How to Get ESPN College Football Gameplan

Are you a southern-fried Georgia football fan estranged from SEC country? Or, a diehard Trojan living in East Coast exile? Take solace Buckeyes, Sooners and Seminoles. With ESPN's College Football Gameplan, you can get more than 12 games a week for the length of the season, regardless of timezone or local network blackout policies. Gameplan offers you the best pigskin action from all your favorite conferences, including the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac Ten and SEC. Follow these steps to subscribe.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Decide if the system is right for you. Gameplan works by offering matchups from two primary sources--ABC's weekly lineup of simultaneous regional telecasts and locally syndicated broadcasts on smaller networks from all around the U.S. The latter includes games on ESPN and a range of regional television networks. Games on CBS, NBC, Fox and other affiliates are not associated with the ESPN package.

2. 

   Check out the schedule. ESPN typically publishes a list on its website of all the games on the ESPN and ABC family of networks in the summer before the season (see Resources). Regarding the ABC games, every Saturday during the season, ABC will broadcast three or more games concurrently at each timeslot. With Gameplan, you get all of them. Without it, you get the local game in your area.

3. 

   Find out who your pay-per-view provider is. Ultimately, ESPN Gameplan is a PPV subscription package, which means your provider is the "go-to" source for information on what's offered in your area.

4. 

   Call your cable or satellite provider to see if Gameplan is available and at what price. Most satellite providers have the full package, with an average of a dozen games a week, but some cable providers also provide a scaled down version. Know which one you're getting.

5. 

   Get the early bird special. Ask your pay-per-view provider about an early signup. DirecTV offers a discounted rate for subscriptions purchased before Labor Day. DirecTV and other satellite or cable providers may also offer auto-renewal, which allows you to relax and let billing take care of itself.

6. 

   Get a one-day package if you're only looking for a single game. Single day packages usually cost somewhere between $15-$20. Also, if you've missed the first few weeks of the season, check for late season discounts.

7. 

   Watch online. Perhaps you're out of the country or don't have a cable or satellite provider? No sweat. You can still purchase the ESPN Gameplan online at ESPN360.com (see Resources) and watch anywhere you have Internet access.

8. 

   When all else fails, get a SlingBox or similar product. The Slingbox allows the user to connect remotely to a television from a computer or mobile device. Prices start at $150 and go up, depending on signal strength and picture quality. Research the product before making a decision.

Tips & Warnings

• Split the subscription into multiple payments if you're short on cash. Most satellite and cable providers have some kind of installment option available.
• ESPN Gameplan airs more than 150 games each season.
• If you buy Gameplan through a cable provider (not a satellite), make sure you see the schedule first. Some cable packages offer scaled down versions of the plan.
• Games televised on local networks may be blacked out on the Gameplan, but only when they are already available through your local cable or satellite provider.

Resources

• DirecTV
• Check the Schedule
• Slingbox

[MichaelJMotta]

on 6/25/2008 Very thorough article :) I'm a huge NCAA fan who follows every single sport, at least in which Michigan State participates, to some extent. As such, I've found that for the price I prefer to get DirecTV's SportsPack for only $12/month instead of getting ESPN GamePlan and then ESPN FullCourt. The SportsPack has a ton of additional games for most of the college sports, especially football, basketball (men's and women's), and men's ice hockey, not to mention volleyball, etc.

[grouch]

on 12/15/2007 Great pictures. Thanks for the information.

[JoeyC]

on 8/24/2007 Look again...step 5.

[JohanM]

on 8/24/2007 No Hokie love in the pictures?? Immediate one star rating!