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The sports landscape in Las Vegas is impossible for Pac-12 to ignore in realignment

Could UNLV be an addition for the Pac-12 to consider, especially with Las Vegas' growing market in the sports world?

LAS VEGAS — A year after USC and UCLA announced their intention to join the Big Ten conference starting in 2024, the Pac-12 remains without a media rights deal or any new members.

However, a source indicated to ESPN's Pete Thamel that San Diego State has provided written notice to the Mountain West indicating their plan to resign from the conference, while asking for a one month extension to the previous June 30 deadline to leave penalty free.

This seems to imply that a move to the Pac-12 could finally be coming for the Aztecs, although an invitation has not officially been extended, according to Thamel, and it doesn't seem likely to happen before June 30.

However, San Diego State may not be the only Mountain West school joining the conference of champions, as Locked on Pac-12 host Spencer McLaughlin discussed the UNLV Rebels as an option on a recent episode, thanks primarily to the resounding success of sports programs in Las Vegas the past few years.

"The city of Las Vegas feels like a place you really want to be in the sports and entertainment world," McLaughlin said. "It's already known as the entertainment capital of the world, but it continues to evolve as a sports city - and I don't think that it's done."

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The thought of adding a premier sports media market like Las Vegas to a conference that just lost LA is tantalizing, and the rise of sports in Sin City - like the NHL's Golden Knights, WNBA's Aces, and potentially the Oakland A's - should help the city's sports presence continue to grow.

Of course, the downside to adding UNLV is obvious. They are not and have not been a good football program in over 20 years, posting just one winning record since the 2000 season - a 7-6 campaign in 2013 that resulted in a loss in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

They went just 7-23 the past three years under coach Marcus Arroyo, although there is renewed hope that new head man Barry Odom will turn things around.

And while UNLV men's basketball has a rich history, including a national title in 1990, they haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 2013 and likely won't move the needle for the Pac-12 in that area.

UNLV is one of a handful of programs connected to the Pac-12 outside of San Diego State, a list that includes SMU, Boise State, Fresno State, and Memphis.

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