Is San Diego State leaving Mountain West or not? The school’s action last week in expressing its intention to withdraw from the conference may have set off a false start for another realignment, and the Aztecs may have inadvertently put themselves in an awkward position.
Here’s what we know.
How do you leave Mountain West?
The league’s charter provides a one-year notice period until June 30 for a resignation of “an amount equal to three times the average distribution payment per member conference for the previous year.” That number would be around $17 million. Canceling after June 30 to leave the following year doubles the fee to approximately $34 million.
These exit conditions were last agreed by the league members in April 2021. It is believed that the fees listed would help offset the change in television revenue that may result from the loss of a member, with the intention of keeping all members of the league financially healthy.
What Did San Diego State Tell Mountain West?
Last week, San Diego State President Adela de la Torre sent a letter to the other 11 Mountain West presidents and Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, indicating that the state of San Diego intends to exit the conference and about wanted to discuss extending the conference’s June 30 exit fee deadline by another month, or perhaps lowering the fee or paying it over a longer period.
Since the letter was sent to all league presidents, the rest of Mountain West interpreted it as SDSU’s official exit from the league. The constitution of the conference requires “a written notice to the conference and the other members not later than June 30”.
After Mountain West responded to San Diego State that it accepted the school’s termination the next year, SDSU responded by stating that their first letter was not an official termination, but rather an attempt to have a discussion of the possibilities A possible Pac-12 invitation date is unknown.
What about the Pac-12?
The Pac-12 hoped to finalize its new media rights deal by December of last year. That tentative deadline has been pushed back time and time again, and suddenly it is facing San Diego State’s ideal departure date to leave Mountain West for the 2024-25 academic year. Athletic director JD Wicker has said in the past that San Diego State likely won’t be able to pay the $34 million transfer fee.
San Diego State doesn’t appear to have a formal Pac-12 invitation at this time, but if it did receive one, it would rather make the move for 2024-25. The Pac-12 has claimed that they would like to finalize their media rights deal before adding members. It’s also not clear what the Pac-12 will look like after that deal closes, as Colorado and Arizona have been eyed by the Big 12.
The fact that the state of San Diego has asked for an extension of Mountain West’s deadline does not indicate that an invitation from the Pac-12 will arrive by June 30. (The Athletic’s Max Olson has reported that the Big 12 and SDSU do not see each other as priorities at the moment).
so what now?
For now, Mountain West is acting as if San Diego State will officially exit next year’s conference. The bylaws provide for a school to resign from the MWC Board of Directors immediately upon announcing its exit from the league. As a result, de la Torre has been removed from the board for the time being, the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported, and SDSU’s estimated $6 million annual conference payout is to be withheld as part of the exit fee. The problem: SDSU currently has nowhere to go for the next year.
There is nothing forcing Mountain West to extend the exit fee deadline or lower the fee. It’s unclear if the board will even be able to meet to discuss it before the June 30 deadline, as university presidents typically take vacations at this time of year. Mountain West has adjourned comment to San Diego State, indicating the school needs to address the issue. SDSU has not commented.
What about SMU?
Pac-12 officer George Kliavkoff visited SMU’s campus in the spring, and the Mustangs are considered strong candidates for further Pac-12 expansion. But any possible move there also requires the conclusion of the media rights agreement, on which the league can assess the standing of its members.
An AAC source said the conference had received no communication from SMU comparable to the communication from San Diego State last week. The AAC has a 27-month notice period and a $10 million exit fee, though that schedule has historically been downplayed by outgoing members like UConn, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston.
The conference realignment was paused awaiting the conclusion of the Pac-12 media rights deal. To explore all options, the state of San Diego suddenly needs to repair some fences in order to remain, albeit temporarily, in Mountain West. Otherwise, we can only hope that a Power 5 invitation will appear soon.
(Photo: David Becker/Getty Images)