*I mean this in jest, of course. See explanation here.
Whether you are sitting at your desk, at home in your living room, or reading from some type of outdated computer lab, I think a collective fist pump is in order. The 45-degree version is recommended.
Comcast will begin to air the BTN this Friday, August 15th.
We did it. You, me, and the great guys over at puttingfansfirst.org all survived a full season of BTN-less football in our homes. We owe it all, of course, to the local bars with TV's and the fake friends we made simply because they owned satellite dishes.
When the deal was finally leaked, the thought of Costal Carolina live on my crappy TV was comforting. Temple too.
Mark Silverman, president of the BTN, said two of Penn State's first four games will be televised by the network, the other being the Sept. 20 game with Temple, also in Beaver Stadium.
"The rest of the games are determined during the season, but we do know we're going to do at least one more Penn State game and possibly two," Silverman said from BTN headquarters in Chicago.
No word yet on what Big Ten games we are talking about, but you can rest assured it will probably not include prime-time games at Ohio State, at Wisconsin, or home contests against Illinois and Michigan. Michigan State also seems unlikely because if it's "final game" implications.
Enter paradigm shift. Where last season meant a no-questions-asked trip to the bar, I find myself with no such excuse this season (not that it won't happen). In addition, I usually enjoyed the BTN announcing teams, much more than anything ESPN has to offer, and so I find myself hoping for the full four game slate.
The complete list of BTN games can be found here. For those of you a little more eager to check out the programming, Northwestern is the feature program on Friday. The App State game airs during the first hour of Sunday (12:00am) is excellent DVR material. The first look at a Penn State basketball game airs Saturday morning at 4 am, one that is highly recommended. Penn State football doesn't air until Tuesday, with a replay of the 2004 PSU v Illinois game.
Update: Channel listing, for your reference...
Philadelphia - 257
Indianapolis - 57
Michigan - (maybe?) 255
West Virginia - (unconfirmed) 72
State College - (unconfirmed) 55, 257, 191, TBD
Springfield, IL - (unconfirmed) 70
Harrisburg - (unconfirmed) 59, HD at 257
Reading- (unconfirmed) n/a, 257, n/a, overflow 801-804
Pottsville- (unconfirmed) 37, 257, 191, overflow 801-804
Lebanon- (unconfirmed) 67, 257, 191, overflow 801-804
Lancaster- (unconfirmed) 58, 257, 191, overflow 801-804
Harrisburg- (unconfirmed) 59, 257, 191, overflow 801-804
York (Suscom)- (unconfirmed) 64, 257, 191, overflow 801-804
Washington, DC - Available on both Digital and with the Sports Package (you don't need both) - 404 (Digital) or 257 (Sports), overflow 801-804
If you have any updates or additions, go ahead and leave them in the comment section.