Report: Texas State informs Sun Belt that it expects an offer from the Pac-12

Bobcats will join San Diego State in nine-team, reconfigured league

The Pac-12 Conference logo at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before a game between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Southern California Trojans. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Texas State’s expected move to the new-look Pac-12 Conference — which will include San Diego State — appears to be underway.

Texas State has informed the Sun Belt that it expects an offer from the Pac-12 in the near future, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported on X on Wednesday. Thamel reported that talks between the parties intensified during the last 24 hours.

An offer is expected this week because Texas State’s exit fee from the Sun Belt to join the Pac-12 doubles from $5 million to $10 million next Tuesday.

It’s been rumored for months that Texas State was a leading candidate to join the new-look Pac-12. The league needs to have an eighth football school in the fold by July 1 in order to receive certification for the College Football Playoff starting in 2026-27.

SDSU, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State of the Mountain West are joining Pac-12 holdovers Washington State and Oregon State as football-playing members of the reconfigured league. Gonzaga brings its national powerhouse basketball team to the Pac-12 but does not play football.

San Diego State was up against a similar deadline in June 2023. It was so sure it was on its way to either the Pac-12 or Big 12 that it notified the Mountain West it intended to “resign” from the conference. But with no invitation forthcoming, and its exit fee about to double, it informed the MW it was not leaving. 

A month later, literally overnight, the Pac-12 fell apart. Oregon and Washington joined USC and UCLA in moving to the Big Ten, Cal and Stanford bolted for the ACC, and Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado joined the Big 12.

The reconfigured Pac-12 began to take shape last fall and will begin competition on July 1, 2026.

Sources: Texas State officials have informed the Sun Belt that they are expecting an offer from the Pac-12 in the near future. The talks between Texas State and the Pac-12 have intensified in the last 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/m4v8yiSZpj

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 25, 2025