Last week, the Big Ten Conference announced the kickoff times and TV designations for the first three weeks of the regular season. The Michigan Wolverines will be kicking off their season under the lights for the third straight season on NBC against an inferior non-conference opponent.
This isn’t a surprise, as I actually predicted in the Maize n Brew Slack room that Michigan would be a primetime kick in Week 1 vs Western Michigan. And when I say “primetime” for games in the Big Ten, I just mean the game kicks off when the sun goes down.
These games are, a majority of the time, unimportant and have no implications on how the season goes.
When someone says “primetime,” I think of the best of the best teams going against each other in the evening viewing window and providing fans with a captivating product that will keep their butts on the couch for the next three-and-a-half hours. What the Big Ten is providing viewers with these days is a far cry from what I would consider primetime.
Ohio at Ohio State (37-9 final score). Indiana at Purdue (56-3). Ohio State vs Minnesota (42-3). Ohio State vs UCLA (48-10). These are just a few examples of games that were played on “Big Ten Saturday Night” on NBC last season. The Wolverines were featured four times in a primetime slot on Big Ten-affiliated networks. Here are the results of those games:
- Week 1 vs New Mexico, 34-17 win
- Week 6 at USC: 31-13 loss
- Week 8 at MSU: 31-20 win
- Week 9 vs Purdue: 21-16 win
Furthermore, here are the first three Big Ten Saturday Night games for 2026:
- Week 1: Michigan vs Western Michigan
- Week 2: Iowa vs Iowa State
- Week 3: Notre Dame vs Michigan State
Let’s be clear — these games are terrible. Iowa-Iowa State is a fun rivalry that deserves a primetime slot, but a majority of these games are unwatchable because NBC — as well as CBS and FOX — is only concerned about getting games that feature the biggest brands. They didn’t agree to the Big Ten TV contract to show the bottom-dwellers of the conference most of the time. They are incentivized to continue picking the Michigan’s and Ohio State’s of the world as much as they can regardless of the opponent because those games are sure to attract the most viewership and justify the money they paid the Big Ten.
But the product for the fans is horrible. No fan is rewarded financially — or in any way, really — to have their teams either get their ass kicked or do some ass kicking in primetime.
For me, most of the games listed above are hard passes as it pertains to primetime viewing. If you want to throw these games on at noon and have it be one of the four options I put on multi-view, that’s fine and dandy. But I don’t want to stay up until midnight to watch a game that is effectively over by halftime.
Meanwhile, the SEC wins in the primetime slot on ESPN each and every Saturday. Those games consistently feel massive, whether it’s because of the matchup itself, the atmosphere or the stakes. When I flip on ESPN at 7:30 p.m., I typically feel like I’m about to watch one of the biggest games of the weekend.
That’s because the SEC treats primetime like a showcase window for its best matchups, while the Big Ten treats it like a branding exercise. Instead of consistently putting the most compelling games in that slot, the Big Ten’s television partners frequently lean on brand recognition. Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon are going to draw attention no matter what team they play, so the networks continue forcing those brands into standalone windows even when the matchup itself lacks intrigue.
From a business perspective, it makes sense. But from a viewer’s perspective — the only perspective that should truly matter — it creates a mid-tier product.
So when college football returns on Sept. 5, the night game atmosphere in Ann Arbor will still be great. Fans will still be excited football is back and we have an entirely new season to watch. But calling Michigan-Western Michigan a “primetime” game feels misleading when the game is largely expected to be decided long before the clock hits 00:00 in the fourth quarter.
Primetime college football games should feel special and should feature games people circle weeks in advance, not matchups viewers abandon midway through the third quarter for another screen or an early bedtime. The Big Ten has the brands and national relevance to create an elite Saturday night package. But until its television partners prioritize competitive matchups over the biggest brands, “Big Ten Saturday Night” on NBC will continue feeling more manufactured than meaningful.
