Breaking Sports: Cat, Griz playoff games will be aired on ESPN GamePlan

After a week of Montana football fans bombarding ESPN with calls and emails, and Montana's congressional delegation putting pressure on the sports mega-giant, the network has decided to air the University of Montana and Montana State football playoff games on television.

The second round playoff games will air via ESPN GamePlan, a pay-per-view network, on Saturday December 3rd.

The week long dispute over how Montanan's would be able to watch the Cats and Griz play on Saturday went to the top of the company with broadcast ights for the games.

Senator Max Baucus contacted Walt Disney Co. President and Chief Executive Robert Iger and asked his help to come up with a plan to include more Montanans. In a phone conversation earlier in the week Baucus told Iger, the president of ABC, the parent company of ESPN-- "We need to work with the universities, NCAA, broadcasters, Internet and cable providers so more Montanans can see these games."

Baucus met Iger at the Economic Summit in Butte in September 2010.

Senator Jon Tester and Congressman Denny Rehberg also sent letters to ESPN.

Despite a statement from ESPN saying they would contact each member of Montana's congressional delegation individually about the games, representatives from the offices of Tester and Rehberg say they have not received a response from ESPN.

Montana's game against Central Arkansas is set for 12:05 p.m. Saturday in Missoula. MSU's game with New Hampshire kicks off at 1:05 p.m. in Bozeman. The cost for ESPN GamePlan for a single day is $24.60.