The Texas State Bobcats will join the Pac-12 Conference in 2026, it was officially announced Monday. Texas State will officially join the Pac-12 as a full member on July 1, 2026 and will compete in the conference in all sports.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. “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. Under great leadership from Dr. Kelly Damphousse, Don Coryell and excellent head coaches, Texas State has shown a commitment to competing and winning at the highest level as well as to providing student-athletes with a well-rounded college experience academically, athletically and socially. We look forward to seeing the Bobcats’ future trajectory continue to shine big and bright.”
The addition of Texas State will bring the rebuilding Pac-12’s membership roster up to eight football-playing schools, which was the minimum number required to be considered a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference. Gonzaga is also joining the Pac-12, but does not field a football team.
“This is a historic moment for TXST and Bobcat Athletics,” said TXST President Kelly Damphousse. “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. Our acceptance into the Pac-12 affirms the strength of our academic vision, our commitment to providing access to a TXST degree, the momentum of our athletic programs, and the ambition that defines this institution.”
Oregon State and Washington State are the lone members of the Pac-12 through next season. Last year, the Pac-12 announced the addition of five Mountain West teams — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State.
“Texas State is thrilled to enter a new era in college athletics as the newest member of the Pac-12 Conference. This milestone offers an incredible opportunity to elevate our programs, compete at the highest level, and pursue excellence on a national stage,” said Director of TXST Athletics Don Coryell. “This historic moment belongs to our coaches, staff, student-athletes, fans, alumni, and students, who we thank for making it possible. As the Pac-12’s flagship school in Texas, we proudly embrace the opportunity and responsibility that comes with it. We are grateful to Commissioner Teresa Gould, the Pac-12 leadership, and extend sincere thanks to the Sun Belt Conference for 12 years of partnership and growth. We look forward to tackling new challenges and reaching new heights as a foundational member of the new Pac-12.”
Texas State has competed in the Sun Belt Conference since 2013. The Bobcats were previously members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) until it folded in 2012.
In his first season at the helm at Texas State, head coach G. J. Kinne led the Bobcats to an 8-5 record and their first bowl game appearance in the program’s history, a 45-21 victory over the Rice Owls in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on December 26, 2023.
Kinne lead the Bobcats to another 8-5 season in 2024 and capped it off with a second consecutive SERVPRO First Responder Bowl appearance, where they defeated the North Texas Mean Green, 30-28.
Paraphrasing the late, great Howard Schnellenberger: “Texas State is on a collision course with a national title. The only variable is timing.”
When you wake up from this, your head is really gonna hurt and you’re going to say you never will again, but you will… None of us will live to see Texas State win a national championship in football. Cheers!
Hey, JM. My comment is not a prediction but a riff on a Schnellenberger quote when he landed at FAU in the late ‘90s, which, incidentally, still hasn’t sniffed the major stage, let alone a title
While I’m inclined to (strongly) agree that none of us will see a Texas State national title in football in our lifetimes, the quote leaves a lot of latitude on timing. That’s really the art of the quote, as contemplating the end of time is akin to contemplating the size of the universe. Who really knows? Or will be around to keep score?
Incidentally, I think Schnellenberger used the same quote when he landed at Louisville in 1985. Forty years later, I’m not sure we could say Louisville has sniffed a title (clearly haven’t won one), but they have produced a Heisman, joined a power conference and played in major bowl games (including winning).
A few decades is a long, long time ….
Would like to see the Pac add one more team. If not, it’s a 5 non-con game league. Kind of don’t wanna return to that era of 5 non con games. 3 or 4 is good.
Perhaps California and/or Stanford will think about returning to the conference at some point down the road?
My candidates for expansion are Montana State, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, New Mexico State or Minnesota State. Maybe Missouri State or Arkansas State or Illinois State or Iindiana State
Be patient. Less than a year ago this conference was down to two teams.
If they need to stay at 8 for a year or two or even longer, they’ll be fine.
A good group of teams to build with. And besides, there really isn’t a lot of teams left to take without adding ridiculous amounts of travel. Let them stabilize with the eight they’ve got and maybe in a few more years they can add more.
I doubt it happens, but I’d love to see them get things to the point Stanford and Cal could come back, but that may be nothing more than a dream.
My candidates for expansion are Montana State, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, New Mexico State or Minnesota State. Maybe Missouri State or Arkansas State or Illinois State or Iindiana State . ifdaho state or any california school that ends with state.
On the contrary, there needs to be fewer conference games in three of the four P4 conferences (the ACC can stay put at 8): 7 for the Big 12 and SEC, 8 for the Big Ten.
at Howard Schnellenber
The next FBS dominoes to fall should be:
Sam Houston to Sun Belt in 2026, Eastern Kentucky and Stephen F. Austin in 2027
New Mexico State to MW (may need law in NM requiring NMSU and UNM to be together) in 2026
Lamar, Tarleton, and Western Carolina to CUSA in 2027
Illinois State and Youngstown State to MAC as full members and Richmond and UConn for football only in 2027
In addition, Saint Mary’s should also join the Pac-12 as a non-football member to take their rivalry with Gonzaga to a new conference, while Cleveland State and Robert Morris join the MAC as non-football members (RMU keeps football FCS) in 2027. The MAC should be willing to accept CSU and RMU without football because CSU is 1 mile away from MAC HQ in Public Square, while RMU brings in the Pittsburgh market, whose teams often have rivalries with teams from Ohio (like Browns-Steelers).
With these changes, the MW and Pac-12 play round-robin conference schedules in football (9 games for the MW, 7 games for the Pac-12); CUSA re-adopts the division format putting the five ETZ schools and Jacksonville State, the easternmost CTZ school in the East Division, and the remaining CTZ schools in the West, going back to the 2005-12 conference schedule format; the Sun Belt expands its divisions to 8 teams each (EKU in the East and SFA in the West) and adopts a 9-game conference schedule by adding an extra division game, and the MAC also goes to 9 conference games by sorting out its 16 football programs into pods with the following pairings on Thanksgiving weekend:
Akron/Kent State, Illinois State/Youngstown State
Ball State/Western Michigan, Central Michigan/Eastern Michigan
Bowling Green/Toledo, Miami (Ohio)/Ohio
Buffalo/Richmond, UConn/UMass
Each MAC football school plays the others in its pod every year, and one pair from each of the other three pods on a four-year cycle.
While normally a 9-game conference schedule would limit a team to three non-conference games, games at Hawaii are not counted towards that total. Hawaii is a member of the MW, and the conference, with a 9-game conference schedule, would encourage all teams playing at Hawaii in a given year (as well as Hawaii themselves every year) to take advantage of the Hawaii exemption to play a fourth non-conference game which in practice would be at home.
Z-man, you could run the NCAA draft lottery starting next year on 4th of July. Who cares if you revive the Yankee Conference and put Florida State, Eastern New Mexico, Alaska-Fairbanks and Bemidji State in there? As long as it makes sense to you, make sure you put all teams that have never played each other before and start new rivalries. Don’t worry about travel, teams can just teleport to play neutral site locations so there are no home field advantages.
@JM, Eh, why not raid the SBC again? Lets get Louisiana Lafayette and ULM into the Crack-12,
This is a joke, or is it?
He just doesn’t care JM. None of his MAC related things make sense
Its in the MAC bylaws that you have to have football to be a full member of the conference.
The MAC tried football only members before, it didn’t work, and they don’t want them anymore. UMass left the first time because they wouldn’t accept full membership a decade ago.
A conference with a majority of its schools in Ohio and Michigan is not going to play their biggest rival the same day Ohio State and Michigan play one another, and attendance for Black Friday MAC games is awful. No one wants to waste their rivalry game on that day when it can be better attended on a Saturday in September or October.
The MAC can always change its bylaws.
For instance the OVC used to require football but they don’t anymore.
And UConn needs conference membership in football to have real access to the CFP. If the ACC or Big 12 had wanted them they’d be in already. The MAC is their only option. UConn isn’t like Notre Dame where they can easily stack their schedule with P4 teams as an indie.
Furthermore, it would be best for FBS football if every conference embraced Thanksgiving weekend as rivalry week.
Nothing should be more important than consistency as to who plays who in the final week of the season.
Z-Man This is only between Phil & Me
Phil Fantastic Post Thumbs Up!!!
No one else wanting UConn isn’t the MAC’s problem to solve
Conferences like Conference Games.
Television Networks like Conference Games
College Football Playoff Commitee like Conference Games
CFB Fans including me like Conferences Games.
CFB Do not need TV ratings, CFB Needs choices over TV airwaves.
Eh, why not raid the SBC again? Lets get Louisiana Lafayette and ULM into the Crack-12,
This is a joke, or is it?
Pardon me for going off the subject.
Here is My proposal for SEC nine game conference schedule.
Protected opponents
Georgia: South Carolina, Florida, Auburn
Tennessee: Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama
Kentucky: Vanderbilt, Missouri, Mississippi State
Missouri: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky
Texas A&M: Texas, Ole Miss, South Carolina
Texas: Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Arkansas
Florida: Georgia, Tennessee, LSU
South Carolina: Georgia, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M
LSU: Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma
Auburn: Alabama, Mississippi State, Georgia
Mississippi State: Ole Miss, Auburn, Kentucky
Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina
Arkansas: Missouri, Texas, LSU
Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss
Ole Miss: Mississippi State, Alabama, Texas A&M
Oklahoma: Texas, LSU, Missouri
If SEC do all conference games on Thanksgiving weekend this is what it going to look like.
Georgia-South Carolina
Tennessee-Florida
Kentucky-Vanderbilt
Missouri-Arkansas
Texas A&M-Texas
Auburn-Alabama
Mississippi State-Ole Miss
LSU-Oklahoma
I would like to see four SEC-ACC games to be play in September when OOC matchups are fully common at time.
Georgia-Georgia Tech
Florida-Florida State
South Carolina-Clemson
Kentucky-Louisville
Oklahoma-Missouri. Longtime Big 8 rivalry.
Arkansas-LSU. The Boot.
Way off subject Dan, but you must be doing a “parody” of Z-man. That’s the only way I can see why you keep bringing this up.
Why don’t those rivalry games work for you Dan? If all the college kids are home from school and the alums are at grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, these games seem to fit the schedule to keep everyone within driving distance to watch and still make it home on Saturday night.
I’m not sure why, but it seems like Alabama and Mississippi, along with a few others, are content to play FCS teams on their last regular season weekend.
No matter how many times you pitch this plan, they aren’t going to change it. Go to the schools’ web sites and look up the AD’s email and ask them why they don’t do it the way you want. I’m sure they can lay it out why they play those games when they do, but my bet is that it has everything to do with not having the student body available because they go home for the holiday. Butts in the seats are way more important than what you are laying out here and these rivalry games are doing that better than anything you may wish for to fit your viewing pleasure because you are going to tune in no matter who is on.
Protected opponents
Georgia: South Carolina, Florida, Auburn
Tennessee: Vanderbilt, Alabama, Kentucky
Kentucky: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Missouri
Missouri: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky
Texas A&M: Texas, LSU, Oklahoma
Texas: Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Arkansas
Florida: Georgia, South Carolina, Auburn
South Carolina: Georgia, Florida, Mississippi St.
LSU: Arkansas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss
Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Florida
Mississippi State: Ole Miss, Alabama, South Carolina
Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss
Arkansas: Missouri, Texas, LSU
Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, Mississippi State
Ole Miss: Mississippi State, LSU, Vanderbilt
Oklahoma: Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri
Keep ACC rivalries on Thanksgiving weekend. See if we could do LSU-Tulane and Arkansas-Memphis on that weekend too, if not, then LSU-Arkansas should be there. See if we can get Bedlam on that weekend along with Missouri playing Kansas or Nebraska (ideally we’d have Iowa-Iowa St., Nebraska-Missouri, Kansas-Kansas St., but Nebraska-Iowa, Iowa St.-Kansas St., Kansas-Missouri would also work). If not, Missouri and Oklahoma can play each other then.
JM I am here to talk about Football & your post will be deleted because you are not allowed to mention somebody else on this web page & that’s a big no-no.
JM To be honest with you I would like Georgia-Georgia Tech, Kentucky-Louisville, South Carolina-Clemson & Florida-Florida State to play on Thanksgiving weekend & when you have a person like me that want SEC to go nine game conference schedule you are going to expect changes & main reason, I have Georgia-South Carolina, Tennessee-Florida & Kentucky-Vanderbilt posted so I can be ready just in case SEC wants to head in a new direction.
Mr. Vandy Big Ten likes conference games in November especially Thanksgiving weekend.
Rivalry week on Thanksgiving weekend applies to P4 big time than it does with G6.
So, only P4 has rivalries?
Someone needs to tell Army-Navy, for starters.
JM I want G6 conferences to decide games are to be played on Thanksgiving weekend & I am very open minded with it.
Never thought I’d see back-to-back PAC-12 at SEC games: TX St at texas (2026) then TX St at A&M (2027).
Great add for the Pac-12.