Penn State’s Big Ten opener against Wisconsin is set for Saturday night at Beaver Stadium, but fans hoping to catch it on traditional TV are out of luck. The 5 p.m. ET kickoff will be carried exclusively on Peacock, NBC Universal’s streaming platform, as Luke Fickell brings the Badgers into Happy Valley.
A Peacock subscription is required not just for this matchup, but for all “Big Ten Saturday Night” games through the 2026 season. Those weekly assignments are released as the schedule gets sorted out.
Penn State enters the week as a 9.5-point favorite in the conference opener for first-year coach Matt Campbell. The Lions have rolled through most of their non-conference slate at 3-0, with wins over Marshall, 45-0, Temple, 27-9, and Buffalo, 55-13. The lone rough patch came at Temple in Week 2.
Wisconsin comes in after back-to-back wins over Western Illinois, 36-9, and Eastern Michigan, 54-10. The Badgers opened with a 41-13 loss to No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field.
Peacock offers two subscription tiers that include the game. Beyond Big Ten football, the service also carries every Notre Dame game and simulcasts all NFL and college games that air on NBC. It will also stream one Week 17 NFL game, though that matchup has not been set.
The platform’s broader lineup includes shows like The Office, 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation, along with newer titles such as Love Island USA, The Traitors and Yellowstone. Its movie library includes Obsession, Disclosure Day and The Endless.
In Other News...
Brewers Suddenly Have A Playoff Pitching Decision To Make
Colton Gordons Brewers debut came at a busy moment, with the left-hander giving Milwaukee five innings and allowing two runs against the Phillies while the offense tried to claw back late. The effort wasnt enough to turn the game around, as the Brewers fell 6-4, but the result still landed in a bigger context for a club already looking ahead to October.
Because of a Braves loss elsewhere, Milwaukee also locked up a first-round bye in the playoffs, which changes the conversation around the pitching staff almost immediately. Gordons outing added one more candidate to the mix at a time when the Brewers are suddenly sorting through how they want to line up their arms for the postseason. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Are Already Hinting At A Playoff Lineup Shift
Joey Ortiz sat out the Brewers game against the Phillies because of a minor abdominal strain, but the absence did not sound like a long-term concern. Pat Murphy made it clear the move was more about the immediate moment than any bigger alarm, and he also suggested Ortiz would still be in line for a start if Milwaukee were setting its playoff card. For a player who has taken a clear step forward offensively this season, that matters, because Ortiz has become one of the more important pieces in the Brewers everyday picture.
Murphy also floated a few other October possibilities that hint at how Milwaukee could mix and match once the games start carrying more weight. Sal Frelick is a candidate to be in the lineup, while David Hamilton and Luis Lara could see more chances against right-handed pitching. It is the kind of late-season tinkering that says the Brewers are thinking beyond one regular-season game and starting to map out the shape of their best postseason version, even if the final version is still not fully settled. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Clinched A Huge Edge But Their Rotation Suddenly Feels Murkier
Colton Gordon gave the Brewers a look at what their depth can offer Tuesday, carving through four scoreless innings in his first real chance to settle in before the fifth got away from him. Milwaukee still had reason to keep one eye on the bigger picture, even in a 6-4 loss to the Phillies, because a Braves defeat later in the night locked in a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NLDS.
The result left the Brewers with a rare mix of security and uncertainty. They have already secured one of the postseasons best possible starting points, but games like this can still shape how the rotation feels heading into October, especially with a newcomer trying to pitch his way into the conversation and the margins for playoff roles getting tighter by the day. [Read more 🡒]