ESPN is citing sources saying SDSU is withdrawing from the Mountain West Conference, though they don’t have an public offer from any other conference yet.
Could this be the Pac-12’s bid to save itself?
Mike Nolan
They have been in the short list for additions to the Pac 12 ,having had both solid football and basketball teams in recent years. Also they recently had the former top punter in the country have his criminal rape and assault charges dropped or dismissed. Never looks good to be adding a team with that kind of baggage.
Harry
I think you’re correct in that assumption … SDSU is a desperate attempt to cling to the SoCal market on the Pac 12 footprint. I’m sure they’ll make overtures to others as well, but the problem is that Fresno State, Boise State, New Mexico or other options just can’t replace SC and UCLA. And with some of the other schools with one foot out the door to the Lil’ XII or begging to be let into the new Big Ten with their Nike Sugardaddy and other alums, I’m not sure how the Pac 12 survives in this new college landscape.
The one road I could see for them is to go the Big East route and just forget about focusing on football and look for hoops. SDSU is a solid program. Add Gonzaga perhaps? You could still have football (add Boise to keep the northern football schools interested), but focus on the other sports with hoops as the main showcase. That might appeal to schools like Stanford, Arizona and others to stay in the fold? It’s a hail mary, but it might be all the Pac 12 has left after losing its two most storied football programs (yes, I know UDub and Oregon have cache too and have been better than UCLA recently, but they’re not SC/UCLA yet in name brand).
We’ll see. I’d still prefer to see 4 or so more Pac 12 teams join up in a Big Ten West pod. For selfish reasons, I wouldn’t mind U of A and ASU hopping aboard either for more west coast NU games … but I think they’re more likely to go Lil’ XII.
GO CATS!!!
-SjT
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog@yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
I think the Pac Ten is in better position than the Big 12 as there are more name teams.
Obviously if you get the opportunity to jump ship to the B1G or SEC you are in the best position, but I think the primary state school in big states will be okay no matter what.
When the music stops and the D1 playoff shakeout is done Washington, Oregon, Arizona or ASU, Utah, Colorado, etc. will be in that group.
It appears San Diego State is waiting for some conference, presumably the Pac-12, to finalize its media contract and/or offer a seat at the table, so they’ve asked the MWC for a one-month extension to the June 30th deadline for notifying the conference formally about withdrawing. The MWC isn’t being cooperative. (The exit fee goes up substantially on July 1st.)
SDSU has now told the Mountain West that they do not want to withdraw from the conference. Whether the MW will go along with that is far from certain. SDSU was (apparently) hoping for an invitation from another conference, presumably the Pac-12.