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Where to Watch Illinois vs. Penn State on NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night

It’s a Big Ten battle of ranked & undefeated teams — and it’s only on NBC and Peacock.

By Benjamin Bullard

The 2024 college football season is proving to be just full of surprises, and the conference battle lines are being drawn (and re-drawn) in ways that fans might not have seen coming back before the year’s first snap of the pigskin.

Take the Illinois Fighting Illini, a Big Ten team that finished 5-7 last season and managed only a 3-6 conference record under head coach Bret Bielema. Now in his fourth year, though, Bielema’s got Illini fans feeling there’s plenty worth fighting for, after starting the new season 4-0 and deflating conference newcomer Nebraska’s home-field advantage in a thrilling 31-24 overtime victory in Week 4.

RELATED: What Happened to the Divisions in Big Ten Football? Changes to Know for the 2024 Season

But Illinois, ranked this week by the AP as the nation's No. 19 team, will face a tougher Week 5 test on Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC and Peacock, as they travel to State College, Pennsylvania and straight into the heart of the famously raucous fan environment of Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. The No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions await with an unblemished 3-0 record under 11th-year head coach James Franklin — not to mention the perennial expectation of success that comes with being a traditional Big Ten football powerhouse.

When does the Illinois vs. Penn State Big Ten college football game kick off?

The Illinois Fighting Illini take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, September 28 in a matchup of ranked Big Ten teams, kicking off in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Fighting Illini players celebrate after a play on the football field

Where can you watch the Illinois Fighting Illini vs. the Penn State Nittany Lions game?

Tune in to NBC and Peacock at 7:30 p.m. ET to catch the Illinois vs. Penn State kickoff, a pairing of undefeated teams that’s only part of a full day of Big Ten college football set to take over Peacock on Saturday.

RELATED: How Notre Dame Became a National Football Brand: It Dates Back to the 1920s

Peacock’s full September 28 slate of Big Ten football begins at 12 p.m. ET when Nebraska travels to Purdue in a Peacock-exclusive contest. The Illinois vs. Penn State game will be simulcast on NBC and Peacock beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, while another huge conference rivalry kicks off at 7:30 p.m. only on Peacock as the Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 3) visit the Michigan State Spartans.

How to get Peacock — and stream tons of live college & NFL football

Whether it’s Big Ten college football, every Notre Dame home game, or a season-long slate of NFL action, Peacock is looking like a pigskin paradise as fans gear up for football this fall.

The NBCUniversal platform currently offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($7.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($13.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!

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