On Thursday night, we learn which Iowa football game/games of 2011 will be in prime-time

Last week I predicted the Northwestern-Iowa game this Oct. 15 will be a night game. On Thursday night, we'll see if that was right, or if another of Iowa's games is chosen to be on a Big Ten Network Saturday night telecast. That will be revealed on the BTN Thursday at 7 p.m., Central time.

We already know no Iowa games are slated for ABC/ESPN in September or October, and the league doesn't allow night games in November. Every league team will be on at night at least once, and other Big Ten teams with no ABC/ESPN appearances scheduled are Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern. The league doesn't have to have a prime-time game each Saturday in September and October, to my knowledge.

So the possibilities are for the Hawkeyes on the BTN in prime-time (it can't be the Sept. 10 game at Iowa State because the BTN has no jurisdiction there) are:

Sept. 3: Tennessee Tech.

My thoughts: Highly, highly, highly unlikely.

My pick for BTN's Saturday night game that day (if there is one): Tennessee-Chattanooga at Nebraska. Why? It's Nebraska's first game as a Big Ten member, and since all the league's games that day range from dull to crummy ...

Sept. 17: Pittsburgh.

My thoughts: Possible. It's certainly one of the league's better interconference matchups of the year.

My pick for BTN's Saturday night game that day: Miami (Ohio) at Minnesota. Why? To give Minnesota its night game.

Sept. 24: Louisiana-Monroe

My thoughts: Not out of the question. Not all of these Saturday night games are good ones, that's for sure.

My pick for that night: Western Michigan at Illinois. It takes care of Illinois' prime-time appearance, and like Miami (Ohio), the foe is in the Big Ten's primary television region.

Oct. 8: at Penn State

My thoughts: I don't see it, because Ohio State is at Nebraska that night on ABC. Why waste an Iowa-Penn State game as opposite programming. This is a 2:30 start if I ever saw one.

My pick for that night: I don't know if there will be one. Everybody's going to watch OSU-Nebraska, so it might be a good night for the BTN to show some field hockey on tape.

Oct. 15 Northwestern

My thoughts: Bingo. You look at the schedule and see Michigan-Michigan State, but I would think ABC/ESPN would want this as a 2:30 game rather than ceding it to the BTN. It's on a postseason baseball Saturday night, so that's partially why ABC has no Saturday night game scheduled that evening, at least none involving a Big Ten team.

Oct. 22 Indiana

My thoughts: Possible, especially if the league hasn't slotted Indiana in one of the other weeks, and especially if Northwestern-Iowa isn't a night game. But not likely.

My pick for that night: First off, you've got Wisconsin-Michigan State on ABC/ESPN. If I have to pick, I'll take Nebraska at Minnesota just because I think the BTN can't get itself enough Nebraska in Year One.

Oct. 29 at Minnesota

My thoughts: Unlikely. Wisconsin at Ohio State is the ABC/ESPN game. That's a good one.

My pick for that night:  If the BTN has a football game opposite it, and I'm not sure  it will, I'll take the one likely to have the least attractiveness as a Saturday afternoon game, which appears now to be Northwestern at Indiana.

These picks are almost certainly going to look ridiculous come Thursday night. But I'm standing by Northwestern-Iowa in prime-time. I don't expect a second Hawkeyes game at night, but I definitely don't rule it out. The Pittsburgh game would seem like a genuine possibility since the league doesn't have an ABC/ESPN game that evening.

What do you think? Who will Iowa play at night?