Texas State accepts invite to join Pac-12 conference

Bobcats will be the ninth member of the Pac-12

Texas State Bobcats head coach G.J. Kinne reacts after a touchdown against the Baylor Bears during the first half at McLane Stadium. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Almost nine months after bringing Gonzaga into the fold, the Pac-12 conference reached the final stages of its initial rebrand on Monday.

According to multiple reports, Texas State's board of regents approved a $5 million exit fee to depart the Sun Belt Conference, paving the way for the Bobcats to join the Pac-12 following months of speculation and rumors regarding the league's next expansion target.

Located in San Marcos, Texas, Texas State was seen as the heavy favorites to join the Pac-12 because of its growing enrollment (40,678 students in 2024-25) and budding athletic programs. Though the Bobcats are relatively new to high-level college athletics, having joined the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012, they've had more success recently under head coach G.J. Kinne.

Kinne guided Texas State to consecutive eight-win seasons in the Sun Belt Conference, earning him a lucrative seven-year contract worth $2 million annually — one of the richest deals at the Group of 5 level.

Texas State’s board has approved the $5 million exit payment to the Sun Belt. Bobcats are off to the PAC-12. Final details expected later today. https://t.co/1B0a1Ycv5m

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 30, 2025

On the hardwood, the Bobcats men's basketball team is coming off a 16-16 campaign (9-9 record in Sun Belt play) and hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 1997.

Full details regarding Texas State's membership are expected to be revealed later Monday, per Ross Dellenger from Yahoo! Sports. The Austin Sports Journal reported last Friday that the Pac-12 formally extended an invitation to Texas State.

The Pac-12 and Texas State were financially motivated to strike a deal before July 1; otherwise, the buyout for Texas State to leave the Sun Belt Conference doubles from $5 million to $10 million.

With the addition of the Bobcats, the Pac-12 will meet the NCAA's minimum requirement of eight football-playing members to regain FBS status and potentially more royalties with the College Football Playoff.

The current eight members of the Pac-12 have signed their Grant of Rights and membership agreements, cementing July 1, 2026 as the official date in which Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State and Utah State join Oregon State and Washington State to form a new version of a once 100-year-old conference. Two years ago, the league sat on the brink of fully collapsing, after 10 of its previous 12 member schools departed for other leagues around the country, leaving Washington State and Oregon State to help put the pieces back together.

Adding five former Mountain West schools and a basketball powerhouse in Gonzaga were certainly good places for Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould and her team to start building their new foundation. Extending the league's media rights package with CBS Sports was the next domino to fall, leading to Texas State's eventual arrival.

In the wake of its revival, the Pac-12's standing in the college athletics landscape has become rather unique. The league has lost autonomous status following the departure of 10 schools to the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten, though it is still involved in monumental changes happening in college sports with regard to the House settlement. Only time will tell if having eight football schools is enough to grant the Pac-12 "power conference" status again.