Poor poor Rutgers. They lose a soul-crusher to West Virginia, costing themselves their first Big East title and a trip to the Orange Bowl. They end up getting stuck in the December 28th Texas Bowl against a 7-5 Kansas State team. Giving new meaning to the term "adding insult to injury," it turns out that the game might not even be broadcast on television. Anyone whose followed the NFL this year (re: everyone you know) is aware of the current situation with the NFL Network. Many of the country's cable operators, including Cox and Time Warner, are currently not making the NFL Network available to subscribers. The idea is that the network is asking for so much money that it would cost subscribers too much. Something sounds fishy, I mean Time Warner has no problem nickel and diming me for absurd fees but suddenly feels a twinge of democratic responsibility because the NFL Network wants more money from me? Anyway the point is, the NFL Network is now showing NFL games and other noteworthy programming and us fans are on the short end.
The Big Lead points out that for whatever reason, the NFL Network also owns the rights to televise the Texas Bowl, which we now know will pit Rutgers against Kansas State. So in a nutshell...if you have a cable operator that doesn't carry the NFL Network, including those in the New York/New Jersey area, you are SOL. Apparently the schools are trying to negotiate with local broadcasters to find a way to show the game outside of the NFL Network but it doesn't look very likely. (Source: Star-Ledger)
So let's see, Miami goes 6-6, incites a disgusting brawl, fires their coach and plays on New Year's Eve in front of a nationally-televised audience. Rutgers wins ten games for the first time ever, comes within a play of winning their conference, their coach wins Big East Coach of the Year and they'll end up playing on December 28th to a non-existent television audience which includes their fledgling fanbase. Okay now I'm pissed.