'Big Ten Tonight' to tour preseason football practices, at Ohio State Tuesday, Aug. 5 with full Buckeye preview to air Aug. 16 at 6:30 p.m.

CHICAGO (www.BigTenNetwork.com) – Starting Aug. 5, the Big Ten Network kicks off a month-long preview of the 2008 football season with a tour of preseason practices from around the conference.

Throughout August, the Big Ten Network's lead studio team of host Dave Revsine and analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith will take viewers to a practice at every Big Ten school for a special 90-minute edition of Big Ten Tonight: Football Practice. The show will include interviews with special guests, feature in-depth analysis of both sides of the ball and highlight important position battles. One coach or player will wear a wireless microphone during practice to give fans another perspective on the team's preparation for the season.

"When August arrives, fans in Big Ten Country start thinking about football. Big Ten fans will love getting an inside look at how their teams are getting ready for the upcoming year," Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said. "This is another example of how the Big Ten Network is committed to providing more Big Ten coverage than ever seen before."

All editions of Big Ten Tonight: Football Practice will debut at 9 PM ET. The tour begins at Ohio State (Aug. 5) and continues with Iowa (Aug. 7), Wisconsin (Aug. 9), Minnesota (Aug. 11), Indiana (Aug. 12), Purdue (Aug. 13), Northwestern (Aug. 14), Illinois (Aug. 15), Michigan (Aug. 18), Michigan State (Aug. 19) and Penn State (Aug. 21).

The Big Ten Network will also produce a separate 30-minute football preview show for each Big Ten school. Those programs will premiere throughout the month of August.

The network will televise the season openers for seven Big Ten teams, including Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin.

Preseason coverage for each school is listed below.

Ohio State:
Aug. 5 – Big Ten Tonight: Ohio State Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 16 – Ohio State Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Illinois:
Aug. 15 – Big Ten Tonight: Illinois Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 18 – Illinois Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Indiana:
Aug. 12 – Big Ten Tonight: Indiana Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 20 – Indiana Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Iowa:
Aug. 7 – Big Ten Tonight: Iowa Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 19 – Iowa Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Michigan:
Aug. 18 – Big Ten Tonight: Michigan Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 23 – Michigan Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Michigan State:
Aug. 19 – Big Ten Tonight: Michigan State Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 24 – Michigan State Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Minnesota:
Aug. 11 – Big Ten Tonight: Minnesota Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 21 – Minnesota Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Northwestern:
Aug. 14 – Big Ten Tonight: Northwestern Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 22 – Northwestern Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Penn State:
Aug. 21 – Big Ten Tonight: Penn State Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 25 – Penn State Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Purdue:
Aug. 13 – Big Ten Tonight: Purdue Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 17 – Purdue Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

Wisconsin:
Aug. 9 – Big Ten Tonight: Wisconsin Football Practice (9 PM ET)
Aug. 15 – Wisconsin Football Preview (6:30 PM ET)

About the Big Ten Network:
The Big Ten Network is the first national network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 400 live events, and nearly all of them in HD, the network is the destination for Big Ten fans across the country and allows fans to see their favorite team, regardless of where they live. Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the Big Ten Network showcases a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televises more Olympic sporting events and women's sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities. Each year, the network offers approximately 40 football games, 140 regular season men's basketball games, 55 women's basketball games, dozens of Big Ten Championship events, a nightly studio show, coaches' shows and classic games. Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, the network has agreements with Comcast, DirecTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS and 230 cable operators and could reach up to 55 million households on Aug. 15, 2008.

For updated information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.BigTenNetwork.com.