(02-23-2012 02:51 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(02-23-2012 02:42 PM)Wedge Wrote:  For Boise, the answer to that question was apparently zero, they told the Big East to pay every penny of it.

And for all the abuse that Marinatto takes for things that were really beyond his or anyone in the Big East's control, why is THIS the decision he gets a pass on?

Boise State football in the Big East would have been worth $10M for a year. After the West Virginia settlement, the money is there. The Mountain West bylaws allowed Boise to leave early for $$$. The WAC may dissolve as a football conference, but will play Olympic sports next year no matter what.

Instead, the Big East football teams get to play the mighty Temple Owls. Who will have to buy their way out of the MAC for $2.5M plus leaving-early money. Which could easily come close to what it would have cost to pay Boise's way out of the MWC.

If Temple pays half of their A-10/MAC exit money, then it's a good deal for the BE.

Boise football is more valuable to ESPN but ESPN wouldn't pay the BE a dime for having Boise in 2012 instead of 2013. The price for 2012 football TV rights is fixed.

For the three or four BE football teams that would have a home game vs. either Temple or Boise in 2012, would they really sell that many more tickets if Boise is the opponent? And, one of those teams with a Temple or Boise home game would be Pitt (assuming the new team takes WVU's place on the schedule), and we know the boys in Providence no longer care whether Pitt sells more football tickets.