Report: San Diego State Likely Won’t Withdraw From Mountain West Conference
Jun 30, 2023, 3:02 PM
The Mountain West Conference and the logo of the San Diego State Aztecs attached to the corner endzone pylon prior to their season home opener against the Sacramento State Hornets at SDCCU Stadium on September 8, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports SDSU likely won’t withdraw to the Pac-12 yet and is expected to give notice to the MWC of their intent to stay.
As most will recall, all eyes have been curiously watching June 30 as it was the final day the Aztecs could pull out of the MWC without the exit fee nearly doubling from $16.5 million to $34 million for the 2024 season.
Thamel reported earlier this month that SDSU had sent a letter to the MWC letting them know of their “intent” to leave. The letter also appeared to feel out how flexible the Mountain West would be in working with the Aztecs on the exit fees in the event the Pac-12 wasn’t quite ready by the June 30 deadline.
Source: San Diego State is expected to deliver a notice to the Mountain West today that it will not withdraw from the league, as the school previously stated it intended to do. San Diego State plans to move forward as part of the Mountain West.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 30, 2023
Is This News Good Or Bad For Pac-12?
While it is hard to say for sure, the Pac-12 continues to send a message that they aren’t worried and seem to be on the verge of revealing something soon on their media rights. The Pac-12 is set to host their football Media Day in about three weeks in Las Vegas making July 21 another date with eyes firmly watching.
Pac-12 leadership reiterated that any expansion decisions will be made after a deal has been agreed to.
This puts San Diego State in a bind, as Aztecs must give Mountain West formal notice of withdrawal by today to avoid a doubling of the $17M exit fee for 2024 season.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 30, 2023
Ross Dellenger with Sports Illustrated Tweeted earlier in the day about a board meeting the Pac-12 had this morning that seems to indicate things are moving along positively for the Conference of Champions. Dellenger also reiterated the Pac-12’s stance that they always planned to have the media deal done before agreeing to expand.
Optimism appears to still be high that the Pac-12 will have a media deal they find agreeable with Pac-12 reporter John Canzano recently reporting the 10 remaining members have agreed upon a Grant of Rights. Just how much longer all of this will take and whether or not it will ultimately include SDSU and possibly SMU remains to be seen.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
