Broncos Bolt the WAC...headed to Mountain West

[votb]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3pK8w0_N_Y8jYJ8OsdZJasVdXkgD9G995D80

 

[bengalcub]

It will be hard to avoid the temptation of getting Boise State season tickets now.

 

[spazdog1]

i"m a bit surprised that there are so few comments on this. The WAC will probably wait for the dust to settle, but then don't be surprised to see them look to the Big Sky to find a team to fill their vacancy left by the Broncos. Rumors in the WAC include Montana, Portland State, and Sacramento State to mention a few. Maybe the WAC looks for two teams. Who knows? What will the Big Sky do to fill their void if one or more teams move to the WAC?

 

[mighty_bengals]

I'm sure a lot of us here don't think all that will ever happen. Right now, when you look at attendance figures that PSU and Sac have, if you were to invite them into the WAC then that's about as ridiculous as the idea of having ISU move up to FBS and into the WAC. Right now Montana is doing a study as to whether it's even feasible to move up to FBS -- and their last president was adamantly opposed to this. Brent Musberger said it would be financial suicide if Montana decided to go into the WAC. Without BSU, look for the WAC teams to lose their BCS bowl money and probably a nice contract with ESPN. Remember, if a team moves up to FBS then they need to increase their scholarships from 63 to 85, add more sports, add more coaches, and increase their athletic budget considerably. And they'll probably need to upgrade their facilities by millions. I think the Big Sky wil do just fine, and after the probably demise of the WAC, the remaining teams will scramble to get into other conferences. For example, NMSU may wish to go back into the Sun Belt. When Idaho isn't rivals with BSU anymore, look for them to scratch their heads trying to figure out who their rivals are, since they think they're way too good to be rivals with any Big Sky team.

 

[spartan]

nothing to do with idaho state athletics

 

[votb]

nothing to do with idaho state athletics

Bless you Spartan...but if one or more teams leave the Big Sky...it does affect ISU Athletics. Personally...I agree with Jeff Tingey that if the WAC now looks for other members, it will look to schools like Cal-Poly or Cal-Davis before it would look to Sac St., Portland State or Montana. IMHO, Montana would have to spend another million+ annually (at a minimum) to move up, and I don't see that happening. Without BSU's bowl money coming into the WAC, I also look for La. Tech to bail out of the WAC and find some less expensive travel destinations.

 

[SLCBengal]

I've heard murmurs here and there that ESPN can renegotiate the WAC's TV contract if there is a change in membership (it makes sense). Spaz, do you have any info on that?

 

[biobengal]

Personally...I agree with Jeff Tingey that if the WAC now looks for other members, it will look to schools like Cal-Poly or Cal-Davis before it would look to Sac St., Portland State or Montana.

Tingey may be right but I also hope he considers the possibility that the BSC may need to add members. Obviously, the BSC is still in good shape, there are 3 schools that would jump at a BSC invite: SUU, USD, and UND. IMO, if the BSC loses UM, PSU and SAC but brings in the above three... well, that would be a wash.

 

[biobengal]

It will be hard to avoid the temptation of getting Boise State season tickets now.

I think there are many Poky-based Bengal fans that would echo that sentiment. :lol:

 

[spazdog1]

I've heard murmurs here and there that ESPN can renegotiate the WAC's TV contract if there is a change in membership (it makes sense). Spaz, do you have any info on that?

I don't know about the WAC television agreement. I will look into it. However, I know the CBS and the Mtn. will be renegotiating with the Mountain West. To give you an idea about money, I've heard third hand that in previous years, the WAC split about $900K in the deal with ESPN. Last year or the up-coming year, the WAC received or will receive about $4M. BSU stands to forfeit their share this year for leaving the conference. However, if they get a BCS bid, they don't share their BCS $$$ with the WAC. The Mountain West, as I understand it is currently receiving $12M. I'm not sure if all of the teams receive an equal share or not.

Back to the topic of BSC, it's entirely possible that the Big Sky will be left intact. However, a quick look a the $$$, it's easy to see why Idaho wants to stay D1A (FBS). Look further at attendance in Moscow, San Jose or Ruston, LA. They have a huge amount of empty seats. A jump to FBS by Sac. St. could spike interest and their attendance could improve. The WAC would possibly gain a large television market (Sacramento), at least that could be a possibility. Who knows? I have not a clue on the television payouts to the Big Sky Conference. But FBS will probably bring a larger national exposure and more revenue.

 

[SLCBengal]

I found a little info from the Honolulu Star Advertiser:

The new six-year television contract between the WAC and ESPN has a clause that allows for the financial terms to be restructured if the league's composition changes. The $4.5 million annual contract calls for an even split among the nine member schools; the league's office does not receive a cut.

Boise State's departure could cost UH television revenue, as the WAC-ESPN deal is certain to be rewritten. WAC members share ESPN's $4.5 million annual payout.

StarAdvertiser.com: WAC Cracked

It's been reported that the MAC's ESPN contract pays $1.5M annually (around $100,000 a member). It's better than no TV revenue at all, but I wonder if that's an amount which the WAC members will be looking at...

 

[SLCBengal]

ESPN has been hard at work remaking the conference logos...

ESPN: New Conference Logos

 

[mighty_bengals]

It appears that Utah is headed soon to the Pac-10 conference. At first I thought that the MWC would invite Fresno or Reno to fill the void. But the MWC Commissioner Thompson said recently that they wouldn't likely invite either team, and now I see why this is the case. Because their main goal is to make it into the BCS, because this would mean millions more. And either of those teams wouldn't really help their case that much. So the WAC could very well just stay at eight teams for a while. A conference only needs to have at least six teams in order to be a valid league.

 

[spazdog1]

I found a couple of items regarding the WAC and ESPN...

ESPN has scheduled 10 WAC football games this season. They are scheduled to air on ESPN or ESPN2. 6 of them will be with BSU. They include the opening game in Washington DC with Virginia Tech and later, the Oregon State game in Bronco Stadium.

I found that ESPN can renegotiate the current WAC agreement if the composition of the conference changes.

IMO, ESPN and BSU have complemented each other over the past 4 or 5 years. Like 'em or not, ESPN has brought the Broncos into the national college football landscape. And BSU has taken advantage of it in a big way. BSU has preformed well on the national stage. I don't know if the WAC has another team that has been so consistent and frankly entertaining. Fresno State... they talk a good game. They play competitive with the likes of Cincinnati and Wisconsin but they lay an egg against teams like Utah State. Hawaii... they have so many issues, from facilities to money. Nevada... Haven't lived up to their hype. Frankly, BSU has owned them all. Don't be surprised if the WAC loses ESPN air time over the next few seasons.

 

[votb]

ESPN has been hard at work remaking the conference logos...

ESPN: New Conference Logos

I LOVE the new logos!