TV policy says no big ten primetime games in November

The Big Ten is not ready for prime time - at least not in November.

It appears the Iowa-Ohio State game scheduled for Nov. 14 in Columbus, Ohio, would be ripe for a prime time audience. The teams are first and tied for second in the Big Ten. Both have played prime time games this year, but the game is probably destined for the 2:30 p.m. time slot on ABC.

“Our television contracts state that a Big Ten game will not be played in prime time in November,” said Scott Chipman, the Big Ten's assistant commissioner for communications. “So it's not an official Big Ten policy, but it is a part of our television contracts.”

Iowa played a prime time game at Minnesota last year to close the college football curtain on the Metrodome. There won't be more November night games in Minnesota unless the television contract is changed.

Weather is a primary factor for the contract provision.

“If a game is in a dome, then our TV contract policy was waived,” Chipman said. “But now that all of our teams play in outside facilities there will be no prime time games in November.”

ABC selects first among Big Ten games, followed by the Big Ten Network or ESPN, which rotate the second selection. Other Big Ten games that day include Indiana at Penn State, Michigan at Wisconsin, Michigan State at Purdue and Northwestern at Illinois. Minnesota hosts South Dakota State.

Iowa's next two games - Saturday vs. Indiana and Nov. 7 vs. Northwestern - will air at 11 a.m. on ESPN. Time and television for Iowa's season finale Nov. 21 at home against Minnesota has not been determined.

Ticket sales update

Iowa has about 400 tickets remaining for each of its final three home games, including Saturday against Indiana.

“A good sign of recession I think is the fact that we're going to end up selling out Saturday, but it's taken us a while to get there,” said Rick Klatt, associate athletics director for external affairs. “All things being equal, with the kind of team we're having and the season we're having, I would have to say that's probably a pretty good indication that it's not the easiest economic situation across the state.”

The Butler way

Indiana football coach Bill Lynch and Iowa men's basketball coach Todd Lickliter played college basketball at Butler University. Lynch, who also played college football, finished his eligibility in 1977. Lickliter enrolled at Butler later that year and played until 1979. Lynch then became an assistant football coach for the Bulldogs from 1977 through 1983 and became the school's head football coach from 1985 through 1989.

Lickliter became an assistant coach at Butler in 1988 and was named head coach in 2001. He left Butler for Iowa in 2007.