Boise State Football’s Only Path To The Power 5
College football is just around the corner, as we're just about done with June and heading into July. The months of the off-season are almost over, and summer practice is just around the corner.
Next month will also offer a chance for all of us to talk football as every conference hosts their media days. The event is a chance for the conferences and teams to discuss the offseason and preview the upcoming fall campaign.
One of the biggest questions facing the college football world is the future of the Pac-12 Conference. At one time one of America's premiere leagues, it's now reduced to begging for a media rights deal. The bigger the television contract, the higher the payout to member schools. The Big ten and SEC have the most lucrative television media rights deals.
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The Pac-12 is rumored to offer two teams the opportunity to join their league in hopes of replacing iconic members USC and UCLA. Depending on who you believe, San Diego State has already notified the Mountain West Conference of their intent to live. The other team rumored to be on their way out west is SMU from the Dallas area.
Both teams offer large television markets and a deep recruiting pool of available talent. Despite its success at the Group of Five level, Boise State is not on a short list to join either the Pac or the Big 12. Boise State's challenges are academics, location, and the football team being the only asset coveted by a Power Five conference.
In the past, Boise State agreed to join the Big East, now the AAC as a football-only member. However, expenses such as travel prevented the deal from being completed. The Broncos have the best deal of any team not in the Power Five.
Perhaps one day, the basketball program and other programs will offer the appeal of a major conference. Today, the university's only asset is its football team, which seeks to rebound to its glory days.
The Broncos should offer themselves as a football-only member to the Big 12 or the Pac 12. The other sports can find homes in other lesser conferences until they attract enough interest to be another hook for the power conferences.
A Pac-12 or Big 12 would rival any team joining or currently looking to join those leagues. (Dedicated to our friend Sarah who loves Boise State Football.)