On Monday, the Big Ten Conference announced start times for the first three weeks of the 2016 football season. The Fighting Illini already knew that their September 10 contest against North Carolina will be taking place at 6:30pm CT, but two other games were finally assigned television slots.
The season-opener against Murray State will air at 2:30pm CT on BTN. This first-ever meeting between the two programs will be Lovie Smith's debut with the Fighting Illini.
Illinois' Week 3 matchup against Western Michigan will start at 3:00pm CT, and it'll be televised on ESPNews. The Broncos went 8-5 last year, which includes a victory in the Middle Tennessee in the Popeyes Bahama Bowl.