If the Syracuse football squad pulls out a win at Iowa this weekend, don’t expect too many Orange fans to have caught the televised action.

The contest will be shown on the fledgling Big Ten Network – a channel primarily shown in eight Midwest states and difficult to locate anywhere else in the country.

As a result, unless you’re in one of those eight states when Syracuse takes the field Saturday night in Kinnick Stadium, it’s a good bet the game won’t be coming to a television near you.

Mike Vest, the media relations manager at the Big Ten Network, said the best way to find the network will be to order from satellite provider DIRECTV. The problem is that no pay-per-view option exists for the Big Ten Network. Hence; those who want to watch Saturday’s game will have to purchase the network for a designated length instead of just the Syracuse matchup.

‘We are wanting to make ourselves available to Syracuse and across country,’ Vest said. He believes the Big Ten Network is best suited to be sold in the form of an extended cable package or a Digital Sports package.

However, the network, which launched last Thursday, is still negotiating deals with many top cable companies.

A customer service representative at Time Warner Cable, the chief cable provider for the Syracuse region, stated the company has been discussing with the Big Ten Network about a cable package. But an agreement still might be in the works for months past this week’s SU-Iowa game.

Students who want to watch the game on campus might be out of luck. Last year, Syracuse’s season opener was televised on ESPN360 – an Internet-based video content player. Officials worked with ESPN and made it possible for students to watch the opener against Wake Forest on the Orange Television Network.

This deal was possible because ESPN is an affiliate of Time Warner Cable. Since Time Warner Cable has no affiliates that broadcast the Big Ten Network, the possibility of a similar deal for the Iowa game seems unlikely.

A Syracuse University representative said as of now, no plans have been arranged to make the game available on campus.

Many local Syracuse bars do not provide the Big Ten Network, seeing as a small amount of Big East teams will play a Big Ten opponent. Even in the rare case a bar will host the network, televising the Syracuse-Iowa game remains unpromising.

Despite broadcasting the Big Ten Network, a manager at Tully’s Good Times sports bar at 2943 Erie Blvd., said it’s not a 100 percent guarantee the game will be aired there. Since the Big Ten often has multiple games taking place at once, the network decides which one to broadcast.

But based on the marquee nature of a non-conference matchup, there’s a strong chance Tully’s will receive the game, the manager added.

Published on September 5, 2007 at 12:00 pm