If Boise State doesn't officially withdraw from the Mountain West by July 1, the school could owe the conference up to $24 million. That's according to the latest report from CBS Sports, which has the Broncos wary of withdrawing from the Mountain West due to the uncertainly surrounding the future of their non-football sports.
Related: Boise State's Non-Football Sports Are In The Fate Of The Big West
Boise State announced it would join the Big East as a football-only school in 2013 over six months ago. The school is set to have its other sports compete in the Western Athletic Conference, but the WAC has been torn apart by recent deflections that has left the conference with only five members in 2013.
If Boise State withdraws from the Mountain West by July 1, the school will only have to forfeit their final year's worth of league revenue, which is about $2.4 million. Here's CBS' explanation of how that number could go up if the university waits until after July 1:
Mountain West by-laws indicate if a school leaves with less than one year's notice -- which would happen if Boise State waits to officially withdraw after July 1 -- the school must forfeit its final year of league revenue plus pay an additional $5 million or double its final year of league revenue, whichever amount is larger. In that scenario, Boise State would lose a minimum of $7.5 million.
However, that number could triple if the Mountain West receives an exemption as a BCS automatic qualifying conference for the 2012 season. If the league receives the AQ exemption and Boise State wins the MWC in 2012 and earns the BCS bowl berth, it would forfeit a minimum of $8 million in league revenue and have to pay $16 million to the league, losing a total of about $24 million.
For more on Broncos football, visit Boise State blog One Bronco Nation Under God and SB Nation Denver. You can read more about conference realignment by following this StoryStream.
