Report: San Diego State Interested in Big East

Could San Diego State be headed to the Big East?

A report out of San Diego says the school has reached out to fellow Mountain West Conference member Boise State about making the jump to the Big East together.

“I don’t have anything new to report,” SDSU Athletic Director Jim Sterk told the Union Tribune.

The Big East has not invited San Diego State and is instead focusing on bringing aboard Boise State, Air Force and Navy for football only and UCF, SMU and Houston for all sports.

If Air Force decides not to join the conference, San Diego State could be an option for the proposed Western Division, which would theoretically also include Boise State, SMU, Houston, Louisville and Cincinnati.

The Union Tribune reported that San Diego State has also reached out to the Big 12 in an effort to join a “more lucrative conference.”

The school makes $1.5 annually in television money right now, but could stand to make as much as $10 million after a jump to the Big East, which is due to renegotiate its TV deal in 2012.

San Diego State would have to pay an exit fee of $3 to $5 million if it were to leave the Mountain West.

Meantime, UCF is expected to formally join the Big East this week, but school president John Hitt told the Orlando Sentinel that he doesn’t expect teams to begin play until 2013, although the football rivalry with USF could start next year.

“You look at all this and if it holds together as it’s shaping up, it could be a heck of a good conference,” Hitt told the Sentinel “Maybe stronger than it was.”

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto last week stressed that the rivalry between UCF and USF would be good for the Big East, and now the two schools may begin play in football in 2012 before UCF joins the league.

Hitt told the Sentinel he spoke with USF Athletic Director Doug Woolard Thursday and discussed starting the rivalry early.

“He was very cordial and even said, `Look, we may have a vacancy on our schedule next year. Maybe we could start that series next year,'” Hitt said of his conversation with Woolard. “Wouldn’t that be great? And for Doug to step forward with that I thought was really neat.”