The university will join the conference in fall 2026 after a $5 million payout to the Sun Belt Conference.
SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State University (TXST) is entering a new athletic conference.
On Monday, the university’s Board of Regents unanimously approved a $5 million payout to the Sun Belt Conference, allowing TXST to instead join the Pac-12.
The partnership will officially kick off at the start of the fall 2026 football season, meaning the university will still be part of the Sun Belt Conference during the 2025 school year.
TXST posted the update to X, calling the invitation “a transformative milestone in the university’s athletic and academic journey.”
The decision was hinted at over the weekend, as ESPN said the conference change was expected Monday. It comes as 10 of the 12 previous Pac-12 teams left the conference, with only Washington State and Oregon State left in 2024.
The Bobcats join several other teams in what is now a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference, including Washington State. Utah State, Fresno State and several others. TXST is the only Texas team in the Pac-12.
Last year, the university said it was given a verbal offer to leave the Sun Belt Conference, but it rejected this request, according to ESPN.
This year, the team’s first game will take place on Saturday, Aug. 30 in San Marcos, Texas, against Eastern Michigan.