Could Boise State Leave the Mountain West?

After a successful season for Head Coach Bryan Harsin and his Boise State Broncos, it seems that drama is now ensuing over at the Athletic Department.  Boise State, who fared well overall with just two losses on the season (one in a bowl game to former head coach Chris Petersen) won the Mountain West Conference with dominance this year but it hasn't ALWAYS been the case since joining. Formerly of the Western Athletic Conference, or the 'WAC', when Boise State joined the Mountain West they were the gem of the conference. It seems now, a far more competitive Mountain West Conference doesn't look to Boise State to be it's 'pie in the sky' any longer.

Just a couple of weeks ago the conference announced that ESPN would be no more and the conference would be dealing with CBS and FOX for televised games. While the deal meant a lot more money, many worried that ESPN simply carries more exposure. Boise State, when they joined the Mountain West Conference, were granted permission to negotiate their own TV deals no matter which direction the conference took. Now, Boise State is preparing to fight the Mountain West Conference over its decision to end that liberty to negotiate for home games when the new contract ends in 2025.

In a statement released by Boise State, the closing paragraph felt pretty aggressive. In it, the Athletic Department states "We will not support any change to this provision and are in the process of weighing our options to move forward".

It sounds a little cryptic and VERY serious. Could Boise State be thinking it's time to move to a new conference? Could it mean that FINALLY the Pac 12 is an option? Is Boise State as "special" as it once was? Only time will tell, but it seems that change is very possible.