BYU-FSU game on DirectTV? It's 4th-and-forever

If you're a Cougar fan who subscribes to DirecTV, you'd better find a cable or Dish Network-subscriber who gets Versus or you won't see BYU-Florida State on Saturday.

Versus president Jamie Davis said he wouldn't entirely rule out the possibility that his network will resolve its differences before game time on Saturday, but that he "wouldn't count on" any kind of resolution before then.

"It's unlikely at best," he said,

So what options do DirecTV subscribers have?

"There aren't any options, unfortunately," Davis said.

There's no pay-per-view of BYU-FSU. There's no streaming of the game on any Internet sites.

As for suggestions that Versus simulcast the game on The mtn., Davis said, "We don't have any rights under our contracts to do that."

And as for suggestions that BYU essentially thumb its nose at the Mountain West Conference's contract with Versus and put the game on BYUTV, Davis said, "I have no comment on that."

The Versus president was surprised to hear that some fans are blaming the MWC for the problem.

"The league has done absolutely nothing wrong. This doesn't involve the league," he said.

But it does involve more than just one game — Versus will also air TCU-BYU and Air Force-Utah on Oct. 24, and San Diego State-Utah on Nov. 21.

Davis' only suggestion is that BYU and Utah fans who are DirecTV subscribers? "Call DirecTV."

(Or go to Versus.com, where you can send an e-mail directly to DirecTV.)

"We had hoped to worked this out amicably, but (DirecTV) has been clouding the issue by claiming it's about money. It's not about money, it's about DirecTV want to take Versus out of 6 million homes, which is a non-starter for us," he said.

Comcast-owned Versus and DirecTV had been unable to reach an agreement before the satellite provider yanked Versus off its lineup on Sept. 1.

Speaking with the Deseret News, Davis sounded decidedly angry about the situation. "They're insulting our viewers by saying our sports don't matter," he said.

(In addition to college football, Versus carries the NHL, Indycar racing, professional rodeo and bicycle racing, including the Tour de France.)