Nebraska's 2017 football season will begin in prime time, with the home opener against Arkansas State scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The Sept. 2 game will be televised on the Big Ten Network, it was announced Tuesday.
The Huskers are comfortable under the lights in Lincoln, having won 19 night games in a row at home, dating back to Bo Pelini's first season in 2008. It also should allow for a big recruiting weekend, since later kickoffs allow recruits more time to get into town.
The opener is Nebraska's only home night game the first month of the season.
With the announcement, kickoff times and television information are now almost completely clear for the first five games of the season, with only some minor details about NU's Big Ten opener against Rutgers still to be worked out.
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It goes this way (all times CDT):
* Sept. 2, Arkansas State, 7 p.m., BTN
* Sept. 9, at Oregon, 3:30 p.m., Fox
* Sept. 16, Northern Illinois, 11 a.m., FS1
* Sept. 23, Rutgers (Homecoming), 2:30 or 3 p.m., TV TBD
* Sept. 29, at Illinois, 7 p.m., FS1
The TV and kick time for the Black Friday game against Iowa also is set. That game in Lincoln on Nov. 24 will begin at 3 p.m. and be televised by FS1.
Game times and television information for Nebraska's other six games on the schedule will be announced six to 12 days in advance of kickoff.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com. On Twitter .
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