College football expansion: Big 12 rules out 1 team for realignment

Despite the Big 12 wanting to expand its conference, one school appears to be out of the picture

The ongoing process of college football conference expansion and realignment seems to have centered around San Diego State, and not for the right reasons. After sending a letter to the Mountain West indicating its interest in leaving after the 2023 season, it appears one conference is out of the picture.

Big 12 officials are not interested in adding SDSU to their conference, according to CBS college football insider Dennis Dodd. That decision comes even after Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark teased his league's expansion plans in recent weeks.

That appears to leave San Diego State now without a benefactor as it looks to ideally join a Power Five conference in the future. On top of the Big 12 appearing to be out of the picture, it also looks like the Pac-12 could be out, at least in the short term, as that conference is still working behind the scenes to get itself a new media contract.

Insiders contend that SDSU sent its original letter to the Mountain West, and had asked for the extension to make that decision official, because there was some possibility that the Pac-12 would get its deal done in time and then extend an invitation to the school to join at some point after that.

But as the June 30 deadline passed, and the MWC declined to offer that extension, doubling its exit fee from $16 million to $34 million, the school decided to stay in the conference after all. 

That is, if they'll have the Aztecs now.

That's because the Mountain West interpreted San Diego State's letter to be a declaration that they have in fact left the conference, and to that end has withheld the school's $6.6 million distribution this year as part of the full exit fee it's now demanding.

SDSU has maintained its letter was merely to express an intention to leave, and believes itself to be a member of the Mountain West, which, in turn, believes the school has left the conference, effective July 1, 2024.

The matter should be addressed when MWC presidents have a meeting on July 17, but right now, with 50 days to go until football season, San Diego State's conference affiliation after 2023 appears to be up in the air.

College football expansion rumor mill up to now

SEC would consider 2 ACC schools

Big Ten scouts up 10 teams for expansion

Big 12 teases new expansion plans

Oregon, Washington have talks with Big Ten

Momentum on Colorado, Big 12 reunion

Seven ACC teams looking into options

ACC responds with bold plan amid expansion rumors

Finebaum predicts major conference could collapse

(CBS)

---

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | All Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks