San Diego State announces intent to rejoin the Mountain West

San Diego State has officially announced that it will forgo joining the Big East and remain a member of the Mountain west in all sports.

ESPN, first reported that San Diego State would be reinstated to the Mountain West Conference.

San Diego State was scheduled to join the Big East in football and the Big West in all other sports on July 1 but have opted out of their contract.

"San Diego State University is pleased to be continuing as a full member of the Mountain West Conference," said SDSU President Dr. Elliot Hirshman in a press release. "We are excited about the opportunities our partnership provides for the development of the Conference and San Diego State University's athletic programs.

The reversal comes as part of Boise State's contract to remain in the Mountain West. According to the Boise State contract, the MWC must set terms for the Aztecs to remain in the conference and present an offer to the school first before moving on to other options or choose to not add any additional teams.

In SDSU's contract with the Big East, the school does not have to pay an exit fee if there is no other Big East team located in the Rocky Mountain area. Boise State announced it would not join the Big East on Dec. 31, paving the way for the Aztecs to return without paying an exit fee.

"As a charter member of the Mountain West, San Diego State has decades of history and tremendous competitive rivalries with our member institutions," said Commissioner Craig Thompson. "With today's announcement, SDSU's membership continues uninterrupted and helps the Mountain West maintain a solid foundation going forward. The Aztecs remain a perfect fit geographically and provide the Conference with a highly-competitive athletics program that includes a Top 25 men's basketball team, a 2012 MW tri-champion in football and several other league championship programs."

With the addition of San Jose State University and Utah State University, the MWC will have 12 football members this fall — Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State and Wyoming.

Read more about SDSU on ESPN.com.