Big 12 Is Not Interested In San Diego State
Big 12 Is Not Interested In San Diego State
Options were thought to be had
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Aztecs are possibly in a tough spot
San Diego State thought it had a lot of options when it came to where they would send their sports. The Aztecs are in a desirable recruiting area with a pretty good media market size.
The football has been a winner this past decade with multiple conference titles and the basketball team was just in the NCAA championship game against UConn.
Its athletics director JD Wicker was very high on San Diego State joining a Power 5 league.
“One or the other is going to happen,” Wicker told The Athletic in April of a move to the Pac-12 or Big 12.
Well… that may not have been the case at all. Maybe there were conversations with the Big 12, but they didn’t go far. There definitely have been talks with the Pac-12 as the Aztecs were confident enough to try to negotiate their leave from the Mountain West despite not officially getting a Pac-12 invite.
Wicker has also been bold about his program’s clout saying that they deserve a full share the first day they get an invite to a power league. Utah and TCU in its call-up to the Pac-12 and Big 12 did not get a full share a decade ago and those schools went to and won New Year’s Six/BCS games. That is a feat that the Aztecs have not yet delivered on.
Also, the new Big 12 teams in BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are only receiving $18 million in 2023 and $19 million in 2024. Three of the four have gone to a big-time bowl game recently, the Bearcats made the playoffs. Plus, BYU won a national title in 1984, won the Cotton Bowl during the 1996 season, and is a serious brand.
So, for Wicker to basically demand they get a full share the first day is honestly laughable.
The news gets worse as CBS Sports Dennis Dodd is reporting that “the Big 12 has little interest in bringing SDSU aboard.”
Oof… that is hard to take in.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormak has said he wants the conference to occupy all four time zones. Currently, there are no teams in the Pacific time zone from the Big 12.
CBS Sports reporting suggests that Big 12 expansion is focusing on UConn and the potential for some Pac-12 teams IF that league has members that are dissatisfied with the media rights deal.
The Aztecs’ best chance is still the Pac-12 but right now that league is not in a rush to add teams or even get its media rights deal done.
