Board of Regents calls special meeting for Monday morning to approve move
By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
Sources confirmed to the Austin Sports Journal late Thursday night that the Pac-12 Conference has formally extended a membership invitation to Texas State University, effective for the 2026–27 academic year.
The Texas State University System Board of Regents called a special meeting for Monday morning to formally accept the invitation.
The invitation follows weeks of speculation regarding Texas State’s potential move to the Pac-12.
University officials are expected to notify the Sun Belt Conference of their intent to depart and will pay a $5 million exit fee, thus meeting the July 1 deadline.
With the addition of Texas State, the rebranded Pac-12 will meet the NCAA’s minimum requirement of eight football-playing members to maintain its Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) status and eligibility for the College Football Playoff.
Texas State will join founding member Oregon State, longtime member Washington State and fellow newcomers Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and San Diego State as football members. Gonzaga will participate in all sports except football.
The Pac-12 is rebuilding after a wave of realignment that saw Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington depart for the Big Ten; Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah move to the Big 12; and Cal and Stanford join the ACC.
Texas State’s membership follows the conference’s new media rights deal with CBS, which grants the network broadcasting rights through 2031. The agreement includes a minimum of four football and basketball games annually on the main CBS network, with additional coverage on CBS Sports Network and the CBS streaming app. The deal also covers the conference championship games in football and men’s basketball.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Texas State, with an enrollment of 40,000 students, is the seventh-largest university in Texas and will become the largest school in the Pac-12.
The Bobcats recently claimed their second consecutive Vic Bubas Cup, awarded annually to the Sun Belt’s top overall athletics program. It marks their third win in four years and fourth since joining the conference in 2013.
