Texas State Bobcats to join rebuilt Pac-12 Conference in 2026: reports
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Conference realignment has reportedly made it to San Marcos, Texas.
Texas State will join the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference to be its eighth football-sponsoring member starting in 2026, leaving the Sun Belt Conference, according to multiple reports. The Texas State University System Board of Regents will convene for a special meeting Monday to approve the move. The Austin Sports Journal was the first to report the Pac-12’s formal invitation to Texas State to join, and it was confirmed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. KXAN is working to independently confirm the meeting.
The deal was secured in the nick of time for Texas State because its exit fee from the SBC was set to double from $5 million to $10 million July 1.
With the Bobcats in the mix, the Pac-12 meets the NCAA’s requirement of eight teams to remain in the Football Bowl Subdivision and be eligible for inclusion in the College Football Playoff. They’ll join Oregon State, Washington State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State and Colorado State as schools that field football teams. Men’s basketball powerhouse Gonzaga is also a new Pac-12 member, but doesn’t have a football team.
CBS, ESPN and the CW will split the conference’s media-rights deal. The Pac-12 and CBS agreed June 23 on a deal through the 2030-31 school year that will have CBS broadcast a minimum of four football and men’s basketball games on its main network, plus provide a cable (CBS Sports Network) and streaming (Paramount+) presence.
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The SBC’s media deal with ESPN through 2031 pays schools $2 million per year and is mainly focused on ESPN’s streaming service, ESPN+. The Pac-12’s deal will reportedly pay member schools between $7-$12 million and put teams on national TV on a regular basis.
Texas State will be the biggest school in the Pac-12 with more than 40,000 students. They’ll play in the SBC for the 2025-26 athletic year before moving to the Pac-12.
The Bobcats’ football program is on the upswing with back-to-back 8-5 seasons and two bowl game victories under head coach GJ Kinne. The program is also pulling in bigger recruits than ever before, earning a commitment from Cullen Thompson, an edge defender from Grand Oaks High School in Spring, Texas. He’s a 3-star recruit according to 247Sports and the highest rated recruit of all-time for the Bobcats.
Kinne signed a contract extension with the school last yearthrough the 2031 that will pay him a base rate total of $8.75 million plus supplemental pay of $5.25 million.
