The Boise State football program will "need a strong push to avoid a decline in season-ticket sales for the second consecutive season," according to B.J. Rains of the IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE. BSU reported that 20,430 season tickets "had been sold as of Thursday evening, meaning it needs to sell 1,986 to reach last year’s final total of 22,416." The team is "coming off its first five-loss season since 1998 and debuts a new era with coach Bryan Harsin." BSU's season-ticket sales "dropped by 1,693 in 2013 after the Broncos sold 24,109" in '12. BSU AD Mark Coyle said that the school "did not increase the cost of season tickets for the first time in nearly a decade." Coyle on Thursday said that he has had "no discussions" with Washington about the "possibility of the Huskies trying to get out of" the '15 season opener, which would be a BSU home game. The game is "scheduled to mark the return" of former BSU coach Chris Petersen, and will "likely be considered the biggest and most anticipated in Albertsons Stadium history" (IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE, 8/15).
LEARFIELD EXTENDS ITS STAY: In Boise, Brian Murphy reports Learfield Sports Marketing will pay BSU more than $44M "for its sports multi-media and marketing rights" through '25. The Idaho State Board of Education on Thursday "approved the deal." The original contract between BSU and Learfield began in '10 and "ran for seven years." BSU has "exercised its three one-year options in that agreement" to push it into '20. Money BSU receives from Albertsons grocery chain for stadium naming rights is "not included in this contract" (IDAHO STATESMAN, 8/15).
PAYMENTS FROM LEARFIELD TO BOISE STATE
|
|
SCHOOL YEAR
|
PAYMENT
|
|
'13-14
|
$2.41M
|
|
'14-15
|
$2.735M
|
|
'15-16
|
$2.86M
|
|
'16-17
|
$2.935M
|
|
'17-18
|
$3.3M
|
|
'18-19
|
$4.15M*
|
|
'19-20
|
$3.5M
|
|
'20-21
|
$3.7M
|
|
'21-22
|
$3.9M
|
|
'22-23
|
$4.1M
|
|
'23-24
|
$4.3M
|
|
'24-25
|
$4.5M
|
| |
|
NOTE: * = Includes long-term contract bonus of $750,000, up from $500,000 in original contract.
