Speculation has swirled for months about where San Diego State would best fit on the college landscape – its long-time home, the Mountain West, or the more high profile Pac-12.
Turns out SDSU, not necessarily comfortably, will remain in the MW, as it was announced this week, following barely behind-the-scenes “machinations” as one official called it, on both sides.
How does the conference maneuvering affect those who put on the uniforms? Not at all if you ask football head coach Brady Hoke and some of his players, just weeks away from the start of the 2023 season.
The official line from Hoke, speaking during the conference media days this week in La Vegas: Those issues are out of his control. Most of what he learned about recent developments came from newspaper reports, he added.
The university had “great leadership” under SDSU President de la Torre and athletic director John David Wicker, he said, explaining, “They’re always going to (do) what’s best for San Diego State. I appreciate that. As far as how much we (in the football program) knew, we didn’t know very much.”
The job of a football coach differs from those of a university president and department head, said Hoke, whose Aztecs finished last season 7-6 overall, 5-3 in the MW.
“That’s not my job to get into conference realignment,” he said. “My job’s to help develop young men, help develop a really good football team. That’s what we’ve done.”
SDSU players interviewed about the tensions professed to be focused on their roles on the field, not the bureaucracy. Senior players such as Mark Redman, a tight end, and safety Cedarious Barfield said the MW and conference realignment would not affect them.
“You can look …. ahead into the future, a year from now, two years from now, whatever it is, whether that’s the Pac-12, the Mountain West, whatever it is, for us, we’re just focused on this year and winning the Mountain West championship,” Redman said
“You have to win,” Barfield said. “The biggest thing is to win. These guys (on the team) know we’re focused on this year and … winning championships.”
The Aztecs open their season with three straight games at Snapdragon Stadium, starting Aug. 26 against Ohio.
