Report: San Diego State Puts In Notice With Mountain West Conference

SALT LAKE CITY – For months there has been speculation San Diego State may be heading to the Pac-12 and according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, it looks like the Aztecs are setting things in motion for a potential exit from the Mountain West Conference.

According to Thamel’s report, SDSU gave the MWC their notice of intent to leave the conference on Tuesday, June 13. Thamel says in his report that the letter the MWC received from San Diego State was not an official resignation.

While not currently being labeled as official, this appears to be another important step forward for both the Pac-12 and Aztecs after months of rumors there was mutual interest, though Thamel also noted as of now, it does not appear SDSU has an official invite to any Power Five conference. (It feels important to add that there has also been some talk of San Diego State potentially joining the Big 12 as well.)

Sources: San Diego State gave the Mountain West written notice this week that the school “intends to resign from the Mountain West Conference.” SDSU asked the Mountain West for a “one-month extension given unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond…

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 16, 2023

Another important note in this report is that in order for SDSU to leave the MWC with a lower exit fee ($16.5 million versus $34 million), they needed to let their old conference know their intentions before June 30, 2023.

Are We Close To An Ending To The Pac-12 Media Rights Saga?

The answer to that question remains to be determined, though it does feel like we are starting to see things settle down as June 30 quickly approaches. SDSU’s recent move feels like it could be another signal of the end, but there are still a lot of questions to be answered from both the Pac-12 and Big 12 before the dust completely settles on the topic.

The biggest question that still remains obviously revolves around what the Pac-12 TV deal will look like and will it be satisfactory to the remaining 10 members of the conference? Optimism appears to still be high on that front with Pac-12 reporter John Canzano recently reporting the 10 remaining members have agreed upon a Grant of Rights.

Still, at least publicly, there has been no indication from the Pac-12 yet that they actually have a media deal fully done.

That knowledge makes one other piece of Thamel’s report particularly interesting as he indicated the Aztecs also asked for a one-month extension in case of, “unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control.”

Here is the question I asked and the answer I received from SDSU's head softball coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz on her perspective of where the Aztec Athletic Department as a whole is at: pic.twitter.com/KtVURjnhQW

— Michelle Bodkin (@BodkinKSLsports) May 28, 2023

Update From Pete Thamel On San Diego State

According to an updated report from Pete Thamel on Monday afternoon, San Diego State does not look like they will be receiving any “exceptions” from the Mountain West Conference.

Thamel says per his sources the MWC sent the Aztecs a letter Friday informing them they will not be approving their request for an extra month before departure, reduced exit fee payment, or to pay out the exit fee in installments.

The letter came in response to SDSU claiming it had not given formal notice of withdrawal. The MWC said in the latest letter that they do not accept SDSU’s claim that they have not given formal notice of resignation from the league.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 19, 2023

This is just one more interesting piece of a year-long puzzle that we will continue to watch as things play out.

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

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