They have not yet received a formal invitation to the Pac-12.
https://www.espn.com/college-sports...s-san-diego-st-tells-mountain-west-plans-exit
https://www.espn.com/college-sports...s-san-diego-st-tells-mountain-west-plans-exit
SDSU notifies MWC that it intends to leave but asks for a 1-month extension first
- Thread starter FeralFelidae
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@WestCoastWildcat used the wrong login for this post.
Joining the PAC12 has been a long-time dream for San Diego State and fans. With the departure of USC and UCLA the Aztecs have become an attractive target for the PAC12 as a SoCal anchor for the conference. The tv negotiations seem to be a sticking point delaying action by the PAC12. The Aztecs have been a dominant force in Mountain West athletics, esp men’s basketball and to a lesser extent in football. Travel to eastern MW colleges for Aztec teams and fans has been expensive and difficult at times and they have had to play at altitude at venues like Air Force. SDSU has been looking at opportunities to exit the MW for decades now. The time is ripe to leave esp with their recent success in the big dance and their excellent athletic facilities including a new football stadium makes them an attractive partner for another conference. It looks like exiting will come at a steep cost and the other MW schools are not going to be too generous in allowing SDSU to leave. Stay tuned.
If you were a boss or Human Resources, what would you do if an employee handed you a letter telling you that they intended to resign; but the letter was, in fact, not their resignation notice?
It’s “I resign” with a big “*” !!
* (when we agree to minimize my exit fees and maximize the $$ I feel owed to me by the conference as I go out the door.)
There is a tangential issue between San Diego and the PAC12 as well with the cancellation of the prior Holiday Bowl. Many of those involved in the Holiday Bowl are also SDSU alums and supporters. The Holiday Bowl org is withholding millions in payment to the PAC12 from last years bowl game because of UCLA’s last minute cancellation from the previous year because of COVID cases among Bruin team members, esp. their d-line. I believe is the Holiday Bowl fiasco must be a factor holding up SDSU’s invite to the PAC12 that may be in the process of being resolved behind the scenes. I suspect SDSU supporters and other locals involved are pressuring the PAC12 to settle this dispute with the Holiday Bowl as part of a deal admitting SDSU into the conference. The PAc12 tv deal needs to get done too. SoCal is a huge tv market and the PAC12 has to deal with USC and UCLA leaving for the BigTen and how that impacts the tv market and new contract.
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That is like breaking up with your girlfriend but asking for one more month of handjobs.
You're saying that's a bad approach? (It seemed a good idea to me at the time, but that was quite a while back. Times change.)
Interesting analogy.
I think it’s like a certain QB supposedly secretly committing for 5 minutes, but then moving while maybe still being secretly committed… or not?
Not that this hasn’t happened to us repeatedly the past few years…
San Diego State pulls a Constanza...pretends it didn't quit:
The Mountain West will always be a winner.
The Mountain West will always be a winner.
SDSU will eventually exit the Mountain West. The timing was bad with the exit fees and the potential for losing out on the money the Aztecs generated for the conference with their appearance in the NCAA finals. The question is the viability of the PAC12 and their ability to nail down a tv deal with the departure of USC and UCLA. It will be interesting to see if the PAC12 can avoid imploding. If the PAC12 stays together then SDSU will be a member at some point. Right now they don’t have an option to move on without the PAC12 striking a deal for a new conference media contract.
Yep. The SDSU president has been kicked off the MW council of presidents and consideration of SDSU’s “status” will be considered at their next meeting. SDSU’s annual distribution of around $6M is being withheld and is being applied to the exit fee around $17M. The attorneys are now involved so court case(s) will be filed. The new head of the Mountain West is playing hardball but the long game is that SDSU will be gone from the conference in 2 years.
So what is SDSU’s plan if neither the PAC12 nor BIG12 extend an invitation?
Will they go the UConn route?
I don’t see SDSU going solo, it’s just that the Mountain West has not been a good fit for them- the PAC12 would be ideal *if* it can survive. SDSU is in a waiting game now and is staying in the MW by default it appears for at least the next 2 years. Their appearance in the NCAA championship game brought recognition and $10M in additional revenue to the MW so it seems a bit greedy on the other members to take the cash while kicking out the Aztecs. It’s such a fluid situation with the PAC12 and if other members like OR & WA will join the BigTen. Maybe jumping the gun on exiting will cost them in the short run. The MW will be weaker without them- the Aztecs have been the premier basketball program in the MW. I’m not a fan of the MW and hope the Aztecs can find an “escape clause” to exit and join with the PAC12 or the Big12. Going solo is not in the cards for them. Another less likely possibility that has not been mentioned is joining the BigWest Conference which contains other Cal State and UC schools like UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara with smaller athletic program budgets.
I follow several of the college sports talking heads on Youtube, ESPN and so forth. I think at last count that the Big 12 had cooled on San Diego State, because of a feeling of not being able to get the financials to work out right. The Big 12 is expansionist, but more focused on the likes of Colorado and Arizona. Hence, it makes since that San Diego State has focused on the PAC XX.
San Diego State may struggle with the MW exit fee when they eventually leave unless they get some help from the new conference they join. It was originally a “teachers college” but has broadened its scope of research over time. UC San Diego, while a much younger institution, has a much larger budget and endowment than SDSU. The UCSD endowment is over $1 Billion while SDSU’s is maybe a third of that.( I looked up NU’s endowment which is over $6 B!) The Aztecs could really use the boost in revenue by joining another conference. They have a decent alumni base but have not had a great record in fundraising compared to UCSD. Their athletic facilities are excellent and worthy of a Big5 conference.
