Tensions With SDSU Remaining in the Mountain West
SDSU Athletics
San Diego, California (PSF) - The Mountain West conference and San Diego State University have resolved their off-the-field athletic drama for the time being. The MW had claimed that SDSU was leaving the conference after receiving an official notice to do so after this season’s sports calendar. However, SDSU insisted that it had not given any such notice and had been pursuing membership in a Power Five conference, possibly the Pac-12.
After a year of speculation, SDSU will remain a member of the MW, a group of five consortium schools. The issue was a significant topic of interest at the MW’s annual Football Media Days in Las Vegas, where conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez addressed the situation during her opening speech.
The process to resolve the matter required a special board meeting of MW presidents and Nevarez, but not SDSU President Adela de la Torre, who had been excluded by the conference based on the belief that the university’s correspondence was a resignation.
As part of the resolution, SDSU will receive its conference payment which amounts to $6.6 million. This payout is the university’s share of the receipts related to how MW teams performed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Payouts were significantly boosted due to SDSU’s historic run in the March Madness tournament.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that SDSU will also cover legal expenses and agree not to use a flurry of letters exchanged between the parties to reduce any exit fee to the conference in 2024-2025. Despite speculation and anticipation by Aztec alumni, an invitation to join the Pac-12 conference has not materialized for SDSU.
The Pac-12 has not shown any indication of expansion talks while negotiating a new TV rights deal, amid challenges in the media landscape, including cord-cutting and reduced ratings.
Nevarez praised SDSU from the podium and stated that the MW is better with the university in the fold, despite the conference’s previous tough stance. She acknowledged that conference realignment is a shifting landscape, and while schools and athletic directors look out for their best interests, her job is to look out for the best interest of the MW.
SDSU clarified in its statement that any legal fees will come from funds distributed from TV and conference revenues, not state funds, tuition, or student fees. The university reiterated that it had never formally exited the MW and is not paying an exit or entry fee. The funds owed to SDSU are a result of its national Final Four run, and after paying the legal expenses, there is not net loss or cost to the university.
