BIG TEN FOOTBALL WEEKLY RELEASE – AUGUST 29
WEEK 1 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 1
PENN STATE at PURDUE
8 p.m. | FOX
New Mexico State at MINNESOTA
9 p.m. | Big Ten Network
FRIDAY, SEPT. 2
Western Michigan at MICHIGAN STATE
7 p.m. | ESPN
ILLINOIS at INDIANA
8 p.m. | FS1
SATURDAY, SEPT. 3
South Dakota State at IOWA
Noon | FS1
Buffalo at MARYLAND
Noon | Big Ten Network
Colorado State at MICHIGAN
Noon | ABC
RUTGERS at Boston College
12 p.m. | ACC Network
North Dakota at NEBRASKA
3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Illinois State at WISCONSIN
7 p.m. | FS1
Notre Dame at OHIO STATE
7:30 p.m. | ABC
Bye: NORTHWESTERN
All times Eastern
BIG TEN. BIG NEWS.
• Thirteen Big Ten schools will be in action as week one of the 2022 season kicks off Thursday night when Minnesota, Penn State and Purdue make their debuts. The Boilermakers open at home against the Nittany Lions at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, while the Golden Gophers will play host to New Mexico State at 9 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The remaining 10 schools will begin the 2022 campaign on Friday and Saturday, highlighted by a conference matchup between Illinois and Indiana on Friday night. The complete opening weekend schedule appears to the right.
• Thursday will mark the 20th meeting between Purdue and Penn State, with the Nittany Lions leading the series 15-3-1. Penn State has won nine straight matchups, including the last in 2019, as Purdue hosts for the first time since 2016. The Boilermakers look to win their season opener in three straight seasons for the first time since 2007-09.
• Friday’s game will mark the 72nd meeting between Illinois and Indiana, with the Illini leading the series 45-24-2. Indiana has won the last three games in the series, with the most recent win coming in 2017. The Hoosiers look to win four straight against Illinois for the first time since 1967-70, while the Illini look to win their Big Ten opener in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990-91.
• Defending Big Ten Champion Michigan begins its season on Saturday when it kicks off against Colorado State at noon ET on ABC. This is the second meeting between these teams and the first since Michigan won 24-14 in 1994. Michigan is 10-0 all-time against current Mountain West teams and 16-0 in non-conference home games under Jim Harbaugh.
• Ohio State kicks off the 2022 season on Saturday against Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. This is the seventh meeting against the Irish and the first since the 2016 Fiesta Bowl, a game Ohio State won 44-28. The Buckeyes lead the series 4-2 and have won four straight matchups. Ohio State has won 22 straight season openers, the longest active streak in FBS.
• Northwestern put together a six-play, 43-yard drive, culminating in a four-yard rushing touchdown with 11:34 left in the ballgame to give the Wildcats a 31-28 win over Nebraska on Saturday afternoon at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Ryan Hilinski led Northwestern’s passing attack with 314 yards through the air, tossing two touchdowns without throwing an interception. It was the first time since 2016 and the third
time under Pat Fitzgerald that Northwestern had 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards in a Big Ten game.
• Illinois beat Wyoming, 38-6, last week for a Week 0 win in its second straight season. The Illini’s 477 yards of total offense were the most under Bret Bielema and the most since Illinois recorded 490 yards at Nebraska in 2020. Illinois has held opponents to 20 points or less in five of its last six games, dating back to Oct. 23, 2021.
• Chase Brown surpassed 2,000 career yards in the season opener against Wyoming when he rushed for 151 yards
and scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). His rushing yards are the most in a season-opener by an
Illinois rusher since at least 1945. Brown is looking to join an elite group of running backs if he can reach 1,000 yards
again in 2022. Only Jim Grabowski and Robert Holcombe have reached 1,000 yards rushing in two seasons for the
Fighting Illini.
• The 2022 campaign will feature 94 All-Big Ten honorees (first-, second-, third-team or honorable mention) selected by either the coaches or the media last season. Ohio State leads the way, welcoming back 17 All-Big Ten honorees this season. Each team has at least one All-Big Ten performer returning this season, with 56 of the 94 returning All-Big Ten players coming from the East Division.
• The Big Ten finished last season with four teams ranked in the AP Top 25 for the second straight year, which was tied for second-most of any conference. Three teams finished in the Top 10 for the first time since 2017. The 2022 AP Preseason Poll also featured four Big Ten teams in No. 2 Ohio State, No. 8 Michigan, No. 15 Michigan State and No. 18 Wisconsin, while Iowa, Penn State, Minnesota, Purdue, and Nebraska are all receiving votes.
• This season’s Playoff Semifinals will take place Saturday, December 31, 2022, at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Chickfil-A Peach Bowl. The Los Angeles region will host the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 9, 2023, at SoFi Stadium. The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game.
