Many students have found themselves lacking adequate cable connections when it’s time to watch the Utes don their away uniforms, but there is a solution: Many U students have found that there is life, and football, beyond the reaches of Comcast digital cable.
With only Comcast showing Mountain West Conference college football, watching U football games on television often requires some creativity. U students, however, have discovered a variety of ways to cheer on their team, no matter where it’s playing.
On campus, away games are shown in the Union and in the Heritage Center.
Jim Grierson, Union business manager, oversees the Comcast cable connection at the Union. “For all but one away game, we have the theater reserved, and the games are also shown on the TV in Crimson Commons,” he said. All showings are free.
The Nov. 25 home game against BYU will be shown in the Union Theatre. Last year, when Utah played BYU in Provo, the theater was filled almost to capacity.
In the Heritage Center, the hub of residential student life, games are televised in the lounge and upstairs in the dining hall.
Paul Olsen, who works Heritage Center’s front desk said, “We usually get about a dozen or so in the lounge for games.”
Most often, students get together with friends lucky enough to have Comcast to watch the games, at either the dorms or off-campus housing.
Brittany Anderson, PHC public relations chair and member of the Chi Omega sorority, said she often gets together with other members of her sorority to watch the games, either at the Chi Omega house or at the home of someone with Comcast.
The Pie Pizzeria, a traditional hot spot for pizza-loving Utes, shows the Utah football games it is able to get with its Dishnet cable network.
“For at least every away game, people sit, eat pizza, watch the game and have a beer,” said Eric Purkey, a senior history major who works at The Pie.
“Some get a little rowdy when there are good plays,” said Jake Atkins, who also works at The Pie.
But not all students go out to watch the games; the Internet is also a common venue.
“My friend watches the games online,” said Lizi Lombardi, an undecided freshman.
But even with other options available, many students wish other cable networks would broadcast the Utah games.
“They show all the other college football games,” said freshman Andrew Choffel, a mechanical engineering major.
Bryant Strain, a freshman exercise and sports science major, agreed. “They show Notre Dame every week. We should be on ESPN,” he said.
Lombardi also said that the only Utah game shown on a major network was the UCLA game, with less-than-positive results.
A Direct TV spokesman responded via-e-mail to queries about its coverage of the Mountain West Network. “At this time, we don’t have a deal in place to carry MTN, but we are in negotiations with the network and hope to carry it in the future,” the spokesman wrote.