Years ago, a partnership between a dominant cable network and a fledgling college football program eventually captivated a nation. Boise State Football was synonymous with ESPN thanks to the leadership of Karl Benson, the commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference.

ESPN is the sports behemoth that you can't ignore; they're on cable, online, streaming, and every other source of sports distribution. Ask the NHL and NASCAR what it's like not to have a deal with ESPN. As popular as those two sports may be, they don't exist as the worldwide leader in sports.

CSU Stuns Boise State Photos

How it happened

Gallery Credit: Kevin Miller

This weekend's Boise State game is an example of another disturbing call by the power who run the Mountain West Conference. The old leadership team decided to leave ESPN for a package between Fox Sports and CBS Sports. The conference makes more money, but Boise State's fans get the short end of the stick.

This week's shot at redemption against Wyoming will not be televised on CBS Network, Fox Network, Fox Sports One, or the lowly irrelevant CBS Sports Network. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Two. Where is Fox Sports Two? ( Editor's note: I have every sports package known to man, and I don't have Fox Sports Two.)

Boise State fans will not be able to see whether or not their team rebounds from their disastrous loss at Colorado State. More folks will likely be tuned into the farming channel than FS2.

Fox Sports rarely promotes or covers games on that remote channel. It's a shame the Broncos aren't with ESPN. At least then, the game would matter, and fans would watch their team in action.

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