College football realignment: Pac-12 target San Diego State intends to resign from Mountain West conference, per report
San Diego State has informed the Mountain West conference that it intends to resign from that league in a bombshell development amid continued college football conference realignment speculation, according to ESPN insider Pete Thamel.
The school asked the Mountain West for a “one-month extension given unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control.”
While the letter apparently makes clear what SDSU's intentions are, it does not count as a formal letter of resignation.
Should it leave the Mountain West conference, San Diego State would need to give the league a one-year notice in order to withdraw by next June.
But should it wait past June 30, the school's exit fee would increase from $16.5 million to almost $34 million, according to the report.
Notable timing
The news comes as San Diego State has emerged as a potential target for the Pac-12 to add after that conference loses USC and UCLA in time for the 2024 football season and clamoring for some stability as it scouts a new media contract and potential new members.
However, the Pac-12 is not believed to have extended a formal invitation to San Diego State or any other school at this time, according to media reports.
Pac-12 has been trying to expand
If it were to move into San Diego, the Pac-12 would still not be able to recover its lost territory in the highly-coveted Los Angeles media market, the second-largest in the country after New York.
But the league would add a school that makes geographic sense and has performed well in the major revenue sports in recent years.
SDSU opened a new football stadium last season and won the Mountain West football title in three years recently, and the school's basketball team just posted a 32-6 record and played for the NCAA national championship, losing to UConn.
(Thamel)
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks