Texas State is in the final steps of accepting an invitation to the Pac-12, as it has initiated the process of calling a board of regents meeting for Monday to complete the move, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Texas State officials began alerting Sun Belt officials of its formal offer to the Pac-12 and plans to accept, sources said. The Pac-12 and Texas State are expected to finalize the process soon, and the move will happen for the 2026-27 school year for all sports, according to sources. An announcement of the move isn't expected before Monday.
It takes 72 hours to call a board of regents meeting in the Texas system, according to the state of Texas open meeting laws. By calling the meeting officially Friday, it allows Texas State to have the final meeting Monday.
This will mark the final steps in the courtship of Texas State to the Pac-12. The Bobcats have loomed as the heavy favorite to join the league for months as the eighth football-playing member. (Gonzaga is the league's ninth member but doesn't have football.)
The move came down to the final days of a key pressure point for Texas State, as the school's exit fee to join the Pac-12 for 2026 doubles from $5 million to $10 million on July 1. With formal board approval needed to pay the exit fee and avoid the increase, Texas State's invitation needed to come at some point this week.
The Pac-12 needed an eighth football member to operate as an FBS conference in 2026. The Bobcats will join Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State and Fresno State.
Texas State's addition hints at the school's athletic potential and also gives the Pac-12 a niche in the football-rich state of Texas. The school has more than 40,000 students and is situated between Austin and San Antonio.
The Bobcats are coming off back-to-back 8-5 football seasons, which included two bowl wins under head coach G.J. Kinne. Texas State opens the 2025 season against Eastern Michigan, and its first game as a Pac-12 member will be at Texas in 2026.
The Austin Sports Journal was first to report the news of Texas State initiating the final steps for its move to the Pac-12.