By Chris Murray, Reno (Nev.) Gazette-Journal

Three hours before Nevada officially entered the Mountain West, Boise State sent a notice to all 10 members of the conference saying, "Goodbye."

It was a letter officials at Nevada were hoping wouldn't arrive.

In the months and weeks leading up to Boise State's decision — whether to stay in the MWC or head to the Big East in football and send its other programs to another league — the Wolf Pack brass wanted the Broncos to stay put.

"I really think Boise State belongs in the Mountain West. There's no question about it," Nevada football coach Chris Ault said days before the Broncos opted to leave the conference. "I just think we've played them so many times, and the tradition of the schools playing each other over the years has been a lot of fun."

Well, that tradition is gone and so too is the MWC's top football program. The conference's top basketball program, San Diego State, also leaves after this season.

Boise State made the decision official Sunday with an announcement that it will remain a football-only member of the Big East. There was speculation that Boise State would try to get out of its commitment to the Big East to stay in a conference closer to home.

Instead, the school said it is negotiating with the Big West for its other sports programs.

"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 Bob Kustra said.

Nonetheless, Wolf Pack athletics director Cary Groth is confident the move was a huge step forward for Nevada. Not only does it boost the Wolf Pack's annual revenue and cut travel costs, it also gives Nevada stability. Groth also said the MWC's future is bright despite the losses of schools like Utah, BYU, TCU, Boise State and San Diego State over the past couple of years.

The 2013-14 MWC will consist of five teams in the WAC last season, including Nevada, Fresno State, Hawaii (football only), Utah State and San Jose State. It also will have five MWC holdovers, including Air Force, UNLV, Colorado State, New Mexico and Wyoming.

None of those schools has the national appeal of Boise State, but commissioner Craig Thompson said he likes the geographical fit and ideological similarity of this 10-institution conference heading forward.

"This is very similar to 1999 when we started the Mountain West Conference," Thompson said. "We have like-minded institutions. Some of these people have been playing for 100 years against each other. The geographic fit is good. The opportunity to do things in a similar fashion. These are large, in some cases, land-grant institutions, and they have similar philosophies academically and athletically, and I think that blend is going to be a great asset."

Contributing: Wire reports