Whew, that was close.
Boise State had until 11:59 p.m. on June 30 to notify the Mountain West and its members that it was departing for the Big East for football.
Well, about two hours before that deadline hit, the Broncos finally did just that. Had they waited beyond the deadline, the Broncos would have owed the league an additional $5 million per the bylaws. Instead, the school will likely face a $2.5 million penalty while remaining an all-sports member for the 2012-13 year.
“There is no doubt that conference affiliation is a difficult and complex issue, but I am very pleased where we stand today and excited for the future prospects of all of our Bronco sports,” Boise State president Dr. Bob Kustra said in a statement.
BSU has reportedly been wavering on its commitment to joining the Big East for a while, presumably over the lack of a solid TV deal, loss of AQ status and uncertainty over where to put its non-football sports.
Where the Broncos will place those sports remains a mystery. BSU originally was set to put all Olympic sports in the WAC, but the inevitable demise of that conference led to reports that BSU was looking at the Big West conference for a home.
Officially, that issue has not been resolved; the more important one -- or, at least the more relevant to this site -- has. Finally.
(Hat tip: Idaho Statesman)