San Diego State University sent a letter to the Mountain West seeking information related to a potential exit next year, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
According to multiple reports, SDSU wants an extension of the deadline to give formal notice it is leaving the Mountain West to avoid having to pay double the exit fee.
SDSU hopes to join either the Pac-12 or the Big 12 but has not received a formal invitation. The person said the school, which has been in the Mountain West since its inception in 1999, is doing due diligence to be prepared to make a decision if it is invited to change conferences.
Talk of SDSU potentially moving to the Pac-12 intensified after Southern California and UCLA announced last summer that they will move to the Big Ten in August 2024.
However, the Pac-12 isn’t expected to announce any expansion plans until it finalizes a TV contract, which isn’t expected until sometime in the summer.
The big issue appears to be the timing of when SDSU would give a year’s notice to leave. According to reports, if SDSU waits until after June 30 to give notice, its exit fee would increase from around $16.5 million to almost $34 million.