TV options, times remain open for Iowa-Nebraska football game

IOWA CITY - Viewing options remain open for the Nov. 28 Iowa-Nebraska regular-season finale, which takes place in Iowa City the day after Thanksgiving.

Unlike the past three years when the league announced the game's kickoff time by June 7, this year the game is on the 12-day viewing cycle. That means ESPN/ABC has the chance to select the game's time and network depending on its prominence. This typically happens in October and November football.

In anticipation of a possible 2:30 p.m. kickoff, Iowa moved its locally high-profile Iowa-Iowa State wrestling dual from Nov. 28 to Nov. 29. Originally, the dual was scheduled to start at night to coincide with an 11 a.m. Black Friday kickoff.

ESPN and its family of networks boast only a few open slots on Black Friday because of wall-to-wall holiday basketball coverage. ABC will air UCLA-Stanford at 2:30 p.m., and neither the time nor the network will change for that game.

After talking with school, league and network officials about Iowa-Nebraska, both the 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. viewing windows remain open. ESPN, which airs college basketball from 11 a.m. through around 6 p.m., is likely to broadcast a football game at 7 p.m., as it did last year. However, Mark Rudner, the Big Ten's senior associate commissioner for television administration, said Iowa-Nebraska won't kick off at night.

The game could air at 11 a.m. on ABC, which it has the last three years, or ESPN2 in the 11 a.m. time slot. It's also possible - maybe even likely - if the game determines the Big Ten West Division championship, it will broadcast at 2:30 p.m. with regional coverage. There will be no mirror on ESPN2, which shows basketball, but it could air virtually everywhere east of Pac-12 country. It's possible, but unlikely, BTN could air the game. The Big Ten currently does not have a regular-season deal outside of ABC/ESPN and BTN.

Here's a look at the sports television landscape and viewing options for Black Friday:

2014 FOOTBALL TIME SLOTS (ESPN NETWORKS)

ABC

- 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. (Stanford-UCLA scheduled)

ESPN

- 7 p.m.

ESPN2

- 11 a.m.

ESPNU

- 10 a.m., 8 p.m.

2014 SCHEDULED BLACK FRIDAY GAMES

11 a.m. - Western Kentucky at Marshall (FS1)

1:30 p.m. - Arkansas at Missouri (CBS)

2:30 p.m. - Stanford at UCLA (ABC)

2:30 p.m. - Colorado State at Air Force (CBS Sports Network)

3:30 p.m. - Arizona State at Arizona (Fox)

2014 AVAILABLE BLACK FRIDAY GAMES

Nebraska at Iowa

Virginia at Virginia Tech

Central Florida at South Florida

East Carolina at Tulsa

Houston at SMU

Ball State at Bowling Green

Buffalo at UMass

Northern Illinois at Western Michigan

Toledo at Eastern Michigan

2013 BLACK FRIDAY TV GAMES

11 a.m. - Iowa at Nebraska (ABC)

11 a.m. - Houston at SMU (ESPN2)

11 a.m. - Marshall at East Carolina (CBS Sports Network)

12:30 p.m. - Bowling Green at Buffalo (ESPNU)

1:30 p.m. - LSU at Arkansas (CBS)

2 p.m. - Florida Atlantic at Florida International (FS1)

2:30 p.m. - San Jose State at Fresno State (CBS Sports)

2:30 p.m. - Miami-Fla. at Pittsburgh (ABC)

2:30 p.m. - Washington at Washington State (Fox)

6 p.m. - Oregon at Oregon State at (FS1)

7 p.m. - Central Florida at South Florida (ESPN)

2013 BLACK FRIDAY NON-TV GAMES

11 a.m. - Akron at Toledo

Noon - Ball State at Miami-Ohio

1 p.m. - Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan

1 p.m. - Troy at Texas State

1 p.m. - Ohio at UMass

2014 BLACK FRIDAY BASKETBALL SLATE ON ESPN NETWORKS

(courtesy of www.bloggingthebracket.com)

ESPN

11 a.m. - Orlando Classic, semifinal/consolation

1 p.m. - Battle 4 Atlantis, consolation

3:30 p.m. - Battle 4 Atlantis, championship

ESPN2

2:30 p.m. - Wooden Legacy, semifinal

6 p.m. - NIT Season Tip-Off, championship

8 p.m. - Orlando Classic, semifinal

10:30 p.m. - Wooden Legacy, semifinal

ESPNU

1:30 p.m. - Orlando Classic, semifinal/consolation

3:30 p.m. - NIT Season Tip-Off, consolation

5:30 p.m. - Orlando Classic, consolation

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com