Pac-12 agrees to TV deal with CBS Sports. What does it mean for Boise State?

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — Boise State and the reimagined Pac-12 have finally secured a home for television and streaming starting in 2026.

On Monday, CBS Sports announced it had come to a deal with the Pac-12 for the network to be the conference’s primary long-term media partner for football and basketball through the 2030-31 season. Additional partners will be announced at a later date.

The deal will see all Pac-12 football and basketball games aired on the CBS Television Network, including the flagship CBS channel, CBS Sports Network and streaming on Paramount+.

“Our goal with this process was to find transformational partnerships for the new Pac-12, and throughout our discussions and time together, it became more and more clear that a partnership with CBS Sports would be just that,” Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould said in a news release.

What does that mean for Boise State and the rest of the conference? On one side, it means fans know they’ll be able to find most of Boise State’s Pac-12 games on TV for the next half decade.

However, when delving into the numbers involved in the deal, Boise State may only be on national television a couple of times a year.

The media deal guarantees that the conference’s football championship game and basketball tournament will air on CBS and Paramount+. Otherwise, the network will have to air a minimum of three football games and three basketball games per season, conference-wide, on CBS and Paramount+. If CBS Sports keeps to the minimum amount, that means about one football game per month and less than one basketball game per month for those seasons.

All other games will air on CBS Sports Network. The new deal also is multi-network, though, meaning Pac-12 teams can still appear on other networks, such as ESPN and FOX.

In 2025, Boise State football will appear on either ESPN, FOX or Fox Sports on eight occasions.

Where does the Pac-12 stand with membership?

Although a media rights deal now exists, the Pac-12 is still searching for an eighth football member to qualify it as a Football Bowl Subdivision conference.

The Pac-12 has eight committed members — Boise State, Washington State, Oregon State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State and Gonzaga — but Gonzaga is a basketball-only member, leaving the conference searching for at least one more football-playing school. According to ESPN, Texas State of the Sun Belt Conference is the current favorite to be added. ESPN reported that Texas State’s buyout from the Sun Belt rises from $5 million to $10 million on July 1, meaning that if the Pac-12 wants to avoid a significant price bump, an agreement would be needed by the end of June.