San Diego State Gives Notice It Plans to Leave Mountain West

Does that mean the Aztecs intend to join the Pac-12 after USC and UCLA leave for the Big Ten?

San Diego State has officially begun the process of leaving the Mountain West Conference, according to an ESPN.com report on Friday, but does that mean the Aztecs will be joining the Pac-12?

Possibly, but not necessarily. Rumors and reports about San Diego State’s conference destination have linked the Aztecs to both the Pac-12 and Big 12. It probably depends on which conference wants San Diego State more and which offers more money.

To be clear, the Aztecs have not left the Mountain West yet. ESPN.com reported that San Diego State has submitted a written notice to its conference that it "intends to resign from the Mountain West Conference.”

And there is deadline pressure for the Aztecs to get the departure from the MWC finalized by June 30. If San Diego State formally leaves the conference after that date the reported exit fee of $17 million will double.

The ESPN.com article reports that there does not seem to be any formal invitation to San Diego State from a Power Five conference. But behind-the-scenes conversations might be taking place to measure the school's interest in joining a particular conference and the conference's interest in adding that school.

There is no clear indication whether the Pac-12 would invite San Diego State to join the Pac-12 when USC and UCLA leave for the Big Ten in the summer of 2024. But it certainly seems like the Pac-12 would want to add San Diego State to partially offset the loss of the two southern California schools.

San Diego State would give the Pac-12 a presence in southern California even if it is a bit further south than Los Angeles.

San Diego State would seem to satisfy any academic standards the Pac-12 would like to impose on new members, and San Diego is the 27th-largest market, bigger, for example, than Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Las Vegas, among others.

Plus the Aztecs bring a level of football and basketball talent that would enhance the Pac-12’s reputation in both. San Diego State has played in bowl games in each of the past 12 seasons, excluding the pandemic-shorted 2020 season, and the Aztecs basketball team reached the NCAA tournament championship game this year, beating No. 1-ranked Alabama along the way.

The timing of San Diego State’s notice that it plans to leave is interesting. It suggests that the Aztecs have already made up their mind as to which conference they intend to join.  It may also indicate that the Pac-12 is aware of the approximate value of the media-rights contract that it will sign and has provided the Aztecs with those numbers.

The addition of San Diego State -- and perhaps another school, like SMU – to the Pac-12 would seem to help Cal on several levels.  As of now the Golden Bears find themselves in an uncomfortable limbo with the future of the Pac-12 unclear.

Cover photo of San Diego State celebrating its win over Alabama is by Jamie Rhodes, USA TODAY Sports

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