San Diego State will remain in the Mountain West Conference rather than join the Big East, ESPN has reported.
The Aztecs could be reinstated as early as today after the presidents of the MWC cast a vote. There needs to be a 75% majority in favor in order for SDSU to remain in the conference.
If the Aztecs do spurn the Big East, they will be the third team to leave the conference before actually playing a game. TCU and Boise State both joined the Big East, but the Horned Frogs later accepted an invite to the Big 12 while the Broncos remained in the MWC.
With San Diego State and Boise State remaining in the MWC, the conference will have 12 teams for the 2013 season: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, and Wyoming.
12 teams also means that the MWC can split into two divisions and stage a championship game, which would likely be held at a campus site.
“I think that’s the plan,” said MWC commissioner Craig Thompson.
What would the two divisions look like? Brian Murphy of the Idaho Statesman says that one plan could be a simple East-West alignment (Mountain time zone/Pacific time zone):
East (Mountain): Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State, Wyoming
West (Pacific): Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Jose State, San Diego State, UNLV
Football Schedules