There is a chance that next week’s Michigan-Michigan State football game will be on the Big Ten Network. Maybe not a very strong chance. But a chance. And that would leave thousands of Comcast subscribers scurrying to sports bars to watch the big game.

The Big Ten has made no secret of its goals for the Big Ten Network. The conference wants to make money for its schools and increase exposure for its athletes. This is not the kind of thing that wins the Nobel Peace Prize, but at least the Big Ten is up-front.

Comcast, on the other hand, acts like it is fighting hunger and curing cancer by insisting that the Big Ten Network belongs on a specialized sports tier instead of an expanded basic cable package.

“We want to put it on a sports and entertainment package,” said Patrick Paterno, the director of communications for Comcast’s Midwest region. “We don’t want to burden our customers with something they don’t want.”

But look at Comcast’s expanded basic package now. Does the company think more Midwesterners want the Style Network than the Big Ten Network? Is there some huge Discovery Health channel cult that I’m not familiar with?

If Turner Classic Movies disappeared from expanded basic, would there be a bigger uproar than what we have seen over the Big Ten Network?

Paterno said Comcast wants a well-rounded expanded basic coverage. Fine. So why is ESPN Classic on there instead of the Big Ten Network? Would people rather watch Miami play Florida State in 1991 or Michigan play Michigan State live?

I asked Paterno why ESPN Classic is on expanded basic.

“That’s just where we put it,” Paterno said.

Oh. Well, thanks for clearing that up.

Two items from Comcast’s propaganda Web site, “Putting Fans First,” tell you all you need to know about the company’s tactics.

Item No. 1: Most cable companies want to carry BTN, but many are proposing to give fans the choice of subscribing to it as part of a “sports tier.” That way, these expensive new niche networks don’t have to be paid for by everyone.

The Big Ten Network has signed deals with 150 service providers. Every single one puts the network on expanded basic, not a sports tier. Yet Comcast maintains that “many” cable networks want BTN on a sports tier.

Item No. 2: The latest attempt is to increase cable rates for sports fans and consumers by forming new sports networks that will charge us to see games that used to be free.

This is true – and Comcast is leading the charge. The company is starting a new sports network in Oregon and has started others throughout the country. And Comcast is insisting that other providers carry its channel on expanded basic.

Isn’t that EXACTLY what the Big Ten Network is doing?

“I know what you’re asking,” Paterno said. “I guess the way you have to look at that programming is it focuses more on professional sports. It’s totally different from a college sports conference making a request for carriage.”

Why is it different?

“Because that’s the way it is. It’s just different. In Portland, Oregon, obviously it’s (an) NBA-heavy” market.

Comcast acts as though Michigan State and Michigan football and basketball games are niche products, like anchovies or George Jetson tattoos.

But Comcast knows better. Executives there are angling for a piece of the inevitable SEC Channel, and if they strike a deal, you can be sure Comcast will put the SEC Channel on expanded basic in Southern markets.

That is what this is about. Comcast is willing to take a short-term hit for long-term economic gain. For Comcast, this isn’t really about the Big Ten Network. It’s about precedent.

One person familiar with the standoff said that in the last round of negotiations, the Big Ten even offered to give Comcast a piece of the network. Comcast wasn’t interested, because the company doesn’t want small pieces of anything. Comcast eats from a large spoon or not at all.

This is the kind of approach that has made Comcast a Wall Street darling. You might call it Putting Shareholders First. And that’s all fine, but why does Comcast think it can claim the moral high ground here? How dumb does this company think you are?

Comcast says it doesn’t want subscribers to pay $1.10 a month for BTN. But of course, nobody expects the final number to be $1.10, or close to that. It’s just another Comcast scare tactic.

This is a big, money-hungry company that plays to win.

My advice: Buy a satellite dish – and Comcast stock.