REPORT: Mountain West won’t grant San Diego State an extension

The #Aztecs wanted more time to organize their departure from the conference, but the MWC isn’t buying it. Drama-rama!

This is not surprising. The Mountain West Conference is putting its foot down.

You probably know by now that San Diego State sent a letter to the Mountain West earlier in June, requesting an extension for its desired departure from the conference. The extension relates to a June 30 date by which San Diego State must leave or pay an added exit fee of close to $17 million. San Diego State wants more time to arrange its exit from the Mountain West, probably because the Pac-12 hasn’t yet finalized a media rights deal.

The Mountain West is not going to accommodate San Diego State in that regard.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on Monday that the Mountain West will not grant San Diego State any such extension. This move, which should not come as a shock to anyone, puts more pressure on San Diego State to act quickly — by June 30 — to avoid the hefty additional exit fee.

San Diego State claims that its letter earlier in June was not a formal resignation from the Mountain West Conference, but according to Thamel’s Monday report, the MWC is treating San Diego State’s letter as a formal notice of departure.

One obvious point to make, among many others, is why San Diego State waited until the middle of June to send that first letter. Yes, the Aztecs are trying to buy extra time. That much is clear. However, sending a letter earlier in the year rather than just a few weeks before the June 30 deadline might have given the Mountain West more time to consider its future. The relatively late notice might have rubbed conference officials the wrong way.

At any rate, San Diego State will definitely have to do something before June 30, since no one in the college sports industry thinks the Aztecs will want to pay $17-18 million more than what they will already owe the Mountain West.

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