The MWC let Boise State sell home football games separately when it joined in '12boise state athletics
Boise State has "hinted at everything from a lawsuit" to the school "possibly considering leaving" the Mountain West Conference should their extra money from a separate TV rights negotiation for their home football games go away, according to B.J. Rains of the IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE. Earlier this month, the MWC finalized new media agreements with CBS Sports and Fox that will pay the conference $270M over six years. When Boise State agreed to rejoin the MWC in '12, the league agreed to let the school have their home football games sold as a separate package to TV networks. But MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson said, "As we move forward, that is the anticipation, that everybody’s membership agreements would get more germane and equal, if you will." However, Rains noted the term sheet Boise State signed with the MWC when they returned to the league "begs to differ" with Thompson's anticipation, as the agreement "shows no expiration date." The conference in a statement indicated that Boise State was not "crazy about ending a longstanding relation with ESPN for Fox, but admitted the new deal was ‘better.'" Rains noted the school now "appears to have two options." It "could sue the Mountain West over the issue and try to keep the extra money beyond this TV deal," or it "could look to leave the Mountain West and join another conference" such as the AAC (IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE, 1/18).
