MADISON, Wis. -- When it comes to Charter Communications, many Wisconsin fans are seeing Badger red. But the university's athletics department still sees green.

Fans are steamed the state's biggest cable company is refusing to carry the Big Ten Network. That means Wisconsin's football game against No. 1 Ohio State Saturday won't be available in their homes.

University officials said they aren't happy about that. But they also made clear Friday that Charter's advertising contract that brings in big money for University of Wisconsin-Madison Athletics isn't jeopardized by the standoff.

So, Charter will continue to be allowed to advertise on the scoreboard at Camp Randall and inside the Kohl Center and during Badgers radio broadcasts.

UW-Madison officials and a Charter spokesman said the company's sponsorship of UW athletics and the dispute over the Big Ten Network are separate issues.

Meanwhile, UW-Madison sent an e-mail to fans Friday, encouraging to contact their cable providers to deliver the Big Ten Network and noted switching to satellite as an option to get the network.

"If enough people say, 'If I'm going to write that check, I'm going to write it to a satellite dish company and I'm going to get even more channels, and I'm going to get to watch the Badgers,' I suspect there are going to be a lot of very tired satellite dish installers this weekend," said Barry Orton, a UW-Madison telecommunications professor.

Charter said Friday that cable bills will increase $4 to $6 for digital package subscribers, WISC-TV reported.