It’s late August, and that means football. The NCAA college football regular season kicks off August 29th and the NFL regular season starts September 5th. A month after that, the NHL season begins, and a month after that, the NBA.

You gotta have a big TV for sports, and unless you already have an 80″ behemoth (see below), let’s face it, your TV can stand to get bigger.

Buying TVs online is a tricky prospect because you should always check out a TV’s picture in person before making a final purchase decision. However, many of the best TV deals are online. So if you’re in the market for a TV, it pays to do some research before checking out the online deals.

At Ben’s Bargains, we come across a lot of fantastic savings on HDTVs. Here are 10 great TV deals that will make your football-watching a lot more awesome this fall.

All the TVs below have either plasma screens or 120Hz and above LED LCD panels, which are ideal for a sports-viewing experience because they can handle fast-motion objects without blurring.

Plus—if you care about this sort of thing—some of the TVs listed here have 3D-capability, which will actually become relevant as more games are broadcast in 3D—Monday Night Football will be aired in 3D starting in 2014.

1) This Samsung PN43F4500 43″ 720p 600Hz Plasma HDTV (pictured at right) is $380 shipped from Best Buy. It may be no-frills and 720p, but at this size it’s not noticeable. Plus, as a plasma TV, it’s well-suited for sports. A great value.

2) At the other end of the spectrum, the Panasonic Viera TC-P60VT60 60″ 1080p 600Hz 3D Smart Plasma HDTV is $1,813 shipped with coupon code from East Coast TVs. This premium set has got some of the best black levels out there, plus all the features you’d expect in a modern TV like built-in Wi-Fi, 3D picture and apps.

3) For smaller rooms, Amazon is selling the LG 42LA6200 42″ 3D 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV for $630 with free shipping. This is an excellent price, as this new 2013 model is still selling for around $750 from most retailers. The 50″ model (50LA6200) is $849 shipped from Adorama.

4) As its members know, Costco is a fantastic place to find good deals on HDTVs. There’s a 5% non-member surcharge on purchases, but if you’re going to get a TV, it might be worth buying the $55 membership. The Vizio M551d-A2 55″ 1080p 240Hz 3D Smart LED HDTV is $1,050 shipped for members ($1,100 at Amazon but out of stock).

5) The LG 50LN5700 50″ 1080p 120Hz LED LCD Smart HDTV is $679 with free shipping from US Appliance. It’s around $730 from Amazon and almost $900 everywhere else. This matte-finish, edge-lit LED TV has gotten great reviews for its value and ease of use.

6) Amazon and Best Buy are currently selling the comparable Panasonic Viera TC-L50E60 50″ 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV for $700 with free shipping. Panasonic is known for its great Plasma TVs, but the 2013 Viera E60 line has gotten good reviews.

7) From LG’s new 2013 lineup with built-in Google TV, the LG 55GA6400 55″ Cinema 3D 1080p 120Hz LED LCD HDTV (pictured at left) is $950 shipped with code at Paul’s TV. This stylish TV has gotten some rave reviews from buyers, and it’s a great buy for a 55″ 3D HDTV under $1,000.

8) eBay Daily Deals are a great resource for HDTV deals. Every day at 8AM Pacific, eBay posts its Daily Deals, and sometimes you’ll find HDTVs at incredible prices from mainstream retailers, like this 55″ Samsung 3D LED Smart HDTV that was selling for $1,500.

9) Dell has recently been bundling gift card deals with their HDTV offers. The cards are usually between $150 and $300 and is a good deal if you’re planning on getting one of its PCs. Some of its recent deals have included this Samsung PN51F5300 51″ 1080p Plasma HDTV (2013 model) for $650 shipped with a $125 Dell Gift Card.

10) Last but not least, if you’ve got money to burn and a huge room, the 2013 Sharp AQUOS LC-80LE650 80″ 120Hz Smart LED HDTV (pictured at right) is $3,300 shipped from Amazon. You’re generally not going to find this for under $4,000 from reputable retailers. But clearly, this TV is awesome by virtue of being bigger than everybody else’s TV.

If you have a specific TV model in mind that’s not listed here, you can create deal alerts (registration required) so you won’t miss it the next time it appears on Ben’s Bargains. If one of the deals above is expired, you can also click the deal alert icon (the bell) on individual posts to receive an instant email alert.

You’re also welcome to send us tips or suggestions. Good luck!

10 Great TV Deals for Football Season

If you’re old enough, you’ll recall that plasma TVs were the first commercially available flat-panel TVs in the late ’90s. A 42-inch Philips set boasted a price tag of $15,000! Fast-forward over a decade later and most TV makers today are producing LCD panel HDTVs, more specifically LED-backlit (or edge-lit) LCD panels, which are becoming thinner and more inexpensive by the month.

In recent years, plasmas have fallen out of favor with mainstream consumers, and then a few months ago came the news that Panasonic, the market leader in plasma HDTVs, would actually stop production of their plasma line in 2014! Videophiles around the world were in a state of mourning. But why would anyone shed tears for the plasma TV? They’re not cool anymore.

Well, because plasma TVs are better, that’s why.

Then, just last month, order was restored when Panasonic announced that those “rumors” were actually incorrect and that it plans to continue developing plasma TV technology and producing new sets. Huzzah!

So hold off on those obituaries and poetic Betamax analogies, folks, because plasma is going to stick around a bit longer, and the world will be better for it. And here are the reasons why plasma TVs are still alive and better (than ever).

Plasma Is All Growns Up Now

This 152-inch plasma behemoth premiered at CES 2010.

Let’s get the usual objections to plasma TVs out of the way. Number one is: “Plasma TVs are susceptible to burn-in.” Only in really extreme circumstances. Over the years, manufacturers have added “anti burn-in technologies” that minimize the likelihood of image retention, and if these “ghost images” do crop up (unlikely), they disappear after a few minutes. If you’re among the 99 percent of people who do not leave still images up on their TV screen for half an hour with the contrast jacked up to retina-scorching levels, you’re gonna be OK. Nothing is going to happen if you pause that movie for 5 minutes. Plus, on new plasmas, letterboxed movies and sports tickers are no cause to worry for burn-in.

Another common objection is the lifespan of plasma TVs. While the early models had a 30,000-hour rating, recent models can last as long as 100,000 hours. You’ll be getting a TV chip planted in your brain before your new plasma TV reaches its natural end.

Also, plasmas were known to be power-sucking vampires. The reality is, because new plasma TVs have improved energy efficiency and are generally cheaper than the so-called green LED HDTVs, the overall savings to the consumer is a wash (about $13 a year on your electricity bill).

But wait, there’s more! Plasmas are super heavy and thick! Yes, years ago this was a problem. (Sensing a common theme?) However, let’s compare Samsung’s 51″ 4550 Series Plasma with the 50″ F5500 Series LED. The plasma is 39 lbs. without the stand and about 2 inches thick and the LED is 29 lbs. without the stand and about 2 inches thick. All right. Plasmas are actually heavier. It must be tough watching that movie on your plasma TV as you hold it in your hands.

It’s Beautiful!

Samsung F8500 Series Plasma

If you’re particular about your picture, plasma TVs have a lot going for them. Plasma TVs have the best image quality of consumer TVs today. This includes black level, viewing angle, uniform brightness, color range, contrast ratio, and for gamers and sports fans, vastly superior response time (i.e., there’s no motion blur on fast moving objects).

Granted, plasma TVs technically do not put out as much overall brightness as LED TVs, but very few of you will ever leave an LED TV at its top brightness settings. Because that would be like staring at the sun.

As of May 2013, CNET’s top three HDTVs by picture quality are all plasma TVs. Two are Panasonic lines and one is the fantastic Samsung F8500 series, which is great for bright rooms (to answer the naysayers).

Even better, Plasma TVs are cheaper than the newer LED TVs by an average of $300 or more. The older LCD TVs (CCFL-backlit) are comparable in price but are much lower quality all around. Over at Ben’s Bargains, we recently had a 42″ Panasonic 1080p Plasma HDTV going for $400.

Revealed!! Why Are Plasma TVs Still Around?