3. San Diego State
US News & World Report University Ranking: 143
Enrollment: 35,000
Media Market: 27
Pac-12 Expansion Fit: It didn’t make sense a few years ago, but it certainly does now.
The school itself is getting stronger and better, geographically it’s an obvious fit with the LA schools, Arizona State and Arizona, and then there’s the hidden gem that makes it crazy that the Pac-12 hasn’t made this happen yet.
The place doesn’t have a pro football team anymore.
It’s not that San Diego isn’t into sports, and it certainly has the population, but obviously there are other things to do in one of the most beautiful-weather places on the planet. However, there’s a marketing play here after the Chargers bolted up to Los Angeles.
The Aztec basketball program instantly ups the the conference profile, and even better, the Pac-12 would own football in a good-sized media market.
That’s it. That’s the dream.
Of course people in San Diego still care about the NFL and like the Chargers and Raiders, but along with Sacramento, Orlando, and Portland, it would be one of the biggest media markets without a direct tie to the NFL.