Hawkeyes surpass almost all Big Ten football programs ... in prime-time

Rumors became reality Wednesday when ABC/ESPN and the Big Ten Network released their 2009 schedules of Big Ten football games in prime-time.

We knew the Iowa-Penn State game Sept. 26 was an ABC/ESPN game. But whispers became fact when it was announced Michigan-Iowa on Oct. 13 and Iowa-Michigan State on Oct. 27 were headed for ABC/ESPN and the BTN, respectively.

Iowa has caught up with some high-profile teams  in that regard.

Last season, Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin all had three prime-time games. So did Indiana and Minnesota, though theirs were exclusively BTN games.

This year - so far, anyhow - the Hawkeyes have three prime-timee games, two of them with the massive reach of the ABC/ESPN brand. Penn State is the only other Big Ten team with two ABC/ESPN prime-time games scheduled, at home against Iowa and at Northwestern.

Indiana is the only other Big Ten team with three prime-time games scheduled for this fall, but all are BTN contests.

As a sportswriter covering these contests, I'm not too crazy about the night games and all the stress of deadlines, late-nights that turn into early-mornings, and other stuff you couldn't care less about.

As a football program, though, Iowa has to accept this is a good thing. Especially if it wins more of these games than not.

Last year, USC had seven games in prime-time. That makes a difference when it comes to recruiting and prestige.

Two years ago, ABC began its college football Saturday night Game of the Week show, or whatever its called. It's the place to be for a college football program, a place USC has been several times.

Iowa will be there twice this fall, against iconic programs Penn State and Michigan.

That's a big thing for the Hawkeyes. Now it's up to them to prove their mettle in those games to secure more such dates for the future.