Boise State University has backed out on a commitment to join the Big East, the Associated Press reports, and will instead remain a member of the Mountain West. The school and the conference announced today that they've come to an agreement to keep the Broncos playing football in the league they have been a part of for the past two seasons.

Boise State was scheduled to join the Big East next year for football only, but more recent defections from the Big East made it reconsider. BSU said as part of its agreement with the Mountain West, TV rights to its home football games will not be part of the conference's future media contracts. Click below for a full statement from BSU President Bob Kustra, who said, "This has been an odyssey for Boise State, with all the unexpected turns and changes that term suggests." In the end, Kustra said the new deal with the Mountain West is best for BSU in terms of "geographic footprint, revenue and national exposure," and he said, "Thanks to the success of Coach Petersen and his staff, Boise State football is a unique program with a value in media and ticket sales attractive to a number of conferences and bowl venues."

The following is a statement from President Kustra on Boise State remaining in the Mountain West

 

I am pleased to announce that Boise State will remain in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) for all MWC sports, including football. In doing so, we thank the members and Commissioners of the Big East Conference and the Big West Conference for their acceptance of us as members. In making this decision, we considered revenue, stability, team and fan travel, and the advantage for Boise State athletics in general of having most sports in one conference.

This has been an odyssey for Boise State, with all the unexpected turns and changes that term suggests. The responsibility for conference membership lies at the desk of the university president and it’s one I have taken very seriously. The benefits of geographic footprint, revenue, and national exposure have to be balanced, one to the other. In this day of constantly shifting memberships, the value of those benefits also shifts, often into the unknown.

The remaining teams in the Big East and those about to join the Big East are fine programs with leadership that I have come to know and value greatly. But I also appreciate the membership of the Mountain West Conference — many of whom are considered our traditional rivals — and look forward to our continued relationship.

Thanks to the success of Coach Petersen and his staff, Boise State football is a unique program with a value in media and ticket sales attractive to a number of conferences and bowl venues. Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson and the presidents on his board recognized that and created for the very first time — with CBS Sports’ agreement — an innovative and unique offer for Boise State that exceeds prior offers and carves our home football games from the conference media package and allows their sale on the market, with Boise State and the MWC as partners in the sale.

In return, Boise State and other teams in the conference who may appear on national TV (ESPN, ESPN2, NBC, CBS, Fox) will be paid a bonus of $300,000 per game, with an additional $200,000 for a Saturday game. This innovative approach accesses for both the institutions and the conference the TV value brought to the conference by its teams, while treating all of its members, to the extent possible, in an equitable and fair way.

Finally, the MWC is implementing a system whereby any member whose football performance results in payments from the BCS to the conference will share directly in those revenues on a 50/50 basis with the conference, thus enjoying a direct reward for their team's success.

It is my fondest hope that everyone in the Boise State family will be pleased with this arrangement and appreciate the team effort that was required to get us here. Special thanks to Vice President and Legal Counsel Kevin Satterlee, who worked tirelessly to achieve this result, and to Athletic Director Mark Coyle for his leadership throughout this process.

— Bob Kustra, President, Boise State University

 

 

 

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