Fans doing “T for Temple U” at NYC watch party (btw, it is a violation to wear orange at TU watch party).

While the Big 10 Network is virtually everywhere, it is nowhere in the small town of Rockledge, located just outside the Fox Chase section of Northeast Philadelphia.

A pit stop at the annual Rockledge Car Show on Sunday during the Eagles’ game led to checking the game out in the three bars located within a half-mile of each other along Huntingdon Pike—the Austrian Village, the Rockledge Inn and Breen’s—and none of the managers there say they get the Big 10 network.

“Do you guys get the Penn State-Temple game on Saturday?”

“Depends on what network.”

“The Big 10 Network.”

“Ahh, no. It’s like $600 extra, not $6 or $60,” the bar manager at Austrian Village said.

That was the response also at The Rockledge Inn.

A guy in a green Eagles’ shirt  at Breen’s checked one of the side televisions and the Big 10 network came back as “you are not subscribed to this channel.”

So before heading off to a bar on Saturday, pick up a phone and make sure that place has the Big 10 Network. Temple’s official Philadelphia watch party is at the Fox and Hound (15^th Street, Center City), but there are also huge watch parties on campus, at The Draught Horse and Master’s. The one at the Draught Horse is hosted by former Temple quarterback Mike Frost.

I would not recommend The Fox and Hound, simply because the large-screen TVs located at the bar are not high definition (the smaller ones at the tables are). Technically speaking, The Fox and Hound TVs are out of the 1980s. Not good if you are used to watching football on HDTV.  (I watched the first half of Temple-Houston last year there and high-tailed it out of there by halftime.) Unofficially, there are parties with Temple groups scheduled for the Green Parrot in Newtown, Bucks County, and Tom and Jerry’s in Delaware County, all free to enter (just need to purchase drinks). There is a paid party at Chickie and Pete’s in South Philadelphia hosted by District Attorney Seth Williams, with at least a $100 donation required to Williams’ campaign fund. No thanks. If you know any other informal gatherings of Temple fans at a watering hole, please list in the comments below.

The official Penn State watch parties in Philadelphia are scheduled for the Field House (11^th and Filbert) and Manayunk Mad River Bar and Grille, 4100 Main Street.  So if you want to see long faces at the end of the game, those are the two places to go.

Out-of-town Temple-Penn State watch parties are scheduled for New York, Dallas (Sherlock’s Baker Street Pub, Addison, Tx), Atlanta (the Hudson Grille) and Washington (D.C.).

As far as Rockledge, I cannot believe that is the only town in the Philadelphia area without the Big 10 Network. Maybe the Big 10 needs to add Temple to ensure complete saturation in the nation’s fourth-largest market.

Tomorrow: The Rivalry Arrives

Saturday: Game Analysis