The University of Wisconsin Athletic Department is not expected to raise ticket prices for any of its top-of-the-marquee sports in 2008-09, and there's a very interesting reason for that.

According to UW associate athletic director John Jentz, the $4.112 million UW Athletics received via the Big Ten Network revenue sharing plan made it possible to keep ticket prices for football, men's basketball and men's hockey at their current levels.

"It was pretty clear in the numbers when you take a step back," Jentz said. "That's the only line that goes up. That's the way it's working this year."

Jentz made that revelation Tuesday while offering a preliminary look at the 2008-09 operating budget for UW Athletics.

During a meeting of the UW Athletic Board's finance committee, Jentz outlined trends and realities leading up to a budget that looks like it will top $84 million with a mandated surplus of $123,377.

The final budget — up from the $78.142 million projected for 2007-08 — will be unveiled next month.

Its medium-range objective is to provide funding for a series of new capital projects, including a multi-purpose hockey facility and a headquarters for athletic performance.

"At this point we're looking to contain our expenses," Jentz said. "We're not searching for additional revenue."

How ironic that the controversial new Big Ten Network would be the buffer between Badgers fans and a season-ticket price hike.

Since the BTN went on line in August, many UW followers have been inconvenienced by the fact the three biggest cable providers in the country — Charter, Comcast and Time-Warner — have refused to add the network to their basic tiers.

That has triggered a lot of angry calls, e-mail and editorials on every Big Ten Conference campus. Jentz was asked if he thought Badgers fans would believe him.

"I could prove it from an accounting standpoint," he said.

Jentz was quick to point out that the revenue the school received from the BTN — UW got $6.125 million with $1.762 million going to campus initiatives for scholarships and libraries — is a separate issue from the programming problems.

"Totally sympathetic to their plight there," he said. "Trust me, that's just as much a priority as getting a balanced budget."

Jentz said this budgetary development might help UW fans appreciate what the Big Ten Network means to cause.

"At the end of the day, we're trying to be nationally competitive with our teams," he said. "We access a variety of resources to fund that. The Big Ten Network's a huge influx that we can take advantage of right now instead of some of the more traditional means."

That probably won't sway most UW followers who can't — or refuse to get — satellite dish services that have the Big Ten Network.

"The fans are never going to be content until they get (BTN)," UW athletic director Barry Alvarez said. "Until they can get it on their cable, they're never going to be satisfied and we're going to have to live with that until it happens."

Instead of raising ticket prices, the UW Athletic Department is looking to limit its percentage of growth by reducing expenses related to the 23 sports programs.

Jentz mentioned smaller media guides and limiting video and computer services as examples of areas to cut back.

"I don't think we're asking them to forgo anything critical to their operation," he said.

Jentz said UW Athletics would have a growth rate under 5 percent for 2008-09 — it projects to be 6.16; it was 16.13 in 2004-05 — had it not lost $1 million in tuition remissions.

That move by UW chancellor John Wiley is related to the smaller split of Big Ten Network revenue received by campus.

Season tickets for UW football games will remain at $39. Penn State ($66), Ohio State ($62), Michigan ($50) and Iowa ($49) are among the league schools that have set their prices for 2008.

"We should be proud of the fact we're near the bottom," UW Athletic Board member Ab Nicholas told the committee.