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Big East drama will impact Boise State
TV deal will likely suffer from latest departures
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Big East departures will affect Boise State Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com
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The Big East is quickly becoming the Big Least.
The conference's seven catholic non-FBS schools met with Commissioner Mike Aresco Thursday morning to discuss their future in the league, and have agreed to defect from the Big East.
Depaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova will all leave the conference, although the means in which they do so haven't been determined yet.
The seven schools are likely to form a new league, taking with them an automatic qualifying berth to the NCAA tournament. Contrary to some previous reports, the group cannot dissolve the conference, but the seven can leave without paying exit fees if they wait 27 months to do so.
As a result of all the uncertainty in the Big East, the Boise State football program will be affected in some capacity. According to an ESPN source, the departure of the catholic basketball powerhouses will de-value the upcoming Big East TB deal by 15 to 20 percent. That television contract is still up in the air, with recent estimations of its worth ranging from $60 to $80 million.
Boise State Athletic Director Mark Coyle said earlier this week that once he gets the final information on the deal, he will weigh its impact on the football program and proceed from there.
"TV is such an important part of college athletics right now," noted Coyle. "We've talked 100 times about all the different media deals out there, and you see the impact that TV has on college athletics. I think it's forced college athletics to adjust and become more flexible."
Coyle added, "At the end of the day, we can't forget they're students."
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