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I was one of these who took a "wait and see" approach to the Broncos new television situation. The Mountain Network has some decent programming, and I have come to enjoy a few of their shows. But, the lack of playing on ESPN is going to be a problem.

Commissioner Thompson of the Mountain West thinks the television deal the Mountain West has is great. I have to disagree.

Current Mountain West TV Deal Pros: More games on Saturday, and money

Current Mountain West TV Deal Cons: More games on Saturday, less exposure, less support, and less money

Let me explain... The only thing I ever hear positive about the current MWC television deal is that the teams can play more games on Saturday and it means guaranteed money for each school. Well, at first this sounds good. More attendance, fewer strange kickoff times, a regular check in the mail, etc.

But I don't think this is helping the conference. If you take into consideration the number of college football games going on each Saturday it seems many of the Mountain West games simply sink into the morass of the college football universe.

Some games on Saturday I understand, but every game? Does it really have to be that way? Is that really what is best for the conference or the Broncos?

When Boise State played consistently on ESPN, people watched. The fans knew exactly what channel they could tune in to see them play even if it was a Thursday night. Now, the typical conversation in Boise is, "Hey what channel does BSU play on this Saturday?" Answer, "Umm, I don't know for sure, Channel 600-something. I will search the guide."

Seriously, this is a conversation I heard several times last week. If BSU fans are having a hard time tuning in, who else is watching? Now, I realize BSU fans will learn the three different, or is it four, I don't know... BSU fans will learn which channels their beloved Broncos will play on, but that doesn't mean everyone else will.

Not only that, but in the recent past, Boise State fans have been some of the best educated college football fans around. This is due in part because when BSU does play on a Friday night, the fans watch every other big game on Saturday.

It has become a ritual for Bronco fans to watch their team on Thursday or Friday night and then enjoy watching everyone else and listening to what all the talking heads have to say on Saturday.

The other side effect of not playing on ESPN is that the Broncos really don't get talked about or hyped at all on ESPN any more. If you have noticed there is almost nothing said about them this season. This is a serious problem.

If the Broncos want to make it to the National Championship Game, they have to get covered. This could be the year for the Broncos to take a shot at it. I just think it will be nearly impossible without ESPN and their coverage.

Like it or not, ESPN helped to build the Broncos football program, and I think it now could be the very thing that could hold it back.

Why couldn't Commissioner Thompson spearhead a deal with ESPN? Is it because the MWC will get less money from the World Wide Leader than what they get in their current deal?

Well, I think even with less money up front it would pay bigger dividends when it is all said and done. The unmeasurable amounts of revenue it would create by repeated exposure, analyst hype, more coverage, and more visible games on television, would far surpass that of the current TV contract.

Of course, that is just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Let me know what you think.