Pac-12 expansion candidates: Texas State Bobcats

The rebuilt Pac-12 has eight members signed up for the 2026-27 athletics season: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Washington State and Utah State. 

The conference must attract at least one more football-playing member before 2026 to reach the NCAA’s eight-team minimum to qualify as an FBS conference. Gonzaga does not have a football program. 

The Pac-12, which poached five teams from the Mountain West and Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference, is expected to add between one and six additional members in the coming weeks and months. 

As conference realignment wages on, Boise State Broncos on SI is taking a look at schools that have been linked to the Pac-12 in various reports. 

We have already covered the Memphis Tigers, North Texas Mean Green, Rice Owls, Sacramento State Hornets, Saint Mary’s Gaels and South Florida Bulls. Now we will head to the Sun Belt Conference to break down the Texas State Bobcats. 

Texas State University

Location: San Marcos, Texas

Current conference: Sun Belt Conference 

Enrollment: 40,678

Endowment: $410 million

Athletics budget: $37,853,450

Football stadium: UFCU Stadium (28,000 capacity)

Basketball arena: Strahan Arena (10,411 capacity)

The case for Texas State

Texas State’s rapid rise from FCS afterthought to potential Pac-12 membership is eye-opening. 

The Bobcats moved up to FBS in 2012 and enjoyed minimal success until head coach G.J. Kinne’s arrival. Kinne has guided Texas State to consecutive eight-win seasons and recently agreed to a new seven-year contract worth $2 million annually, one of the richest deals in the Group of 5. 

UFCU Stadium received a facelift in 2012 and is a compact, modern venue. Texas State also has a quality basketball facility in Strahan Arena, which was scheduled to host a 2024 presidential debate that was eventually canceled. 

Football and men’s basketball pay the bills, but Texas State has a strong baseball program, which would appeal to three-time College World Series champion Oregon State. The Bobcats came within three outs of winning a regional in 2022 at Stanford. 

San Marcos, a classic college town, is about an hour away from Austin and San Antonio. A road trip to Houston takes under three hours on Interstate 10. 

The Sun Belt also has a low buyout of around $5 million, making Texas State a cheap add for the Pac-12. 

The case against Texas State

Texas State’s best arguments are more about what it could be than what it’s accomplished. 

Other than back-to-back Division II football titles in 1981-82, the Bobcats do not have a track record of success in football and men’s basketball. 

Texas State has greatly increased its investment in athletics over the last 15 years, but the Bobcats will need to shell out even more cash to compete with the new Pac-12’s big spenders in Oregon State ($87.8 million budget), Washington State ($83.7 million), San Diego State ($67.2 million) and Colorado State ($61.2 million). 

While the school is in a desirable location, Texas State is not widely covered by major media in Texas’ big cities. 

Verdict

On the same day the Pac-12 announced the addition of Gonzaga, Texas State re-affirmed its commitment to the Sun Belt in a statement. According to multiple reports, the Mountain West was in hard pursuit of Texas State, but the Bobcats passed. 

Why did Texas State turn down the MWC? Maybe the Bobcats weren’t ready for a dramatic move. Or maybe they felt a better offer was just around the corner.

Texas State to the Pac-12 has picked up serious buzz over the last month. Boise State Broncos on SI believes there is a strong chance that Texas State will be in the Pac-12 for the 2026 football season.