The University of Maine’s football season may be over, but faithful followers of the Yankee Conference will be able to watch the league’s best team in its first playoff game Saturday.

SportsChannel New England will broadcast BU’s first-round Division I-AA playoff game against Northern Iowa in Boston at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Former New England Patriots linebacker Steve Nelson will do color commentary on the game and Mike Lynch will do play-by-play. – – –

Chris Berman, creator of such endearing baseball nicknames such as Wally “Absorbine” Joyner, Rick “See You Later” Aguilera, and Oddibe “Young Again” McDowell, has signed an eight-year contract extension with ESPN-TV.

The new contract will keep Berman – who joined ESPN a month after its inception in 1979 – at the network through the year 2001.

“It’s hard to imagine ESPN without Chris Berman, said Steve Bornstein, ESPN president and chief executive officer. “He’s helped us grow to prominence since our inception, and now will bring us into the 21st century.”

Berman is the only cable commentator to be selected National Sportscaster of the Year (1989 and 1990). The award is voted on by members of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association of America. – – –

The University of Maine men’s basketball team will make an appearance on SportsChannel New England’s 116-game college broadcast schedule, which kicks off with Chicago State at DePaul on Saturday.

Eight North Atlantic Conference games will be televised, including the University of Maine’s game at Boston University on Thursday, Jan. 27.

The 116-game schedule – the network’s largest ever – will provide coverage of nine different conferences. – – –

New England Sports Network will start its 119-game college basketball TV schedule Sunday night with Texas at Nebraska.

NESN will show games from 10 different conference including the Big East and Atlantic 10.

The network will show all but the championship game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. (ESPN has exclusive coverage rights of almost every conference championship game). – – –

ESPN will provide live coverage of the World Cup 1994 Final Draw on Sunday, Dec. 19. The 90-minute broadcast will include the announcement of the World Cup team pairings, highlights of the teams, and features.

ESPN and ABC will televise the entire 52-game World Cup schedule without commercials during the games. ESPN will air 41 games including the U.S. team’s first-round match, both Cup semifinals, and the consolation match. – – –

University of Massachusetts head basketball coach John Calipari, a finalist for the UMaine coaching job six years ago, will host a television show on SportsChannel starting Monday, Dec. 6.

UMass Basketball with John Calipari will be shown each Monday at 7 p.m. through the season.