University Park, Pa. — The Big Ten Network released its fall Olympic sports schedule on Thursday (July 8), featuring more than 11 Penn State contests along with three conference championships. Women's volleyball leads the way with at least five televised matches while at least three women's soccer games will be aired.
Men's soccer and field hockey have two and one, respectively, along with their respective Big Ten Tournaments. The men's and women's cross country championships will also air on the network.
The Penn State football team's Sept. 4 season opener with Youngstown State will also air on the Big Ten Network (12 p.m.) in addition to at least one conference game. Last year, four Nittany Lion football games aired on the network, as well as the Blue-White Game.
Customers of Adams, Armstrong, Blue Ridge and MetroCast cable companies in Pennsylvania and Ohio do not have cable access to the Big Ten Network, which is available in approximately 75 million homes in the United States and Canada, via 300 cable and satellite providers. The network is available in 19 of the top 20 U.S. markets and on cable in 46 states.
More than 100 Penn State athletic events, from 24 teams, were televised by the Big Ten Network in 2009-10, in addition to nearly 190 hours of Penn State's original, non-sports campus programming.
Coverage of the three-time defending National Champion women's volleyball squad begins with its Sept. 26 tilt at Wisconsin (2 p.m.), which will air via tape delay later that evening (7 p.m.). The first of two BTN home games will air live on Oct. 2 vs. Michigan (6 p.m.). Three additional matches along with a possible wild card match rounds out the coverage.
The 12-time Big Ten Champion women's soccer team is tied for the most BTN games among its sport with three. Its Oct. 3 game at Ohio State will air live at 3 p.m. while two home tilts - vs. Wisconsin (Oct. 17, 1 p.m.) and Michigan (Nov. 7, 1 p.m.) - will also be televised. The game vs. the Badgers will air as same-day tape delay at 4:30 p.m. while the Michigan tilt will be live. Like volleyball, women's soccer also features a possible wild card game.
Coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010, men's soccer sees two of its matches aired via tape delay on the Big Ten Network - at Michigan (Oct. 3, 1 p.m.) and home vs. Ohio State (Oct. 23, 3 p.m.). Both will be shown the same day, with Michigan set for 7 p.m. and Ohio State at 6 p.m.
Field hockey's Sept. 26 game vs. Michigan begins the network's field hockey coverage and is one of only three regular season field hockey games to air live. The Big Ten semifinals and championship will be broadcast live as well.
The Big Ten men's and women's cross country championships on Oct. 31 is set for the network as well with the air date and time to be announced.
Complete Penn State Olympic Sports Big Ten Network Schedule
Field Hockey
Sept. 26, vs. Michigan, 1 p.m.
Nov. 5, Big Ten Semifinals, TBA
Nov. 7, Big Ten Championship, TBA
Women's Volleyball
Sept. 26, at Wisconsin, 2 p.m. (Air: 7 p.m.)
Oct. 2, vs. Michigan, 6 p.m.
Oct. 20, at Ohio State, 7 p.m.
Nov. 13, vs. Illinois, TBA
Nov. 27, at Minnesota, TBA
Wild Card Match, TBA
Women's Soccer
Oct. 3, at Ohio State, 3 p.m.
Oct. 17, vs. Wisconsin, 1 p.m. (Air: 4:30 p.m.)
Nov. 7, vs. Michigan, 1 p.m.
Wild Card Match, TBA
Men's Soccer
Oct. 3, at Michigan, 1 p.m. (Air: 7 p.m.)
Oct. 23, vs. Ohio State, 3 p.m. (Air: 6 p.m.)
Nov. 12, Big Ten Semifinals, TBA
Nov. 14, Big Ten Championship, TBA
Men's & Women's Cross Country
Oct. 31, Big Ten Championships, TBA
About the Big Ten Network: The Big Ten Network is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 350 live events, and nearly all of them in HD, the network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. The network operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, showcasing a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televising more Olympic sporting events and women's sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities. Each year, the network offers between 35 and 40 football games, 105 regular season men's basketball games; 55 women's basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; studio shows; coaches' shows; and classic games.
Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide and in Canada, the network has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including: AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS, DirecTV, DISH Network, Atlantic Broadband, Bright House, Cablevision, CATV Service, Charter, Comcast, Cox (Omaha, Cleveland, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas), Insight, Kuhn Communications, Mediacom, Midcontinent, Nittany Media, RCN, Rogers Cable (Canada), Service Electric, Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable, Western Broadband, Windstream and WOW.