Report indicates San Diego State will remain in Mountain West Conference

The Mountain West Conference is looking as strong as ever, as CBS Sports' Jeremy Fowler is reporting it's just a matter of time before the Aztecs finally cut ties with the Big East.

SDSU is in negotiations to stay in the Mountain West, its current home:

The source told Fowler the deal is "close" but there's no timetable because lawyers are involved.

And as was the case when Boise State left the Big East in late December, San Diego State will be leaving the Big East in order to remain with the Mountain West. However, unlike Boise State, San Diego State will not have to pay the Big East an exit fee. The school negotiated a clause in its deal with the conference that if Boise State backed out it would be able to do so as well at no cost.

It's not much of a surprise: Boise State's contract stipulated SDSU would have the first option to (re)join the league. This would make the Mountain West a 12-team league, and probably put them in position to have a football championship game next year.

With Boise and SDSU back in the fold, the league is looking quite competitive in football and college basketball next year — both races in which Utah State hopes to be in contention. That means more exposure, more money and more traditional and region-based rivalries for the Aggies, albeit with more challenging competition.

But certainly, in a time when conference affiliation means everything, Utah State has solid footing as it heads to the Mountain West this year.

— Kyle Goon

kgoon@sltrib.com

Twitter: @kylegoon