On Iowa Daily Briefing 4.18.12

Let's give this a try.

HAWKEYE STUFF

Night games will be seeping out soon. Maybe yet this week, but more likely next. This is when the Disney company picks what it believes will be key Big Ten games that aren't played in November. Last year, Wisconsin was tabbed for five night games and all ABC/ESPN got out of that was the Hail Mary that toppled the Badgers at Michigan State and a last-minute drive that allowed Ohio State to knock out the Badgers from national title contention. These people know what they're doing.

You're probably looking at a lot of Michigan night games. It's QB Denard Robinson's last run and Brady Hoke has the Wolverines winning. TV people tend to pick up on the bluebloods. Ohio State is interesting. It's Urban Meyer's first season, but the Buckeyes are banned from the postseason this year. Will that temper night games? Probably not.

Let's give this a try for ESPN and Big Ten Network (which, I see, eventually pushing for a night game a week):

Sept. 1

Big stage -- Michigan vs. Alabama at Arlington, Texas (Cowboys Stadium). No brainer.

BTN possibilities -- I like Southern Miss at Nebraska, but I think Indiana State at Indiana sneaks in.

Sept. 8

Big stage -- Probably Nebraska at UCLA. Some interesting games this week, but most are on the road (Wisconsin at Oregon State, Illinois at Arizona State, Penn State at Virginia).

BTN possibilities -- Central Florida at Ohio State? That's the only one I see.

Sept. 15

Big stage -- Notre Dame at Michigan State would be my pick here. Both programs have a foot in the national picture. Cal at Ohio State could see an ESPN undercard.

BTN possibilities -- If I'm BTN, I hope that Boston College at Northwestern falls to me. I think they've had Ball State at Indiana on at night in the past. You don't want that.

Sept. 22

Big stage -- Michigan at Notre Dame will be on NBC. After that, it gets mighty thin in Big Ten land.

BTN possibilities -- I could see Syracuse at Minnesota making prime time.

Sept. 29

Big Stage -- Ohio State at Michigan State would be Darth Vader against Sauron (nerd alert). Wisconsin at Nebraska would be excellent, too.

BTN possibilities -- Minnesota at Iowa fits here. Maybe Indiana at Northwestern.

Oct. 6

Big stage -- Nebraska at Ohio State. This gets kind of easy, doesn't it?

BTN possibilities -- Illinois at Wisconsin or Northwestern at Penn State.

Oct. 13

Big stage -- I'm not feeling it for Big Ten prime time this week. Iowa at Michigan State might be the best game, but would ESPN/ABC pull the trigger on that in April?

BTN possibilities -- Illinois at Michigan or Northwestern at Minnesota.

Oct. 20

Big Stage -- Michigan State at Michigan is the big sexy game, but that's usually been a 2:30 slot. This could bump Penn State at Iowa with the angle being Penn State not having won in Iowa City since 1999.

BTN possibilities -- BTN could make a play for Purdue at Ohio State. Minnesota at Wisconsin also is on the block. It's a rivarly, but it hasn't and probably won't be a great game. Neither will Purdue at OSU, but Urban Meyer. He's a star.

Oct. 27

Big stage -- Kaboom this week. Michigan State at Wisconsin is juicy. Michigan at Nebraska will shape the Legends Division. Ohio State goes to Penn State, where the "white out" is on hiatus, but football is trying to get off it.

BTN possibilities -- I know most people who guess these things (which I now am) have zeroed in on Penn State and Minnesota as Iowa's nighties. Northwestern is a possibility, too. It's travel-friendly for BTN.

Just guesses. Should know in a week.

LINKED IN

-- The Gazette's Scott Dochterman talked TV football with Iowa AD Gary Barta at last night's Linn County I-Club event. Barta didn't give it up. These announcements are guarded very closely for TV unveiling.

-- Scott also talked to Kirk Ferentz. He would consider doing some draft analysis.

-- Gazette columnist Mike Hlas kisses "The Bubble" goodbye. That sucker comes down Friday 9:30 a.m.

-- You've probably seen this by now, but Gazette photographer Brian Ray "GIFFED" the Nico Law/Damon Bullock helmet hit from Saturday's scrimmage. Loved Bullock's toughness here. He lost his helmet, but he kept his feet moving at the point of contact, a big improvement from last season.

-- Rivals has a well-sourced piece on Iowa O-linemen, essentially calling the Hawkeyes a national power in producing interior linemen.

LEGENDARY

(Three links to what's going on in the Legends Division. We're trying this out. Let's see how it evolves.)

-- Oh Mark Dantonio, shine on you crazy diamond.

-- The Lincoln Journal Star's Brian Christopherson reviews the spring state of the Huskers' offense.

-- Northwestern receiver Kyle Prater, formerly of USC, has drawn rave reviews this spring.

AROUND THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WORLD

(The world is bigger than . . . well, it's just bigger.)

-- Florida Atlantic is the Orlando Sentinel's No. 117th-ranked team in FBS. That's pretty low. Carl Pelini, Bo's bro, is the new head coach.

-- Phil Fulmer is talking to Arkansas? This man is most decidedly not a biker.

-- “It's like we are one tiny atom under a giant's fingernail.” That's a line from the Donald Sutherland character in "Animal House." Why are we talking about pot? Oh, because ESPN The Magazine is. Here's a

linky about what Alabama coach Nick Saban said.