Pac-12 expansion: Invitation extended to Texas State to become the critical eighth all-sports member

The Pac- has extended an invitation to Texas State to join the conference as an all-sports member beginning in the summer of an industry source validated late Thursday night But it could be a limited days before any move is finalized The Bobcats who compete in the Sun Belt cannot formally accept the invitation without approval from the university s governing board which is expected to meet Monday If the Bobcats accept as expected the Pac- will meet a critical membership threshold The rebuilt conference has seven all-sports schools secured for the summer of plus Gonzaga which does not play football A minimum of eight all-sports members is needed to meet certification requirements Texas State is located in San Marcos between San Antonio and Austin The Austin Sports Journal was the first to account the invitation Monday is a critical day the last of the fiscal year If the Bobcats don t inform the Sun Belt of their intent to withdraw by Tuesday July their exit fee would increase from million to million The Pac- was down to Washington State and Oregon State after legacy schools officially departed last August A month later the conference accepted Boise State Colorado State Fresno State San Diego State and Utah State from the Mountain West It then added Gonzaga but was still one all-sports member short It targeted Texas State for a variety of reasons including its location in the football-crazed state willingness to invest in athletics and probable to become an impact effort at the sub-Power Four level Also the conference has long been interested in planting its banner in Texas Three previous commissioners Tom Hansen Larry Scott and George Kliavkoff either considered expanding into Texas or made formal attempts to lure schools from the Lone Star State Teresa Gould who took charge of the conference in early is the first to succeed Granted the Pac- is a difference conference than it was before the schools departed last summer Also Texas State is not Texas Texas A M or even Texas Tech But on a relative basis the move serves a comparable purpose in growing the Pac- s footprint into one of the largest part populous football-obsessed and talent-rich states in the country The Bobcats spent much of their history competing in the lower divisions They transitioned to the Football Bowl Subdivision in and spent one year in the WAC before switching to the Sun Belt Their resume features just two postseason appearances The and First Responders Bowls under coach G J Kinne Related Articles Utah vs BYU Competitive imbalance in the era of unchecked NIL Cal s plan for the revenue-sharing era Will football receive the necessary help Big Ten basketball Purdue Michigan Illinois lead our post-transfer portal power rankings Assessing the Pac- CBS deal Big Ten factor CBB coverage MW impact Pac- media rights CBS revealed as primary partner with more to come Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - - Follow me on the social media platform X WilnerHotline