San Diego State leaves the MWC: Will SDSU join the Big 12 or PAC-12?

After much deliberation, it is official: San Diego State is leaving the Mountain West Conference.

SDSU has been a member of the MWC since its inception in 1999. One of their more credible members, San Diego State has won multiple Mountain West Conference Championships in football, baseball, and basketball. Most recently, they were a "Cinderella Squad" reaching the NCAAB Men's Final Four in 2022.

Details of San Diego State exiting the MWC

Creighton v SDSU

SDSU informed the Mountain West Conference they intend to resign from the league. While officials have not stated what conference the school will attend next, we do have details of what that resignation will look like.

San Diego State asked for a "one-month extension given unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control." This was reported by Pete Thamel of ESPN.

In the letter, SDSU asked to halve the notice to one year and withhold any exit payments, which is customary for any exiting programs of the conference. The price that SDSU is trying to avoid could reach up to $16-17 million, according to Brett McMurphy.

Will SDSU join the Big 12 or Pac-12?

SDSU left the MWC without a true partner under the pretense that there would be a fight for their membership.

However, according to Brett McMurhpy's tweet shared above, the Pac-12 will not look to add members until their upcoming and long-awaited media deal inks the dotted line.

So SDSU left the door open to rejoin the MWC. In a way, they basically asked for a "break" in hopes of finding a better partner. Currently, San Diego State makes $4 million annually in media deal payouts.

Last year, the Pac-12 paid out $37 million to every member. That would be why SDSU is testing the waters.

The Pac-12 seems like a perfect fit. The Aztecs are in geographical proximity to many of the conference's members. They have common knowledge between fanbases.

But the Pac-12 is not the only interested party.

The Big 12 has reportedly been looking to expand into the Southwest after Oklahoma and Texas leave in 2024. What better than a city with nearly 3.3 million people that has a program with a brand new stadium?

While the Big 12 looks to be more interested in the four corner schools, if they were to fall through San Diego State may be the next best possible option.

Now SDSU has roughly 30 days to decide which way they will go.