Posts Tagged ‘Mountain West Conference’

Virginia, Boise State announce home and home series

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Virginia and Boise State announced Monday that the two schools will play a home and home football series starting in 2015, reports CBSSports.com.

The first game will take place in Charlottesville on September 26, 2015, and Virginia will then travel to Boise State to play  September 23, 2017. The Charlottesville game will be the first time the schools have ever met in football. Boise is also scheduled to play BYU and Washington as part of their non-conference schedule in 2015. Virginia is tentatively scheduled to play at UCLA and at home against William & Mary before ACC competition begins that season.

“We’re excited to announce this series with a program that has been exceptional over the last decade,” said Virginia athletic director Jon Oliver in a statement. “They’ve done it with great coaching, solid recruiting and a fearless approach to competition. We are trying to do the same thing and this will be an incredible challenge for us as we continue to build our program. The 2015 and 2017 seasons could end up being two of the toughest schedules in the history of our football program and we hope they will excite and energize our fans, student-athletes and recruits.”

“I think our fans will be extremely excited about the Broncos hosting an ACC school,” said Boise State athletic director Mark Coyle in a separate release. “We continue to work hard on scheduling home-and-home games against BCS opponents and a series like this with an east coast team will help spread the Bronco brand.”

 


  • Published On Feb 25, 2013

    • Group of Five conferences look to finalize playoff revenue sharing system

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    The “Group of Five” college football conferences want to finalize a system that will distribute money rewarding the best team and best conference, reports CBSSports.com.

    The three-tier playoff revenue distribution system would divide the money based on the best overall performance. It is proposed that the conferences would split roughly $86 million. A framework for payout amounts and criteria for judging the best conference could be complete by next month.

    The “Group of Five” conferences that will be put in place for the college football playoff that is set to begin in 2014 are the Big East, Mountain West, Mid-American Conference, Conference USA and Sun Belt.

    The second tier pays out based on a conference’s body of work – the top conference gets the highest amount, then “X” amount for the next-rated conference, and on down.

    The third tier pays a kicker to the conference with the highest-ranked team, which is guaranteed an access bowl bid or, if among the top-four teams in the country, a semifinal berth in the playoff.


  • Published On Jan 23, 2013

    • San Diego State reportedly cancels Big East move to rejoin Mountain West

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    Mountain West Conference presidents have approved San Diego State’s request to rejoin the conference according to ESPN.com.

    SDSU announced it would join the Big East as a football-only member in December 2011, with a July 1 start date, and play other sports in the Big West. The Aztecs will now play all sports as a Mountain West member.

    SDSU’s decision follows Boise State’s Dec. 31 announcement that it would not join the Big East as a football-only member. A term of SDSU’s Big East contract provided the Aztecs with the option to leave — without paying an exit fee — if Boise State did not join.

    MWC commissioner Craig Thompson told ESPN that league presidents were required to vote by a 3/4 majority to approve San Diego State’s return.


  • Published On Jan 16, 2013

    • Report: Boise State will stay in Mountain West

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    Boise State will not be joining the Big East in 2013, according to a report from ESPN.com. The school was reportedly considering a move from its current Mountain West conference to join the Big East as a football-only member next season, but has now nixed those plan in favor of staying in thier current conference as an all-sports member.

    However, the report states Boise State will still need to pay a $10 million exit fee to the Big East – a fee the Mountain West is expected to help the school out with.


  • Published On Dec 31, 2012

    • Report: Restructured Mountain West-CBS deal could force Boise State’s hand

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    A new Mountain West TV deal could lure Boise State away from the Big East. (Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images)

    A new Mountain West TV deal could lure Boise State away from the Big East. (Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images)

    The Mountain West Conference will restructure its television rights deal with CBS with an eye on positioning itself as the dominant non-BCS league heading into college football’s new playoff system, according to multiple conference sources in a CBSSports.com report.

    The new deal reportedly will give the MWC more leeway in rights payments when its current deal expires with the 2015-16 academic year. While CBS will continue to be the MWC’s primary rightsholder — and maintain a number of priority picks –the league will gain the right to sell packages of games to two other networks. The games could be licensed to networks such as NBC Sports Network, Fox, Turner and ESPN. The MWC television deal with CBS is reportedly being restructured after the network shuttered The Mtn. Network.

    “The conference is stable as it’s ever been in terms of conference membership,” a conference source said.

    CBSSports.com’s Dennis Dodd reports the new deal would further weaken the Big East’s current football alignment and force Boise State to choose between its already tenuous Big East commitment and a Mountain West that’s almost guaranteed to exist through 2015.

    SI.com’s Pete Thamel reports three sources saying Boise State’s pulling out of the Big East and returning to the MWC appears inevitable.

    The MWC is scheduled to submit its 2013 television schedule to its rightsholders in January, possibly forcing Boise State into a quick decision. Boise State’s Big East entry was based on annual projections of $8 million-$10 million, which the Big East is unlikely to meet, especially amidst the turmoil created by the pending departure of “The Catholic Seven” schools.


  • Published On Dec 22, 2012

    • Big East interested in adding Fresno State, UNLV

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    The Big East is looking at Fresno State and the University of Nevada Las Vegas to fill the void left  by departing schools in football, according to a report from CBS Sports. The report also states that the conference has had conversations with Brigham Young University about adding their football program.

    However, pending TV deals could hold up any addition of schools for a while. The Mountain West Conference, where UNLV and Fresno State both play, is attempting to sell secondary and third broadcast rights to its games outside of those covered by CBS, the conference’s broadcast partner until 2015.


  • Published On Dec 20, 2012

    • UConn, Cincinnati reportedly discuss new conference, possible ACC leverage

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    The addition of schools such as Tulane might not save the Big East. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

    The addition of schools such as Tulane might not save the Big East. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

    With the Big East’s seven non-football Catholic universities expected to formally announce their withdrawal from the league soon, Connecticut and Cincinnati are exploring options — including forming a new transcontinental conference, according to a Sporting News report.

    Sources close to the discussion told Sporting News on Friday that UConn and Cincinnati have discussed a cross-continent all-sports league involving some current Big East schools as well as prominent members of the Mountain West. The proposed conference would include UConn, Cincinnati, South Florida, Memphis, Temple, Boise State, San Diego State, UNLV, New Mexico and possibly BYU or Central Florida.

    The report said NBC Sports Network would likely be approached to gauge its interest in such a media property.

    If a “Transcontinental Conference” were to form, what would keep founders UConn and/or Cincinnati from leaving if the ACC comes calling? Schools in the new conference would have to make a serious financial commitment, such as the “grant of rights” Big 12 members made, signing over their media rights if they leave.

    Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News writes word of UConn and Cincinnati being locked into a new conference alignment could provide enough leverage to push ACC schools such as Duke and Wake Forest into coaxing the conference to extend an invitation and increase its membership to 16 schools.

    Several ACC members, including Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, have been rumored to be interested targets for richer conferences such as the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC.


  • Published On Dec 14, 2012

    • Report: Boise State, San Diego State, BYU may return to Mountain West

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    Boise State — along with two other teams — have reportedly discussed re-entering the Mountain West Conference. (Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images)

    Three former Mountain West Conference schools have all entered into discussions with the conference about possibly returning to the league, ESPN.com’s Brett McMurphy reported Monday.

    Boise State, San Diego State and BYU — which have all taken steps to leave the conference in the past two years — are the teams that have inquired about returning, according to the report.

    The inquiries follow a decision last week that awards an automatic major bowl berth to the highest-ranked team of the so-called “Group of Five” conferences — the Big East, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt. That means both the Mountain West and Big East are on an equal playing field for a major bowl berth.

    It also follows a hectic day of conference realignment that left the Big East potentially short two of its premier football teams. Rutgers is expected to announce a move to the Big Ten on Tuesday, and UConn could also announce a shift to the ACC on Tuesday.

    Because the Big East has now lost six teams in the last year alone, McMurphy reports that Boise State and San Diego State may be reconsidering their options:

    With the Big East losing two more schools and having the same playoff access as the Mountain West, Boise State and San Diego State are reconsidering their options. One of the main reasons both schools opted to join the Big East was the draw of more television revenue.

    The move would be attractive for BYU because the school currently has independent status. Joining the so-called “Group of Five” would make it easier for the school to earn a major bowl berth. However, McMurphy reports that it would need to be exempted from its contract with ESPN, which runs through 2018.


  • Published On Nov 20, 2012

    • Wyoming suspends coach Dave Christensen for a week, fines him $50,000

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    Wyoming suspended head football coach Dave Christensen for a week and fined him $50,000 for his actions after a 28-27 loss to Air Force on Oct. 13., reports the Casper Star-Tribune. 

    “It is important to send the right message to players for their actions,” Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman said.

    Christensen was informed of the decision Monday morning.  Assistant Pete Kaligis will coach the team this week. Christensen will not be allowed to attend practices or be in the team’s facilities leading to Saturday’s home game against No. 21 Boise State.

    Christensen apologized to the school, fans and players the day after the game and has since been reprimanded by the Mountain West Conference. Burman said the Christensen will be the coach next season and Wyoming president Tom Buchanan released a statement saying he supports the suspension and fining of Christensen.

    A video of Christensen’s exchange with Air Force coach Troy Calhoun was posted online on Thursday. As of Monday afternoon, the video had more than 105,000 views.

    The video starts with Christensen cursing in the direction of the Air Force team before meeting Calhoun for the postgame handshake. He accuses Calhoun of having quarterback Connor Dietz fake an injury to buy the Air Force staff extra time before the go-ahead touchdown. Christensen then continues his tirade by personally attacking Calhoun.

    “I’d be f—— scared to death if I had a f—– like you defending me,” Christensen told Calhoun.

    After being pulled away by his daughter toward the Wyoming locker room, Christensen finished by saying:

    “Go get in your f—— press conference, fly boy.”


  • Published On Oct 22, 2012

    • Report: Boise State still hasn’t officially withdrawn from Mountain West

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    Industry sources told Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com that Boise State still has not officially withdrawn from the Mountain West Conference in order to join the Big East for football in 2013, and that on July 1 the price to do so increases dramatically.

    Moreover, sources say that the Broncos remain in discussions with the MWC about remaining in that league long-term. The complicating factor is that if the football team moves to the Big East, the school may have no home for its remaining teams. There is an agreement in place with the Western Athletic Conference, but that league would have only four other members after the next school year, so Boise State is keeping its options open.

    If the Broncos withdraw by June 30, their exit fee would be only about $2.5 million. On July 1, that number would jump to potentially as much as $24 million.


  • Published On Jun 23, 2012

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