Why Boise State Football Will Lose Their Biggest Football Rival Next Year

Boise State Football can thank the Big 12 for taking away one of their fiercest and most-watched rivalries. The annual showdown beat the Broncos and BYU will end this year, according to Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey. Dickey announced while being interviewed by KTVB's Sports Director Jay Tust.

The loss of the BYU is a massive blow to the Boise State program. The series is one of the few that allows fans to drive to and from games. It has been one of the more popular games that national college football fans have watched over the years. This year's game was the most-watched of the season and was televised on ABC Television.  

Boise State Football became famous on ESPN's cable sports network for many years. The Mountain West Conference switched their distribution to the lesser viewed Fox Sports One this year. However, Boise State's game with BYU captured 680,000 fans, reports the Idaho Statesman.  

Boise State now finds itself alone with only rivals from the Mountain West to attract old and new fans. Some will argue that the semi-regular games between the Pac 12's Oregon and Oregon State will suffice. However, BYU/BSU is a particular rivalry that transcends sports. BYU is the flagship educational institution of the Latter Days Saints. Both Utah and Idaho have significant LDS populations.  

"They've been awesome," Dickey told Tust. He continued to say that the BYU program has done an outstanding job and has a lot of respect for BYU. Dickey noted that BYU has so many rivalries that moving to the Big 12 will eliminate a few teams. "When you look at us, Utah, Utah State, it's probably not realistic that they're going to be able to play us every year," Dickey said that he will expand the relationship between the two schools in other sports.