Pac-12 adds Texas State in latest college football realignment move

Texas State will officially join the Pac-12 Conference and become a full member starting in the 2026 season in the latest college football realignment move.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement.

“It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.”

Texas State’s board of regents voted to approve a $5 million buyout to be paid to the Sun Belt Conference early on Monday, paving the way to formally join the Pac-12.

Texas State played solid football at the Division II level before moving into the I-AA ranks in the 1980s, winning two national championships under head coach Jim Wacker.

Dennis Franchione helped bring the Bobcats into the FBS level in 2012 and they landed in the Sun Belt conference a year later.

After trudging through eight-straight losing seasons and not making any bowl appearances in that time, Texas State has won 16 games and won two straight bowl games in the last two years under coach G.J. Kinne.

The Pac-12 was by far the biggest loser in the last round of college football realignment, as USC, Oregon, Washington, and UCLA left for the Big Ten.

Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado then bolted for the Big 12.

Finally, rivals Stanford and Cal exited together to join the ACC, leaving the Pac-12 with just Oregon State and Washington State.

But the league rebounded after that, arranging for the addition of Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Utah State to join the league.

Gonzaga, a major basketball school, will join the Pac-12 as non-football members, too.

By adding Texas State as a football member, the league will reach eight members in the sport, the number required to be considered an FBS conference.

Texas State president Kelly Damphousse called the move historic for the school.

“Joining the Pac-12 is more than an athletic move -- it is a declaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in the country,” Dampousse said.

Texas State will remain a member of the Sun Belt through the 2025 season before officially joining the Pac-12.

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