San Diego State to Resign from the Mountain West Conference: Report
According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, San Diego State has given the Mountain West written notice that it “intends to resign from the Mountain West Conference.”
Thamel also reports that SDSU is asking for a “one-month extension given unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control.”
At this time, there is not an invitation on the table for San Diego State to join a Power Five conference, although talks with the Pac-12 and Big 12 have been reported.
In Thamel’s report, he explains that the withdrawal letter, which was sent from San Diego State President Adela de la Torre on June 13, comes with complexities and prompted a concise back-and-forth between the league and SDSU. It is also worth noting that SDSU informed the league that the letter sent on June 13 was “not the official notice of resignation.”
After June 30, the exit fee to leave the Mountain West would increase from around $16.5 million to nearly $34 million. In order to avoid that hike in cost, SDSU would need to give a year’s notice in order to leave the conference on July 1, 2024, hence the June 30th deadline.
San Diego State appears to be weighing all of its options in the event that the Pac-12 television deal isn’t done by June 30, which at this point seems like a foregone conclusion, and that’s the reason for the request for a one-month extension.
In addition to the extension, SDSU is asking the league to be open to discussing the exit fee, as well as a four-year installment plan to be considered if/when the Aztecs do leave the conference. As of now, th buyout fee would be owed before they left in June of 2024, which would also include the league withholding payments to the school.
Thamel also reports that the Mountain West responded to San Diego State on June 14, informing them that they would accept the letter of withdrawal and the consequences of withdrawing had begun.
That response elicited an exchange from SDSU to clarify that the June 13 letter was not an official resignation, but a request for a month extension.
“They’re trying to find out what we’re willing to do,” said a Mountain West source told Thamel. “They want to see if the Mountain West Conference is going to handle this nicely. Well, that’s not going to happen. Everyone wants to find the best financial path for themselves, and it’s clunky.”
