One of the more famous television commercials from the 1970s was an ad for a brokerage firm named E.F. Hutton. The commercial concluded with the slogan, “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.”
In the Pac-12, “When Jon Wilner talks, people listen.”
Wilner, of course, broke the USC-UCLA move to the Big Ten. He is the most connected and well-sourced reporter on everything which is happening inside the Pac-12 Conference. He studies the media markets, he talks to industry insiders, he follows the academics and the state politics in addition to recruiting and on-field results.
Wilner was skeptical about San Diego State’s value to the Pac-12 in previous months. More recently, he said that while the Pac-12 might want to explore other options first, San Diego State was one of a few schools which would make sense for the Pac as a potential expansion candidate.
Now? The game has changed.
Wilner hasn’t merely said San Diego State should be considered. Wilner came out and said in recent column at the San Jose Mercury News that the Pac-12 needs the Aztecs.
That is an eye-grabber.
We’ll share what he said about San Diego State’s soaring stock value (pay attention, E.F. Hutton!) in the slides below:
Football (Competitive Factor)
Dec 4, 2021; Carson, CA, USA; San Diego State Aztecs quarterback Jordon Brookshire (4) runs the ball against the Utah State Aggies during the first half in the Mountain West Conference championship game at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Admittedly, we don’t have a good handle on San Diego State’s Olympic sports, but it doesn’t matter. Realignment is about football, men’s basketball, and football.
Also, football.
On the field, the Aztecs are 6-1 against the Pac-12 since 2017, with wins over Utah, ASU, UCLA, Stanford and Arizona.
They have won at least 10 games in five of the past six seasons (excluding 2020) and were ranked in the end-of-year AP poll in 2016 and 2021.
While SDSU hasn’t reached the same level of success as Cincinnati — or Boise State under Chris Petersen — the program is on the next tier.
Add the resources and cache that would come with Pac-12 membership, and the Aztecs would more than hold their own on a weekly basis.
Basketball
Nov 20, 2021; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego State Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher reacts during the second half against the Texas-Arlington Mavericks at…
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