Mountain West Conference Rejects San Diego State Extension Request: Report
According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, San Diego State gave the Mountain West Conference written notice on Friday that it “intends to resign from the Mountain West Conference.” In light of SDSU working out details on where they might be headed next, the school additionally asked for a “one-month extension given unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control.”
While SDSU loosely formed a plan for extension approval, Thamel released an additional report on Monday afternoon saying that “The Mountain West conference sent an additional letter to San Diego State on Friday, informing the school ‘that at this time’ they will not approve any exceptions they requested.”
In Thamel’s original report, he explains that the withdrawal letter, which was sent from San Diego State President Adela de la Torre on June 13th, comes with complexities and prompted a concise back-and-forth between the league and SDSU. While the reports may sound like the two parties have reached the end, it is also important to note that SDSU informed the league that the letter sent on June 13th was “not the official notice of resignation.”
One of the main reasons that the Aztecs asked for the one-month extension was because of the massive increase in buyout fees. After June 30th, SDSU would have to pay the MWC nearly $34 million to leave the conference which is more than double the $16.5 million required prior to the date. To avoid the jump in exit fees, San Diego State would need to provide a one-year’s notice in order to leave the conference on July 1, 2024.
In Thamel’s newest report, he explained the Mountain West Conference will not approve any additional requests from San Diego State including “an additional month before departure, reduced exit fee or the ability to payout the exit fee in installments.”
In addition to the original request, Thamel reports that “The letter came in response to SDSU claiming it had not given formal notice of withdrawal. The MWC said in the latest letter that they do not accept SDSU’s claim that they have not given formal notice of resignation from the league.”
While the relationship between SDSU and the MWC appears to be a rocky one, one inside Mountain West source voiced his opinions on the situation telling Thamel, “They’re trying to find out what we’re willing to do. They want to see if the Mountain West Conference is going to handle this nicely. Well, that’s not going to happen. Everyone wants to find the best financial path for themselves, and it’s clunky.”
While we may not know what’s up next for SDSU, with conference alignment stories and drama between parties continuing to change on a seemingly daily basis, the San Deigo State saga will be an interesting one to follow.
