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Scott Slant: Where does the MW look, post-SDSU?

The clock is ticking for San Diego State. But it doesn’t look like it’ll strike midnight in time for the Aztecs. Will the Mountain West look for a replacement?

BOISE, Idaho — Wednesday Weekly: June 21, 2023.

This San Diego State predicament is going to be fun to follow. ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel was first to report that, according to sources, San Diego State gave the Mountain West written notice last week that the school “intends to resign” from the conference. SDSU asked the Mountain West for a one-month extension on its exit fee and the ability to come up with a payment plan. The Aztecs’ MW exit fee doubles from $17 million to $34 million if they don’t get an invite (presumably from the Pac-12) by June 30. The league sent a letter accepting SDSU’s resignation. The Aztecs said “wait-wait-wait-wait!” Now Thamel reports that the Mountain West sent another letter to San Diego State on Friday, “informing the school that ‘at this time’ they will not approve any exceptions requested last week.”

SO WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE?

If San Diego State leaves the Mountain West (probably should say “when”), should the conference add any schools? Unless it wants to become one of those unwieldy multi-regional leagues, I can think of only one even worth considering. Not Montana, because the Grizzlies aren’t going anywhere without Montana State — and the Griz have always liked being a big FCS fish. I’d say at least look at UTEP. The Miners have a worthy stadium, the Sun Bowl, and they can put 40,000-plus in it when things are going well (which they haven’t been lately). And UTEP’s been good in men’s basketball and have drawn well in that sport. The Miners have past WAC relationships with every Mountain West school except Utah State. Maybe a contingency could be making the actual Sun Bowl game a Mountain West bowl. Just sayin’.

A TRIO FOR 2024

After a recent transfer portal flurry, Boise State’s 2024 recruiting class is now taking off. Offensive linemen Emitayo Omotinugbon of Queen Creek, Arizona, and safety Travis Anderson of Mission Viejo, California, both committed to the Broncos last Friday. Omotinugbon, a three-star recruit, made an unofficial visit a week and a half ago, and told Jordan Kaye of the Idaho Press he had no intention of committing — but the community blew him away. Anderson told 247 Sports the Broncos had him when he saw the view of the city from the Steuckle Sky Center. Omotinugbon and Anderson are the second and third commits for 2024, joining defensive lineman Hayden Hanks of Thompson Falls, Montana.

TRIPLE-OPTION BACK-TO-BACK?

A number of preseason prognosticators are picking Boise State and Air Force to meet in the Mountain West championship game in December. It would be the conference’s first intra-divisional title game ever — because there are no more divisions. But this would be interesting for another reason. The Falcons, of course, play the Broncos on the Blue in the final game of the regular season. That would mean back-to-back Boise State-Air Force matchups. It would be 2017 all over again. That year, the Broncos took on Fresno State in an afternoon game on Black Friday (just like this year’s tussle against the Falcons, although that one was at Bulldog Stadium). Then Boise State and Fresno State turned around and faced off the following week in Albertsons Stadium in the title game. As you recall, the Broncos won the game that mattered.

HERE'S TO BUSH HAMDAN’S INVENTION

After a three-year hiatus (due to COVID and various reasons), the Boise State football team’s Summer Softball Classic is back at Memorial Stadium tonight. The extravaganza begins with a home run derby at 5:30, followed by the game at 6:30. The game is now spearheaded by the Horseshoe Collective, which pairs Broncos NIL deals with local charities. New Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan should throw out the first pitch. After all, it was Hamdan who founded the event in 2008 as his senior community service project. He set up First Tee of Idaho as a beneficiary and arranged with Boise Hawks management to make the field available. From the beginning the Broncos have embraced it, displaying abilities that range from untapped baseball potential to Keystone Cops comedy.

KHALIL IS PERCHED PATIENTLY IN THE WINGS

All the hubbub over Stefon Diggs in Buffalo got me to thinking — how is Khalil Shakir doing? You never know what kind of opportunity this might present. Well, the former Boise State star is doing just fine, thank you. Shakir got raves from the Buffalo News last week for his performance to kick off the Bills minicamp. Here’s what writer Mark Gaughan said he did: Josh Allen’s first completion of the day went to Shakir for 20 yards down the sideline, a well-placed throw between two defenders. Shakir got open in the back of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown pass from Allen on a third-and-goal play. Then Shakir got open in the seam of the defense for a 10-yard gain on a second-and-10 situation. Based on spring practices, Shakir is going to push hard for prime snaps in the Bills’ three-receiver set, with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.”

HOOPS PHOTO A CONVERSATION PIECE

Most of Boise State’s new men’s basketball players are on campus now for summer workouts. When you see a picture of them all together — Andrew Meadow, Alex Martin, Emmanuel Ugbo, Omar Stanley, Cam Martin, Chris Lockett, and Roddie Anderson, photoshopped or not — it screams “depth.” Ugbo, who is with the Netherlands U20 national team, will arrive for the start of the fall semester. Anderson will arrive on campus next week, but he and the other five will all be included with the Broncos’ veterans on their tour of Canada July 29-August 4. They’ll play three exhibition games in Vancouver and Kamloops, BC, against Canadian college competition. This will be Boise State’s second foreign tour in the Leon Rice era, and the first since the Broncos traveled to Costa Rica seven years ago.

THE GATE IS STILL GOOD FOR THE HAWKS

A year ago, we were talking about the Boise Hawks solid attendance, because their performance on the field had not been very good. This season is different, as the Hawks are jockeying with the Ogden Raptors for first place in the Pioneer League’s South Division. And the turnstiles keep clicking. Boise is leading the league in attendance at a shade under 3,400 fans per game (3,397 to be exact). The Hawks will hold onto that number until returning to Memorial Stadium next Tuesday. Tuesday night they opened a two-game road series against the Grand Junction Jackalopes and took an 11-3 loss.

STEFANIC BACK IN THE BIGS

Let’s catch up on Michael Stefanic, the former Timberline High star who was promoted from Triple-A Salt Lake to the L.A. Angels over the weekend. Stefanic, who played 25 games for the Angels last summer, made his season debut last Saturday and is batting .286 so far with a double and an RBI. He didn’t play in Tuesday night’s 2-0 loss to the Dodgers. Stefanic was already a great story when he was first called up to the bigs. His journey from lightly recruited college prospect to undrafted pro prospect was enough. And KTVB’s Jay Tust reminds us that Stefanic remains the first Idaho-born position player who also graduated from an Idaho high school to play in the majors since the state’s GOAT, Harmon Killebrew. This season Stefanic set a new Salt Lake record for longest on-base streak at an amazing 62 games.

NEW SIGNAGE IN MOSCOW

For the first time since the roof went on in 1975, the University of Idaho has naming rights for the Kibbie Dome. They come from a Northwest-based credit union. If the State Board of Education approves it next Wednesday, the facility will be known as the P1FCU Kibbie Dome. It’s a 10-year deal worth $5 million. To its credit, P1FCU insisted that “Kibbie Dome” be left in the name, even though a lot of announcers, sportscasters and sportswriters will drop the “P1FCU” when they talk about the place. Idaho has dueling credit unions on campus now, as ICCU Arena sits next door.

THIS DAY IN SPORTS…June 21, 2018, five years ago today:

Boise State gets its first-ever first-round pick in the NBA Draft, as Chandler Hutchison is selected No. 22 overall by the Chicago Bulls. Hutchison had declared early for the draft the previous year but elected to return to the Broncos as a senior. The two-time All-Mountain West guard averaged 20.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.5 steals in 2017-18, becoming the first Bronco to lead the team in all four categories. The high point of Hutchison’s final season was a 44-point performance in January win over San Diego State, breaking a 37-year-old Boise State record.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)

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