On a wild day in the Mountain West that included another member reportedly being lured away by the Pac-12 and one more wavering, San Jose State on Monday evening appeared to be OK with staying in its severely fractured conference.
According to reports from NBC Sports and ESPN on Monday afternoon, SJSU reaffirmed its commitment to the Mountain West along with UNLV and Air Force.
But then came another twist in the saga.
After ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Utah State has decided to depart for the Pac-12, UNLV pivoted from its commitment to the Mountain West and is now exploring its options, according to a later report from Thamel.
Where that leaves San Jose State is unclear.
If Utah State and UNLV were to join the Pac-12, the Mountain West would be left with Air Force, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada and Wyoming, along with SJSU. In that scenario, the conference would likely have to add two members by 2028 to meet NCAA requirements.
The Mountain West’s upheaval began two weeks ago when the conference’s strongest athletic programs – Fresno State, San Diego State, Boise State and Colorado State – made commitments to join a Pac-12 that currently operates with Washington State and Oregon State as its only members.
The four schools will officially leave the Mountain West in 2026.
Presumably, Utah State and possibly UNLV would do the same.
SJSU athletic director Jeff Konya told the Bay Area News Group last week that his school was content with its standing as a Mountain West member.
“We have great leadership within the Mountain West and SJSU is a proud member of the conference,” he said.
Both Washington State and Oregon State are currently in a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for this season, but the deadline has passed for the Pac-12 schools to re-up on their deal with the conference for next season.
Since reaching an agreement to add the four Mountain West schools, the Pac-12 has been aggressive in its expansion efforts because it needs at least two more members to reach the minimum of eight for FBS status.
The conference took a swing at trying to add American Athletic Conference programs Memphis, Tulane and South Florida but was spurned on Monday afternoon.
Basketball powerhouse Gonzaga has been rumored to be in talks about joining the Pac-12 as a basketball-only member, but its athletic director, Chris Standiford, denied such speculation. He told the Seattle Times on Monday that the rumors are not accurate.
SJSU has ties to Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez. The Santa Clara High alum was San Jose State’s director of compliance in the late 1990s.
Related Articles
South Bay university listed among Wall Street Journal’s Top 20 U.S. colleges
Takeaways: What we learned from San Jose State’s double-overtime loss at Washington State
Heartbreaker: San Jose State can’t hold onto late lead; Washington State wins in 2 OTs
San Jose State-Washington State: What to know before Spartans face Cougars
‘Are we for real?’ Unbeaten San Jose State looks to answer more questions at Washington State
The Spartans joined the conference in 2012.
SJSU won its only Mountain West championship in football in 2020 under former coach Brent Brennan when it went 7-0 during the regular season and defeated Boise State in the conference title game.
In his statement last week, Konya addressed wide-spread realignment in college athletics.
“The Mountain West is not immune to this,” Konya said. “San José State will continue to provide a cutting-edge experience for our 500-plus student-athletes in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Our brand has never been stronger, and we look forward to positioning our athletics department in the best possible way in the future.”
