By Stewart Mandel, Chris Vannini, Nicole Auerbach and Max Olson
San Diego State informed the Mountain West in a letter Tuesday it intends to resign from the conference, a source briefed on the matter confirmed to The Athletic, in anticipation of joining a Power 5 conference that’s widely assumed to be the Pac-12.
With a fast-approaching June 30 deadline to give notice in time for a 2024 departure, the school has requested a one-month extension before giving official notice. After June 30, its exit fee to leave in 2024 would double from around $17 million to around $34 million.
The Pac-12’s negotiations for a new media rights deal have dragged on longer than anticipated and may not be completed by the end of the month. Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff and other league officials have repeatedly stated they will not extend any expansion invitations until the revenue numbers from the next deal are finalized.
A source briefed on the matter said it’s unclear why the Mountain West would agree to extend the smaller exit fee.
A source briefed on the exchange said the the intent behind San Diego State’s initial letter was not to officially withdraw from the Mountain West, but the Mountain West took it as such. The SDSU letter was sent to all of the league’s university…
