Mountain West makes decision on San Diego State

The San Diego State Aztecs found themselves in a precarious situation after they informed the Mountain West Conference last month that they intended to leave, presumably to join the Pac-12 Conference.

At the time, SDSU asked the Mountain West for a ‘one-month extension given the “unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control,” referring to the Pac-12’s ongoing media rights issues. The MWC took this notice as a formal withdrawal and withheld distribution of their latest revenue share.

However, when the Pac-12 failed to offer an invitation as it continues to deal with its broadcasting future, San Diego State had to come crawling back to the MWC.

Now, the conference has announced that it will accept the Aztecs back into the fold, albeit with some caveats.

The Mountain West has informed San Diego State that the school will remain a member, sources tell @YahooSports. 

The school will be responsible for covering fees that the conference expensed over legal work during a letter exchange with SDSU about its possible withdrawal.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 19, 2023

“The school will be responsible for covering fees that the conference expensed over legal work during a letter exchange with SDSU about its possible withdrawal,” SI’s Ross Dellenger reports.

Of course, this is all still pretty temporary. Presuming that the Pac-12 does figure out its media rights situation soon (which is a big presumption), it’s likely they’ll then consider expansion. Those plans will very likely include San Diego State.

Until then, San Diego State remains a member of the MWC in every sport except men’s soccer, women’s water polo, and women’s lacrosse.

[Ross Dellinger]