TXST ATHLETICS
Texas State has received an invitation to join the Pac-12 Conference and is expected to accept following a special meeting set for Monday by the Texas State University Board of Regents.
The news was first reported by Michael Adams of the Austin Sports Journal.
If accepted, Texas State will become the ninth overall member of the Pac-12 Conference and the eight football playing member starting in the 2026-2027 season.
The Pac-12 Conference currently will add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State and Utah State for the 2026-2027 season, joining Oregon State and Washington State.
If Texas State accepts, this will be the university’s third conference since making the jump to FBS in 2012. Texas State joined the Western Athletic Conference for the 2012-2013 season before leaving and joining the Sun Belt Conference for the 2013-2014 season where Texas State has been a member ever since.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
The Pac-12 Conference was hit the hardest by the current realignment movement, losing 83% of their members to the Atlantic
PAGE 11A Coast, Big 12 and Big Ten conferences, leaving only Oregon State and Washington State.
Instead of merging with the Mountain West Conference to form a 16-team league, the Pac-12 opted to add Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State from the Mountain West and later added Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference.
Pac-12 extended invitations to add UNLV and Air Force from the Mountain West but were turned down.
WHY IS TEXAS STATE BEING TARGETED?
The Pac-12 is currently looking for an eighth conference member who sponsors football as a sport. Though the conference is already at eight full-time members, Gonzaga does not sponsor football. That leaves the Pac-12 at seven football playing members, one short of remaining eligible to become a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Though the Pac-12 has talked to Memphis and Tulane in addition to Air Force and UNLV, Texas State moved up the boards as a potential target.
One of the main reasons for targeting Texas State as a new member is the cost of the buyout for leaving a conference. For Memphis and Tulane to leave the American Athletic Conference, the reported exit fee to leave is currently at $25 million dollars. For Texas State to leave the Sun Belt, the buyout reportedly sits at $5 million which will rise to $10 million dollars after July 1 of this year.
WHY IS TEXAS STATE INTERESTED?
While Texas State and the Sun Belt Conference are in good standing with the conference being regarded as one of the best mid-majors in the nation, the university has long been willing to change conferences.
From the move to Division I in 1984 to making the jump to FBS in 2012, Texas State has always looked for ways to elevate the university from an athletic standpoint.
As it stands, Texas State reportedly receives around $2 million dollars from their media rights deal with the Sun Belt. A potential move to the Pac-12 could result in Texas State earning more than triple what they make in the Sun Belt with the expectation the new media rights deal with the conference generating around $9-10 million.
The media rights deal could also put Texas State athletics on more television stations instead of behind the paywall of ESPN+, putting more eyes on the university itself.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
