The Big Ten continues to lead all conferences with six teams ranked in this week’s AP and USA Today Coaches polls, including two top-five teams and five top-15 squads.

Mediacom Communications and Big Ten Network (BTN) announced today that BTN2Go, a live 24/7 multi-platform extension of BTN, is now available to Mediacom subscribers in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and parts of other Midwestern states.

BTN today revealed its studio talent for the 2012 Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball season. Gus Johnson, one of America’s favorite sportscasters, will return to BTN for his fifth season as a men’s basketball play-by-play announcer. Johnson joined BTN during the 2008-09 season. Known for his memorable catchphrases, Johnson’s style is popular among fans.

For the first time, BTN will provide full coverage of the Big Ten fall championships and tournaments, including live broadcasts during the 2012 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament, Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Soccer Tournaments and delayed coverage of the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships.

BTN will debut two new original programs next week, one that will honor teams of the past and a second that will document the stars of the future.

BTN will televise 40 women’s basketball conference matchups for the 2012-13 season, along with 10 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament games, and an additional number of non-conference games. The games also will be available on BTN2Go.

CHICAGO – BTN will televise 67 men’s basketball conference matchups, including four Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament games and an additional number of non-conference games, the network announced Wednesday. Gus Johnson, one of America’s favorite sportscasters, returns to BTN for his fifth season.

CHICAGO and SAN DIEGO – Cox Communications and Big Ten Network announced Thursday that it will add BTN to Cox’s lineup in Orange County, Palos Verdes, San Diego and Santa Barbara on Aug. 15, 2012. BTN is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premiere collegiate conferences in the country.

CHICAGO—BTN will televise more field hockey this season than ever before, with at least 15 matches set to air on BTN, including for the first time each round of the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament. Each BTN broadcast will also be available on BTN2Go.

CHICAGO – BTN will televise more soccer this season than ever before, with at least 60 matches set to air on BTN, including for the first time each round of the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Soccer Tournaments. Each BTN broadcast is also available on BTN2Go.

CHICAGO – BTN will televise more volleyball this season than ever before, with at least 50 matches set to air on BTN.  The season begins with defending Big Ten Champion Nebraska hosting 2011 National Champion UCLA and Stanford at Penn State in the season’s first two weeks. The games will also be available at BTN2Go.

CHICAGO – BTN today revealed its game broadcast teams and studio talent for the 2012 football season. The network’s football schedule will feature more than 40 games, extensive pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage on Saturdays and football-themed studio shows every weeknight.

BTN and the American Cancer Society today announced that the Society will be the official charity and beneficiary of the BTN Big 10K. The sold-out event is Saturday, July 28, in downtown Chicago. The American Cancer Society will host a tent at the post-race FanFest & Tailgate party and provide information on future Society events, offering cancer prevention tips, and discussing their DetermiNation team, the Society’s “nation of athletes” determined to end cancer.

BTN will kick off the 2012 Big Ten football season Thursday, July 26, with nearly five hours of live televised coverage of Big Ten Football Media Days from the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago. The show also will be available on BTN2Go.

BTN2Go, a 24/7 mobile extension of BTN delivering live and on-demand programming to existing BTN subscribers of participating providers via the web, smartphones and tablets, is now available for Android users.