BOISE (Statesman of Idaho) It is officially the seventh football-playing member of the Pac-12. Texas State will begin playing in the newly restructured league in the 2026–2027 athletic season, the conference stated Monday.
Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State, Utah State, Washington State, and Texas State are now the nine colleges that make up the Pac-12. For the past few months, the conference has been trying to become a Football Bowl Subdivision conference by adding an eighth football program.
Despite having one of the best basketball programs in the country, Gonzaga does not field a football team. Texas State, which has been a part of the Sun Belt Conference since 2013, is leaving the conference. Texas State is located in San Marcos, roughly midway between Austin and San Antonio.
According to a news release from Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould, Texas State has demonstrated a dedication to both competing and winning at the highest level and to provide student-athletes a well-rounded collegiate experience in terms of academics, athletics, and social interactions.
In 2023 and 2024, the Bobcats participated in their first-ever bowl games and won the First Responder Bowl. They finished 16–10 in those two seasons and are among the 15 teams who have won a bowl game each of the last two seasons.
In the new Pac-12, the Bobcats football program is statistically ranked second only to Boise State. Texas State was ranked 48th in ESPN’s SP+ rankings (behind only Boise State at 29th) and 62nd in the FPI out of 134 FBS programs in 2024. The only FBS team to rank in the top 25 of both categories is Texas State, which finished 15th in rushing offense (197.9 yards per game) and 25th in passing offense (269.8 yards per game) over the last two seasons combined.
The men’s basketball team lost in the first round of the NIT in 2022, its most recent postseason appearance. In non-revenue sports, Texas State has also excelled, winning the Sun Belt’s Vic Bubas Cup—given to the conference’s best athletic department—three times in the last four years.
In 2024, the Bobcats took home five Sun Belt titles, including the regular-season softball and volleyball titles.
As the newest member of the new Pac-12 Conference, Texas State is excited to usher in a new era in college athletics, according to a news release from Texas State Director of Athletics Don Coryell. This significant achievement presents a fantastic chance to improve our programs, compete at the greatest level, and strive for greatness on a national level.
