Boise State’s next trip to college football’s elite bowl games — be it the Bowl Championship Series in 2013 or one of six BCS 2.0 games in 2014 and beyond — promises to be even more lucrative than the Broncos’ first two Fiesta Bowl appearances.
That’s because of a change in the Mountain West’s postseason payout formula, one that was instituted as part of Boise State’s agreement to remain an all-sports member of the league.
Boise State announced Monday that it is remaining in the Mountain West, and will not join the Big East in football this fall and the Big West in most other sports.
“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,’’ Boise State President Bob Kustra said in a statement released Monday.
The Mountain West confirmed the change.
It is one of a series of concessions the league made to keep Boise State in the fold.
Among the other changes:
• Boise State’s home football games will be sold outside the Mountain West’s current television contract.
• The league will pay financial bonuses to teams that play on national television, up to $500,000 a game.
• The Broncos will be allowed to wear any uniform combination they want for home games (read: blue-on-blue, which was prohibited in the original agreement with the Mountain West).
Boise State received $4.5 million for its 2007 Fiesta Bowl appearance and roughly $3 million for its 2010 game. The Broncos paid expenses out of that money.
College football’s postseason structure is changing in 2014. A group of six bowl games will replace the current BCS format and result in, perhaps, as much as triple the amount of money in the current system.
The highest-ranked conference champion from one of the so-called “Group of Five’’ conferences (Mountain West, Big East, Conference USA, Sun Belt, MAC) is assured a spot in one of the six games.
Though the revenue distribution has not been finalized, an appearance could be worth up to $25 million. The Big Ten and Pac-12 (Rose Bowl) and Big 12 and SEC (Sugar Bowl) will receive $45 million per year. The ACC (Orange Bowl) will get more than $28 million per year.
The Rose, Sugar and Orange bowls will serve as “contract’’ bowls with its conference affiliations locked up. The Fiesta, Cotton and Chick-fil-A (Atlanta) games are expected to be “access’’ bowls with open spots, including one for the highest-ranked “Group of Five’’ champion.
The “Group of Five’’ has not decided how it will divide its revenue, but the conference that sends a team to the game is likely to collect a larger portion of the money.
The rule is not specific to Boise State; any Mountain West team would benefit from the change. Hawaii is the only other current member of the Mountain West to reach a BCS game.
Brian Murphy: 377-6444,Twitter: @MurphsTurph
WYOMING AD: BSUIN THE MW IS GOOD
Wyoming Athletic Director Tom Burman believes the Broncos’ decision to stay in the Mountain West instead of joining the Big East is a good thing for his conference, and therefore a good thing for his school, he told the Casper Star-Tribune.
“It’s great,” Burman told the newspaper. “It obviously enhances dramatically our stability as a conference. If Boise doesn’t choose to stay in the Mountain West and chooses to stay in the Big East, there is going to be this ongoing tug-of-war between members trying to be the premier non-BCS league.
“By maintaining Boise, and maintaining our stability, I think we have solidified our position as that premier league.’’
• Burman on Mountain West TV revenue: “Right now, we’re not taking home, as a league, enough TV dollars per institution on a long-term basis. This will help us. I expect to see our TV revenues increase dramatically over the years.”
• Burman on the feedback and concern he’s heard about the MW giving Boise State special treatment: “I understand their frustration with Boise, but Boise deserves to be viewed a little differently than many programs. What they have done in the past 10 years is pretty remarkable. They’ve built a brand that put them in the position where they are extremely remarkable. National TV entities love the Broncos. And they’ve got a great following.
“It’s a business and Boise State was looking out for Boise State. Fortunately, from the time they decided to join the Big East and today, the Big East has changed dramatically. And I think they realized the Big East is going to continue to change.’’
