Sept. 17, 2007

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; - Penn State's second consecutive road game to begin Big Ten play, at Illinois on Sept. 29, will be televised by the Big Ten Network. Kickoff is at 11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium.

The contest with the Fighting Illini is No. 10 Penn State's seventh announced TV appearance of the season. This Saturday's Big Ten opener at Michigan is an ABC national telecast at 3:30 p.m. ET, with the game airing on ESPN in Chicago and Ohio.

The Nittany Lions (3-0) will be making their third appearance on the Big Ten Network when they travel to Champaign. Penn State's games with Florida International and Buffalo also aired on the national network, which debuted August 30. The Big Ten Network can been seen in more than 28 million homes, including DirecTV (Ch. 220) and DISH Network (Ch. 439). The exact channels airing the Penn State-Illinois game will be announced next week.

Approximately 100 cable providers within the Big Ten footprint are carrying the network on expanded basic cable, including D&E Communications, Millheim TV Transmission and Penn State campus cable in Central Pennsylvania.

The Nittany Lions' 31-10 victory over Notre Dame on Sept. 8 was an ESPN primetime telecast that drew more than 3.3 million viewers, the fourth-largest audience for a Big Ten game on ESPN. Penn State will meet Wisconsin at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 13 (ABC) and the Oct. 27 Ohio State game will air on ABC, ESPN or ESPN at 8:00 p.m. from Happy Valley. A decision on which network will air the game most likely will not be announced until 12 days before the border battle.

Penn State defeated Illinois, 26-12, last season in Beaver Stadium to take a 12-2 series lead. The Illini (2-1) visit Indiana on Saturday before hosting the Nittany Lions.

Starting their 15th season of Big Ten competition, the Nittany Lions have appeared on television in 154 of their last 156 games. Future Penn State contests may be selected by the networks under the six and 12-day provisions of their contracts with the Big Ten.

All Penn State football games can be heard on the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com, with selected games available on XM Satellite Radio.