On June 17, shortly after San Diego State sent its (June 13) letter to the Mountain West Conference, we wrote about the acute need for the Pac-12 to bring the Aztecs aboard:
“Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is aggressive and proactive. San Diego State just wants to find the exit door for the Mountain West right now and avoid paying more departure fees. The likelihood is SDSU is heading for the Pac-12, but that’s not guaranteed.
“Yormark could step in and give the Aztecs a very attractive offer. As long as the Pac-12 media rights situation remains unresolved, Yormark has a window in which he can spring into action and pull an upset that would damage the Pac-12.
“This is why George Kliavkoff needs to land the plane and get this media rights deal done sooner rather than later.”
We were wrong about the Big 12 wanting San Diego State, but we were right about the Pac-12 needing to invite SDSU for the lower exit penalty fee, and we were also right about the importance of getting a media deal done sooner rather than later, with San Diego State and SMU in the Pac-12 to boost media rights value for the conference, and to also serve as a buffer against any potential flight risks in the conference. Colorado was the big flight risk. The Buffaloes’ departure triggered the mass exodus that has essentially destroyed the Pac-12.
We will continue to wonder — in dismay and disbelief — why the Pac-12 did not invite San Diego State in late June.
New reporting from Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports shows how badly San Diego State wanted to be part of the Pac-12 and probably would have stabilized the conference, acting as a safeguard against the splintering we just saw.
Below are reactions to Dodd’s story on social media: