College Football 2012: A Look at Boise State's Nike Deal to Gain Perspective

The Boise State Broncos are on the cusp of inking a new contract with big-time athletic shoe, equipment and apparel provider Nike, as the Swoosh looks to increase its hold on college football.

The deal itself contains several escalators and a clause that reduces payments should Chris Petersen elect to depart for greener pastures, according to ESPN's Kristi Dosh. Included in the deal itself:

• $850,000 in products and equipment for 2011-12 and 2012-13
• $1,000,000 in products and equipment for 2013-14 and 2014-15
• $1.15 million in products and equipment for 2015-16 and 2016-17
• $30,000 in cash payout for 2011-12 and 2012-13
• $40,000 in cash payout for 2013-14 and 2014-15
• $50,000 in cash payout for 2015-16 and 2016-17
• Bonuses of $25,000 for a BCS bowl appearance and winning a national title

Also included in the deal is an escalator of $75,000 for the Broncos, pending their 2013 move to the Big East—meaning that for 2013 through 2017, Boise State would add $75,000 to its products and equipment budget for those respective years.

All good stuff, as the Broncos increase their current deal, totaling $280,000 in product and cash, by over 300 percent. This money will help the Broncos' financials tremendously, and it couldn't come at a better time, as they step up to the Big East next season.

However, that deal they just signed doesn't even put them even with the Washington State Cougars. The Cougs banked $1.5 million from Nike in product and another $150,000 in cash payout.

That's not a slam for the Broncos; they are making more than the Oregon State Beavers and Cal as far as the West Coast Nike cash goes.

However, it does put the Nike game in perspective and show where the Broncos stand. Alabama is two years removed from getting a $2 million signing bonus while inking its big Nike deal. Michigan got $6.75 million from adidas for doing the same. The Tide is working with over $2.5 million in product and a $750,00 cash payout. 

Ultimately, this shows the big difference between the haves and the have-nots in the college football world.

Nike is in the business of not just winning, but selling—and while the Broncos have a boatload of wins, the scales that drive the marketing in collegiate athletics don't tip in their favor.

In terms of payout, that's evidenced by another big-time program that's still technically a mid-major: Memphis basketball. The Tigers pull in $400,000 in cash payout from the shoe company. As Nels Popp says in the Dosh article:

"

A single coach could indeed put a less prominent school in the spotlight, such as Gary Patterson at TCU, while the brand equity or brand recognition a storied program enjoys is certainly not as deeply impacted, marketability-wise, by coaching turnover.

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The money and marketing game is not all about on-field wins. Boise State has certainly elbowed its way into national respect from an on-field standpoint, but as the dollars show, many are still skeptical as to the Broncos' long-term staying power.