It's a joke to say anybody "belongs" in any sports conference for academics. It should have been pure hilarity when the PAC included the yewts for "research" prowess, probably in an attempt to link it somehow to academics. And the comedy routine continues with them trumpeting SDSU as some kind of academics powerhouse.

They can't say it's all about sports or market now that they excluded the biggest market, most competitive brand available for years (BYU). So they're on their song-and-dance about academics, research, etc mattering. Problem is, SDSU doesn't fit the "academics culture" corner they've painted themselves in, so they're trying to make it look like they do by faking like SDSU belongs in that discussion.

This is the PAC and they do all this with a straight face hoping the world takes their virtue signaling seriously. If they spoke the truth, they'd tell us they need a filler school to bulk up their number-of-games offering for the media, and SDSU and SMU are the least bad of all the options. Yewts being yewts and not realizing it, they've inadvertently come close by saying "now we'll have an easier road to the playoffs."

But sooner or later, the market that demands good competition will spit back these lame excuses and relegate the P5 back to G5dom where they belong.