San Diego State tells Mountain West Conference it intends to leave, reports say

San Diego State is planning to leave the Mountain West Conference, according to several reports Friday.

But what is less clear is where and when the Aztecs would be going.

ESPN reported that San Diego State sent a letter to the Mountain West and its member schools this week citing its “intention” to leave the conference.

It also asked for a “one-month extension given unforeseen delays involving other collegiate athletic conferences beyond our control,” according to the report.

San Diego State is considered an obvious addition for the Pac-12 as the conference looks to replace UCLA and USC, who are headed to the Big Ten in 2024. San Diego State has also been linked to the Big Ten.

An exchange of letters between the school and the Mountain West showed that San Diego State does not have an official invitation to another conference but is trying to keep its options open.

The Pac-12 has been in a protracted media-rights negotiations, and the timing of the deal could impact San Diego State’s potential invitation.

To join the Pac-12 for the 2024-25 academic year (when USC and UCLA leave), San Diego State would need to withdraw next June. If the school doesn’t give notice by the end of this month, the exit fee would jump from $16.5 million to nearly $34 million, ESPN reported.

The ESPN report also said San Diego State asked the conference for further discussion on the exit fee, pointing out that the income the Aztecs generate for the conference with their success at the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

The Mountain West responded to San Diego State’s request for an extension as official notice it is leaving, according to the ESPN report, and started the separation procedures, which include withholding next month’s payout of $6 million. San Diego State responded by saying it hasn’t officially left.

San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker would not confirm the letters’ existence or their content to The San Diego Union-Tribune but said: “We’re doing our due diligence. Obviously, there are a lot of discussions about potential opportunities available to us, and June 30 is coming up quickly. We’re just trying to understand what our options are.”

The move doesn’t come as a surprise to the Mountain West. Wicker has talked openly about leaving the conference it joined in 1999, and the school has been one of its most successful programs with Boise State. The Aztecs made the championship game of the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and the football team has posted double-digit winning seasons five times since 2015.

San Diego State tried to join the Big East as a football-only member in 2013, but it remained in the Mountain West.