The Penn State football program knows when the first three games on its 2021 season schedule will begin, and a time is locked in for October's clash with Illinois, as well.

With about 50 days to go until the season starts on Sept. 4 at Wisconsin, however, details are still unclear for the program's other eight games this fall.

In some cases, announcements won't be made until six- or 12-days before game day thanks to television contracts that allow the networks to hold off on making a decision for as long as possible. This ensures the best matchups are either spaced out throughout a Saturday or locked into a broadcast partner's ideal viewing window on any particular weekend.

Today, BWI is taking a stab at predicting the start times for games that do not yet have one, starting with a home game at the end of September. First, though, we'll quickly run down the games that already have assignments.

Penn State heads to Camp Randall on Sept. 4, and that game was put in FOX's Noon ET slot. The network has made it a priority to put a feature game there over the last two seasons, and it has worked well.

The following Saturday, the Lions open Beaver Stadium for the first time this fall when Ball State visits on Sept. 11. The matchup was picked to air on FOX Sports One at 3:30 p.m.

A week later, Auburn invades State College to start a two-year home-and-home series. ABC will show the game at 7:30 p.m. This could be the Whiteout game, though details have not yet been announced.

Finally, when Illinois comes to town on Sat., Oct. 23, the intraconference Big Ten battle will start at Noon, though there is no channel listing yet.

The Lions and Wildcats last met on the gridiron in 1951, when Villanova scored a 20-14 triumph. All-time, Penn State holds a 4-3-1 series edge.

Villanova played just four games a year ago during the COVID-19 shortened season and finished 2-2. The program is led by Mark Ferrante, who starts his fifth season at the helm in 2021.

Start time prediction: There are only a few games locked into slots about two months and a couple of weeks prior to this kickoff, but the contest has all the makings of a 3:30 p.m. start on Big Ten Network, although a Noon kick wouldn't be a shocker, either.

Under the original Big Ten schedule, Penn State was to have its bye week to start October, but when the conference revised this fall's slate back in February, Indiana was put here instead.

The Hoosiers and Lions have played some entertaining games over the course of the Tom Allen/James Franklin eras in Bloomington and State College, and we'll stop there as opposed to revisiting 2020's ending at Memorial Stadium. All-time, Penn State holds a 22-2 series edge.

Start time prediction: Here, we reach our first game where it really will depend on how both teams are doing over the first three weeks of the season. We all know what the Lions face to start, while Indiana has Iowa first and then Idaho, Cincinnati, and Western Kentucky. If both teams exit September with a loss or less than this is could potentially be a 7:30 or 8 p.m. kick. If either has two or more, it probably falls into the afternoon window on ABC or ESPN. We'll lean 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

Iowa picked up the most recent contest between the two sides, winning 41-21 at Beaver Stadium last year, but the Lions hold a 17-13 series advantage.

There's little question that Kinnick Stadium is one of the Big Ten's most intimidating venues and yet Franklin has taken Penn State there twice and won since coming aboard back in 2014. They weren't exactly pretty victories (21-19 in 2017 and 17-12 in 2019) but they counted in the left-hand ledger all the same in those seasons.

Start time prediction: It's not an overly exciting week in the Big Ten, as this might be the conference's premiere Oct. 9 matchup unless Michigan and Nebraska, who play in Lincoln, both defy expectations. There are some intriguing games across the sport (Alabama/Texas A&M, Georgia/Auburn, Oklahoma/Texas, and West Virginia/Baylor, to name a few) that will likely attract prime billing. BWI reported previously that FOX holds the rights to this game, which means there's a real chance this could be another 'Big Noon Kickoff.' However, with the Red River Showdown scheduled for that same day, it's possible this game gets pushed to FS1 at 4 p.m.

Ryan Day's Ohio State Buckeyes are predicted to have another big season, even if they have plenty of questions to answer heading into the fall. The perennial Big Ten East leader simply recruits and develops its talent too well to see it as anything but the conference's alpha dog yet again heading into the fall.

The Buckeyes and Lions met at Noon the last time they played at Ohio Stadium back in 2019, while the 2017 contest at the Horseshoe started at 3:30 p.m.

All-time, OSU holds a 21-14 series advantage.

Start time prediction: The non-night games haven't helped Penn State get over the hump in Columbus, but with this being a late October showdown, it could easily end up in primetime if both programs roll through the first half of the season and change with their College Football Playoff hopes still intact. If not, it'll slide back to 3:30, and could easily do that either way, as history has shown us. This does not appear to be a particularly enormous weekend nationally, however, and so we'll call it a 7:30 p.m. start on ABC following an appearance from ESPN's 'College GameDay' earlier in the day.

Penn State put together one of its most complete and dominant performances in a few years the last time it went to Maryland, as the Lions left College Park with nothing but smiles following a 59-0 road victory. However, the Terps got revenge on Penn State last season, so they'll have confidence heading into this one, regardless of what their record is. The Lions will put a 40-3-1 all-time record on the line.

Start time prediction: This contest has Noon or 3:30 written all over it. These November games are hard to predict, as so many things could impact television at this stage in the season, but we'll go with a 3:30 kickoff on the Big Ten Network.

Penn State finally earned a road win at 'The Big House' during Franklin's time at the helm last November, when it left Ann Arbor following a 27-17 victory.

Before that contest, however, the Franklin vs. Jim Harbaugh matchup had seen the Lions win the last two at home while Michigan took care of business when PSU visited.

The Wolverines hold a 14-10 series lead, but the Lions have won the last two meetings between the Big Ten East schools.

Start time prediction: Ryan Snyder reported in April that Disney holds the rights to this game, so it'll air on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2. With it being late in the season, the 3:30 p.m. window, assuming at least one of the schools hasn't totally fallen off the rails by this point of the year, makes the most sense.

It has certainly been interesting watching Rutgers pick up some steam with Greg Schiano back at the helm of the program. The Scarlet Knights have picked up some transfers who will help them this fall, but their No. 17. Class of 2022, according to Rivals, won't be in uniform prior to this matchup.

No spread exists for this game yet, but considering DraftKings has the Lions as a 20-point favorite against Illinois and a 13-point favorite against Michigan State, Penn State should be somewhere around a 17-point favorite here. That doesn't make for compelling television.

Start time prediction: It's not a glowing week in the Big Ten, but Purdue/Northwestern, Ohio State/Michigan State, Nebraska/Wisconsin, and maybe even Minnesota/Indiana will likely get the conference's best slots. These two teams have been featured on Big Ten Network six of the past seven years, so we'll go with a 3:30 pm kick on BTN.

Everyone's favorite tradition is back on the schedule in 2021: A post-Thanksgiving matchup for the Land Grant Trophy.

Penn State throttled the Spartans back in 2019, which is the last time they visited East Lansing. Jaquan Brisker had an interception and Sean Clifford threw for four touchdowns in a 28-7 demolition.

The Lions currently own a two-game winning streak, but the all-time series is knotted at 17-17-1.

Start time prediction: Ohio State-Michigan landing at Noon has almost always meant this game is played in the next slot. BWI reported previously that FOX has the rights to this game, so a 4 p.m. kickoff on FS1 makes the most sense here.

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98, @GregPickel, @ThomasFrankCarr

• Follow us on Instagram

• Like us on Facebook