Nebraska football to get plenty of primetime in 2024

You wanted night games? You’re getting night games.

After Nebraska only had two Saturday night games (and two weekday night games) last season, the Huskers are guaranteed to be in primetime at least four times — including on Black Friday against Iowa at Kinnick.

The game times that were announced by the Big Ten on Thursday were:

* Aug. 31 vs. UTEP at 2:30 p.m. on FOX

* Sept. 14 vs. Northern Iowa at 6:30 p.m. on BTN

* Sept. 28 at Purdue at 11 a.m. on a yet-to-be-determined network

* Nov. 29 at Iowa at 6:30 p.m. on NBC

That is in addition to the previously announced game times of:

* Sept. 7 vs. Colorado at 6:30 p.m. on NBC

* Sept. 20 at Illinois at 7 p.m. on FOX

Some takeaways on those times and the other announced potential windows:

Nebraska has never played its Black Friday game at night. That changes now with other schools and the NFL infringing on Nebraska’s sacred tradition as Nebraska and Iowa will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on NBC.

Instead of only a few games on Black Friday, there are 13 college games and an NFL game — Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs — on Black Friday. 

Thanks, I hate it. Even though Black Friday is a holiday of sorts, I just wonder if this is a gateway to airing even more college games on Fridays and I loathe that concept entirely.

With the Heroes Game moving to primetime, be sure to bring your hand warmers and heavy coats because it’s more than likely going to be quite cold in Iowa City on Nov. 29.

The last five years of recorded temperatures at 6:30 p.m. for that night in Cedar Rapids (where the nearest weather service station is based): 36 degrees in 2023, 29 degrees in 2022, 48 degrees in 2021, 33 degrees in 2020 and 34 degrees in 2019.

With Colorado, Northern Iowa and Illinois all in primetime, Nebraska will have three straight night games early in the season.

The last time that happened? Not as long ago as you might think. Nebraska had three straight 6 or 6:30 p.m. kickoffs in October 2022 against Indiana, Rutgers and Purdue. There were three straight night games the year before in 2021 against Michigan State, Northwestern and Michigan.

Not every game time has been set. We don’t know when kickoff will be for Rutgers, Indiana, Ohio State, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin just yet. But for some of those games, we have an idea.

For one, Rutgers won’t be a night game. The homecoming kickoff will be at either 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. or 3 p.m.

One of the potential times for Nebraska’s game at USC makes my eyes pop out of their sockets. That game could kick off at 2:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. or 6:30 p.m — or 10 p.m.

“Pac-12 After Dark” might not be fully dead, after all. I really hope that game isn’t at 10 p.m. CT, but stranger things have happened.

The Indiana game could be at either 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. The Ohio State game could be at either 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. 

No windows were given for UCLA or Wisconsin.

Between what could be a frigid one in Iowa, Nebraska could have a scorcher on its hands for the season opener against UTEP on Aug. 31. Kickoff for that is at 2:30 p.m. and will air on FOX.

The last five years of temperatures in Lincoln at that time on that date: 84 degrees in 2023, 96 degrees in 2022, 78 degrees in 2021, 77 degrees in 2020 and 75 in 2019.

The record high is 103 degrees.

* The Apple Cup — the rivalry between Washington and Washington State — will be on Peacock. I’m open to the streaming-exclusive games, but that’s sacrilegious.

* Not a ton of great CBS games just yet. Sure, there’s Oregon/Ohio State that could be on CBS and will draw insane ratings regardless of the network, but we’re still waiting for the same firepower that the SEC on CBS had.