As the projected launch date of the Big Ten Network approaches, students are searching State College for a way to catch all the Penn State games.

Though the network is currently available in all on-campus dormitories, the borough's leading cable provider does not plan to include the network on its basic package, leaving students with the challenge of finding alternative places to watch the Nittany Lions.

For the over-21 crowd, hope still remains.

The Gingerbread Man, 130 Heister St., plans to show the football games that air on the network, manager Justin Kramm said.

Rotelli's, 250 E. Calder Way, is also on board. Manager Dave Krauth said the network will be aired on the flat-screen televisions in the restaurant.

Teague Willits-Kelley, manager of Café 210 West, 210 W. College Ave., said the Café is also looking into showing the network.

The network, set to launch Aug. 30, will air all Big Ten Conference content -- including at least one conference and two non-conference Penn State football games.

State College's leading cable provider, Comcast, will only accept the network on their sports tier, meaning customers would have to upgrade their cable packages and pay additional fees, said Elizabeth Conlisk, vice president of communications for the Big Ten Network.

A Comcast representative could not return phone calls by press time yesterday.

The 24-hour Big Ten Network will air 35 or more college football games this season, Conlisk said. The network will also provide additional coverage of Big Ten bowl games, men's and women's basketball, championship events and Olympic sporting events.

Currently, Penn State's Sept. 1 season opener against Florida International and the Sept. 15 home game against Buffalo will be featured on the network its opening weekend.

Additionally, the network will showcase 60 hours a week of non-athletic, "university-produced campus programming," according to Penn State Live, www.live.psu.edu.

The Nittany Lions will also be shown in about 200 nights of prime time programming in the network's first year.

"It's more than a sports network," Conlisk said.

The network's hope is to be included in basic cable packages in the eight states of the Big Ten region, she said.

"In Big Ten country, we believe the Big Ten Network should be a part of that program," Conlisk said. "There will be more Penn State sports on the Big Ten Network than any other network."

Gal Harri (freshman-public relations) said she is upset enough to be without season tickets her freshman year and feels it is unfair to students downtown who won't see the games live or on TV.

"I think if other networks that are smaller than Comcast are showing it, it really says something about Comcast," Harri said.

Other networks are picking the network up, including DirecTV and AT&T's U-Verse. Also, more than 75 cable companies in the Midwest have made commitments to the network, Conlisk said.

Zachary Fifer (senior-physics), who is living off campus in the fall, said despite issues with Comcast, he thought the network would allow all Big Ten conference fans to benefit from being able to watch not just football but other Big Ten athletic events.

"It seems like a really good idea," he said, "but the whole area is Penn State fans. It's really stupid not to cater to the students or people who care about the school."

The network will broadcast more women's sports and sports that have had "little to no TV coverage," Conlisk said.

The network also has plans to implement an internship program for students from Big Ten schools to work for the network, she said.

"It will help young students gain entry into the very interesting and competitive world of sports journalism," Conlisk said.

Jeff Nelson, assistant athletic director, said the most important thing for students to remember is that there are still six weeks before the network's launch, and there's still time for accommodation.

Currently, the university has no plans to broadcast big events, like the football games, on campus other than the dormitories, though the idea has been discussed in the past for venues like the Bryce Jordan Center and the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

"We will just see how it transpires over the next six weeks and take appropriate action," Nelson said.