8 p.m., BTN
Louisiana Tech at Illinois, 8 p.m., BTN

Sept. 29
Wisconsin at Nebraska, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Oct. 6
Nebraska at Ohio State, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2

Oct. 13
Ohio State at Indiana, 8 p.m., BTN

Oct. 20
Penn State at Iowa, 8 p.m., BTN

Oct. 27
Ohio State at Penn State, 6 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Michigan at Nebraska, 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2