Revsine, DiNardo, Griffth go all-access with every Big Ten football team, watch coverage at 10 p.m. on BTN tonight
CHICAGO - Eleven teams. Fifteen days. And 3,000 miles.
That's how far the Big Ten Network's Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith will travel to bring fans Big Ten Football Tour, a series of 11 90-minute shows devoted to a preseason football practice at every Big Ten university. The shows, which begin Aug. 11 and will air the same night as the practices at 10 PM ET, will feature a true, behind-the-scenes look at individual and team drills as Big Ten teams prepare for the 2009 season.
"As the new season approaches, Big Ten fans will love getting an all-access look at their team," Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said. "This will be a great opportunity to see how every football program is gearing up for the season."
Revsine, DiNardo, Griffith and the Big Ten Network production crew will criss-cross the conference's eight states in a customized, chartered bus. The bus will be branded with logos and air times for the network's "Four Pack," a quartet of new football shows that debut in September. The shows include Breakdown (Tuesdays, 10 PM ET), Sites & Sounds (Wednesdays, 10 PM ET), Behind the Schemes (Thursdays, 10 PM ET) and Big Ten Football and Beyond (Fridays, 10 PM ET).
Revsine will host the Big Ten Football Tour, while DiNardo and Griffith will provide on-the-field analysis of each team's top newcomers, rising stars, important position battles and schedule. A coach or player will wear a wireless microphone during practice to give fans another perspective on the team's preparation for the season.
The tour begins at Ohio State (Aug. 11), and continues at Penn State (Aug. 13), Michigan (Aug. 14), Michigan State (Aug. 15), Indiana (Aug. 17), Purdue (Aug. 18), Illinois (Aug. 19), Northwestern (Aug. 20), Wisconsin (Aug. 21) and Minnesota (Aug. 22), before wrapping up at Iowa (Aug. 25).
In addition to the on-the-field aspects, shows will include interviews with head coaches, coordinators and position coaches. Reporters Mike Hall, Rick Pizzo and Charissa Thompson will have post-practice interviews with key returning players, newcomers, former players or other special guests.
Fans along the Big Ten Football Tour route will have a chance to win football tickets and other Big Ten Network prizes by getting updates through the network's Facebook page and Twitter feed.
The Big Ten Network also will produce a separate 30-minute football preview show for each Big Ten school. Those programs will premiere during the last week of August. The network will also air a two-part conference-wide preview show at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, Sept. 1 and Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Preseason coverage for each school is listed below.
Illinois:
Aug. 19 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 29 - Illinois Football Preview (10 PM ET)
Indiana:
Aug. 17 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 28 - Indiana Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)
Iowa:
Aug. 25 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 30 - Iowa Football Preview (9:30 PM ET)
Michigan:
Aug. 14 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 26 - Michigan Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)
Michigan State:
Aug. 15 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 27 - Michigan State Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)
Minnesota:
Aug. 22 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 30 - Minnesota Football Preview (10 PM ET)
Northwestern:
Aug. 20 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 29 - Northwestern Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)
Ohio State:
Aug. 11 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 26 - Ohio State Football Preview (10 PM ET)
Penn State:
Aug. 13 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 27 - Penn State Football Preview (10 PM ET)
Purdue:
Aug. 18 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 28 - Purdue Football Preview (10 PM ET)
Wisconsin:
Aug. 21 - Big Ten Football Tour (10 PM ET)
Aug. 30 - Wisconsin Football Preview (10:30 PM ET)
About the Big Ten Network: The Big Ten Network is the first nationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With approximately 350 live events, and nearly all of them in HD, the network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. The network operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, showcasing a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televising 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 between 35 and 40 football games, 105 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 and in Canada, the network currently has agreements with more than 250 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox (Cleveland, Arizona), DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.BigTenNetwork.com.
