Who wins the $6.6 million power play, SDSU or the Mountain West? The Aztecs and the MWC gear up for a legal battle

The Mountain West Conference and the San Diego State Aztecs could be gearing up to battle it out in the courtroom.

The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that the Mountain West Conference is putting its foot down by attempting to make this the Aztecs' final season in the conference. Also, the conference does not want to pay the $6.6 million distribution share.

"There could be several strategies at work. One could be simple envy and retalition over how SDSU approached a potential departure to a power conference, figuring the Aztecs have one foot out the door already so why play nice? One could be gaining leverage should SDSU try to negotiate a lowered exit free if a Pac-12 invite for 2024-25 comes later this summer."

The Aztecs did write a letter with their intention to leave the Mountain West Conference, but at the final hour, they decided to stay with the conference for the 2023 season.

Will the Mountain West need to pay San Diego State?

The judge presiding over this case will have the final say, but the answer could be yes. The question is if San Diego State actually officially left the conference.

If they did, the university foregoes its distribution share and needs to pay the exit fee of $17 million for doing so by July 1. If they did not, then they get the money for their share and do not owe the exit fee because they never left.

This feels more like pettiness that the Aztecs are exploring options more than finding a loophole for the conference. This is definitely one way to sour the biggest program in the conference into staying in 12 months when college football realignment is going on.

This will definitely be something to keep an eye on as this could open the door for conferences to have their way and decide to withhold money from the universities looking to leave their conference.

Mountain West president Gloria Nevarez seems to be putting pressure as her first impactful move since taking the position, and this could be a major portion of her career. If the judge rules on the side of San Diego State, what stops other programs from following in their footsteps?

The Aztecs seem to make more sense from a logical side of things, but it is all up to the judge on the case, unless the two sides agree to settle things outside of court.