Is Texas State ready to compete with Boise State, others in Pac-12 football?

Texas State was officially introduced as the reborn Pac-12’s ninth member for the 2026-27 athletics season on Monday.

The Bobcats will wrap up their final season in the Sun Belt Conference before joining current Pac-12 members Oregon State and Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State of the Mountain West and Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference.

As a relative newcomer to high-level athletics, how will Texas State fit in with some of the top programs outside the Power 4 conferences?

Boise State Broncos on SI is taking a look at how the Bobcats stack up with the rest of the Pac-12 in football, men’s basketball and baseball. 

We’ll start with the sport that drives most conference realignment discussions, football.

Texas State’s Pac-12 football outlook 

Texas State joins a football conference with one true national brand (Boise State), two former power conference schools that have experienced recent success (Oregon State and Washington State) and four other Mountain West schools with a track record of winning. 

The Bobcats captured a pair of Division II national titles in 1981-82 before making the jump to FCS in 1987 and FBS in 2012. Texas State largely faltered at the FBS level until the arrival of current head coach GJ Kinne, who took over the program in Dec. 2022. 

A Texas native and star high school quarterback, Kinne initially signed with Texas and transferred to Tulsa following his freshman season. He threw for 9,472 yards and 81 touchdowns during his college career. 

After a five-year professional playing career, Kinne transitioned into coaching and was hired as head coach at FCS Incarnate Word before the 2022 season. Kinne guided the Cardinals to a 12-2 overall record and the FCS semifinals in his lone season at the helm while quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. won the Walter Payton Award (FCS’ Heisman Trophy equivalent).

Kinne then hopped up Interstate 35 to take over Texas State’s program. The 36-year-old has led the Bobcats to back-to-back eight-win seasons and received a lucrative contract extension worth $2 million annually in December. 

Along with Kinne, Texas State also has a quality football venue in UFCU Stadium, which underwent a $33 million renovation in 2012 that expanded capacity to 27,149. The Bobcats nearly sold out last year’s Thursday night home matchup against eventual Big 12 champion Arizona State. The Sun Devils held on for a 31-28 victory before a boisterous crowd. 

While Texas State’s results at the FBS level are checkered at best, the program is clearly on the rise under a talented young coach. The Bobcats should be able to hold their own in a football conference that expects to send its champion to the College Football Playoff most years.