NBC 7’s Derek Togerson explains why San Diego State is leaving the Mountain West, and how the team hopes the move will impact the university beyond just the athletics department.
Questions about San Diego State's conference future are answered: the Aztecs are headed to a new look Pac-12.
The university announced the move early Thursday morning. San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State and Fresno State will join the remaining Pac-12 schools - Washington State and Oregon State - on July 1, 2026.
“We are ecstatic to be joining the Pac-12 Conference,” San Diego State director of athletics John David Wicker said in a statement released by the university. “While we are grateful to be a founding member of the Mountain West with 26 years of success in the conference, we are excited at what lies ahead with these new opportunities.”
The conference's rebuild begins with an expansion to six teams, and will continue before the 2026-2027 academic year. According to the Pac-12's announcement, "the collective six universities will collaboratively chart additional membership and other future conference considerations."
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The NCAA requires a conference to have eight programs in order to qualify as an FBS league.
“For over a century, the Pac-12 Conference has been recognized as a leading brand in intercollegiate athletics,” Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould stated. “We will continue to pursue bold cutting-edge opportunities for growth and progress, to best serve our member institutions and student-athletes. I am thankful to our board for their efforts to welcome Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, and San Diego State University to the conference. An exciting new era for the Pac-12 Conference begins today.”
The jump from Mountain West to Pac-12 will come at a steep cost. San Diego State will have to pay a $17 million dollar exit fee to the Mountain West. According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network the Mountain West would be owed a total of $111 million from the four Mountain West programs and the Pac-12. That is to pay off a previous schedule agreement along with exit fees.
Conversely, payout from a proposed media rights deal is believed to be more lucrative than the Mountain West's. WSU and Oregon State were also left with a considerable cash influx, splitting $65 million in a settlement with the programs that left the conference.
The Aztecs' conference future had been in limbo since the mass exodus of the Pac-12. San Diego State was expected to bolster the league and provide a Southern California presence after USC and UCLA departed for the Big Ten. Washington and Oregon's decision to follow led to the splintering of the conference, leaving the Cougars and Beavers as the only remaining athletic departments.
San Diego State has both programs on this year's football schedule. They lost to Oregon State 21-0 Saturday, and play the Cougs October 26. Former Pac-12 member Cal hosts SDSU this weekend.
