The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is close to a deal with US broadcaster ESPN for the television rights to college football's championship game and biggest bowls, according to US press reports.
If completed, the deal would mean that the games, which are currently shown by rival broadcaster, Fox, would be shown on cable television for the first time since the system was implemented in 1998.
In a statement to the press, BCS coordinator John Swofford, said: "Currently, over 98 million homes receive ESPN. With the ever-changing technology and as we look toward January 2011, when the first games in this package will be played, we know that the number of households that receive ESPN will only continue to grow."
Fox’s four-year, $320 million deal to broadcast the BCS games expires in 2010.
