Report: Texas State takes next major step toward joining Pac-12

Texas State took its next major step towards joining the Pac-12 Monday. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the paperwork is set to be signed.

“Texas State Board of Regents approved the Sun Belt payment,” Thamel wrote on Twitter. “Texas State officials will execute the exit fee and sign the PAC-12 paperwork today.”

This comes after the Pac-12 was rocked by the prior round of conference realignment. That brought the conference down to just two teams ahead of the 2024 season, Washington State and Oregon State. Since then, they’ve been working to replenish their numbers.

The first conference the Pac-12 turned to poach from was the Mountain West. There, the conference was able to poach Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Utah State. That leaves the conference with seven teams. However, the conference is clearly looking to expand beyond that because in order to qualify as an FBS conference, they’ll need to be at a minimum of eight schools.

Thamel previously shared that the buyout for Texas State to leave the Sun Belt for the 2026-27 season jumps from $5 million to $10 million on July 1. Based on those numbers, it looks like both sides wanted to get it done.

“The finances from a new TV deal are expected to be below what the league’s consultants pitched schools initially,” Thamel also reported. “In the wake of the initial flurry of schools going to the league, ESPN reported schools were shown projected revenue from a TV deal north of $10 million per school, but conditions have changed.”

The Sun Belt will likely look to backfill the spot left by Texas State. The conference that the Sun Belt poaches from will then need to backfill as well, just as other rounds of realignment have gone. Thamel and ESPN reported that Louisiana Tech would be the favorite to replace Texas State in the Sun Belt. Meanwhile, Tarleton State would be the favorite to join Conference USA should a spot open up.

Dan Morrison contributed to this report