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USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Jeremy Mauss

Is San Diego State A Prime Candidate For The Pac-12?

Is San Diego State A Prime Candidate For The Pac-12?


Will the Pac-12 look at San Diego State


Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Could Aztecs join the Pac-12?

The Pac-12 is in a big pickle with UCLA and USC heading to the Big Ten and now the league is looking at a lot of options. San Diego State could be a school that fits right in, especially so if the Pac-12 wants to keep some sort of Southern California presence.

San Diego State fits perfectly on the football field with five of its past seven years — one of those includes the shortened COVID-19 season — with double-digit wins and a 7-2 record against the Pac-12 since 2016.

The main issue probably lies within the academic side as the Pac-12 would want to keep up that standard with any new teams. However, they can’t be all that picky when it is survival of the fittest.

Jon Wilner of the Wilner Hotline is not sure of San Diego State. However, he acknowledges that the Pac-12 needs to be more flexible if the Pac-12 wants to exist.

Without USC and UCLA in the conference, the Aztecs seemingly have more value to the reconfigured Pac-12 as a connection point to Southern California.

To be clear: We don’t expect the conference to offer membership to SDSU, but the chances, once nonexistent, are now non-zero (especially if ESPN indicates a foothold in the greater L.A. market is necessary).

Pac-12 presidents have always looked down upon the California State University schools. It might be time to rethink that approach.

The Aztecs winning and bringing them into the Pac-12 would help keep some of that Southern California market they are losing with USC and UCLA going to the Big Ten.

San Diego State is not going to be the Pac-12’s first choice because their biggest issue is keeping Oregon and Washington from going to the Big Ten, and also the Arizona and Rocky Mountain schools from going to the Big 12.


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