UC Davis football and basketball will attract unprecedented TV exposure with the launch of new regional sports television programming this fall.

Comcast SportsNet West will launch Nov. 2 on Comcast's Channel 34 with a Sacramento Kings pregame show flickering into homes across the region. SportsNet West will serve an estimated 770,000 Comcast subscribers in a 350-mile territory that stretches from Visalia to Sacramento and Chico.

In scrambling to fill its programming, Comcast released an initial schedule Sept. 31 that includes UC Davis air time for a football game, a women's basketball game, about a half-dozen men's hoops contests and the UC Davis Aggie Athletics Auction.

There's an agreement in principle with Comcast, though the contract is still not officially signed, said Larry Swanson, associate athletic director at UC Davis.

"We are excited about the heightened visibility for Aggie sports and its student-athletes," said Swanson. "The opportunity and timing works to our benefit as we make the transition from Division II to Division I."

The only question is who will have access to those UC Davis games. Currently, only Comcast customers will be able to see the broadcasts. Comcast has offered SportsNet West to DirecTV, DISH Network and SureWest Broadband, with negotiations underway.

"We're hopeful that the programming beyond Comcast will be as broad as possible," said Swanson.

As a test case, Swanson said, Comcast aired the Causeway Classic football game between UC Davis and Sacramento State on Sept. 25. "Everything worked out well," he added.

Other Aggie games set for broadcasting include:

• Nov. 13, football vs. North Dakota State,
• Dec. 4, men's basketball vs. Northern Arizona State; women's basketball vs. Menlo College,
• Dec. 4, men's basketball vs. University of the Pacific,
• Dec. 10, men's basketball in the University of San Francisco tournament,
• Dec. 18, men's basketball vs. Stanford University,
• Jan. 22, men's basketball vs. Long Beach State.

Swanson notes that this is just a beginning for the SportsNet West, and it's possible that UC Davis will see air time for other types of sports.

"We believe that programming will be expanded significantly in the future," he said.

UC Davis will receive a small rights fee from Comcast, Swanson said. He noted that the TV exposure could lead to increased sales of tickets, Aggies apparel and alumni contributions.

In the past, Swanson said, the only UC Davis sporting event to get on local TV was the Causeway Classic, and that wasn't even every year, Swanson said. Besides, it was expensive for both universities and, as the years passed, local TV showed less interest in the event.

Beyond UC Davis, SportsNet West will also be home to Sacramento State University football games and Fresno State football games. Along with the Kings, the Sacramento women's basketball team, the Monarchs, will also be featured.

In the future, Comcast plans to approach other colleges, high schools and minor league teams in the broadcast area to fill time on the network.