It can be a challenge to find Big 12 favorites on TV

    

Steve and I at the Iowa State/Baylor game, Sept. 24 in Ames.

    Folks who meet me know rather quickly that I'm a big Iowa State University fan.    

    That's been the case ever since I chose to go to college in Ames, back in 1975.

    That first year I bought student Iowa State football tickets. That practice continued for several years as I went to games in Ames with my dad, Emery Cox Jr.

    It's evolved rather recently that many college football games are televised. 

   Take the Big 10 Conference as a prime example: I actually once believed that conference was silly to launch the Big 10 Network.

    That was wrong and short-sighted. 

    The Big Ten Network works in partnership with the Fox Networks, as explained online, and has been picked up all over the country. It's relatively easy to find Big 10 games of interest.

    That's not currently the case with the Big 12. 

    Right now, the conference is debating an agreement with Fox, ESPN and ESPN+. Not all places carry "Big 12 Now" on ESPN+ so fans may not be able to find a game on Saturdays.

    We have the Dish network which normally carries ESPN. But right now DISH is in disagreement with the Disney Company (which owns ESPN), and several sports channels have been temporarily removed from the cable system.

    This sort of thing happens somewhat regularly. Large media companies get in tiffs over television contracts and drop various channels, unexpectedly. 

    Viewers are the victims.

    Probably the best way to fix this issue is to form a network like the Big 10 did. But that costs money -- lots of money -- and may not be realistic.

    It's just lucky that Cyclone fans in far Eastern Iowa can also find the games on the radio. Locally that's an ESPN sports radio station, 1170 AM, Davenport.

    On a laptop, fans may click on Cyclones.com, and get a free audio play-by-play.