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There should be an electric atmosphere at High Point Solutions Stadium when Rutgers hosts Penn State and Michigan in primetime matchups this fall.

(John O'Boyle/The Star-Ledger)

The atmosphere at High Point Solutions Stadium for Rutgers' Big Ten opener against Penn State already promised to be electric. But with the Big Ten Network announcing that it will broadcast the Sept. 13 matchup in primetime, anticipation should reach a fever pitch.

The Big Ten Network announced its primetime schedule on Tuesday morning, and the first game on the slate is Penn State at Rutgers, which kicks off at 8 p.m.

Rutgers also will face Michigan in primetime, hosting the Wolverines on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. It will be the first ever meeting between the teams. Rutgers has billed it as the annual "blackout" game, with fans encouraged to wear black.

Rutgers officially joins the Big Ten on July 1. But the football opener is the day fans have been looking forward to since Rutgers announced in November 2012 that it would be joining the conference.

Rutgers has faced Penn State more than any other Big Ten opponent. The Nittany Lions hold a 22-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the schools have not met since 1995.

The seeds have already been planted for a rivalry between the programs.

New Penn State coach James Franklin has said his goal is to dominate the region in recruiting, and he's backed up his words in his first three months on the job. Franklin got Saeed Blacknall, a four-star wide receiver from Englishtown, to flip his commitment from Rutgers to Penn State a week before national signing day.

Franklin's 2015 recruiting class includes a pair of four-star Jersey recruits, offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez (Union City) and wide receiver Juwan Johnson (Glassboro). In February, Franklin also flipped Saquon Barkley, a four-star running back from Whitehall, Pa., who had been committed to Rutgers.

Rutgers coach Kyle Flood and his players have made it clear there is no love lost for their neighbors located 230 miles to the west. Flood referred to the Nittany Lions as "the team for Pennsylvania" in an ESPN interview in February, and offensive lineman Chris Muller, a Perkiomenville, Pa., native, said he didn't want to talk about "the team that wears blue and white."

With all of that as a backdrop, it makes sense that the Big Ten Network would choose to spotlight the game in primetime. The network is trying to make inroads into the New York/New Jersey market, and this matchup figures to draw viewers.

Rutgers opens the 2014 season on the road at Washington State on Aug. 28. The Scarlet Knights host Howard in their home opener on Sept. 6. Times for those games have not yet been announced.

The Big Ten Network announced four other primetime games on Tuesday. There will be a doubleheader on Sept. 27, with Cincinnati at Ohio State at 6 p.m. followed by Illinois at Nebraska at 9 p.m. Nebraska will play at Northwestern at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 and Michigan State will play at Maryland at 8 p.m. on Nov. 15.