The Pac-12’s summer remodel continued Monday when Texas State accepted an invitation to join the conference July 1, 2026 as the eighth all-sports member — a vital move that both expands the Pac-12’s footprint into Texas and secures its future.

The news comes three years to the day that USC and UCLA announced they were leaving for the Big Ten, causing a chain reaction that eventually led to the collapse of the conference, a treacherous two-year stretch of uncertainty and, now, revival.

With the Bobcats moving over from the Sun Belt, their home for the past 12 years, the new Pac-12 will meet the Football Bowl Subdivision requirement of eight all-sports members when it comes online next summer.

Since the fall, seven schools have been committed: Washington State and Oregon State, the holdovers from the previous version; plus Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State, which are set to join in 2026 from the Mountain West.

Gonzaga is also moving over from the West Coast Conference but isn’t considered an all-sports member because the Zags don’t compete in football.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12,” commissioner Teresa Gould said Monday in a news release announcing the Bobcats’ arrival.

“It is a new day in college sports and the most opportune time to launch a new league that is positioned to succeed in today’s landscape with student-athletes in mind.

“Texas State has shown a commitment to competing and winning at the highest level as well as to providing student-athletes with a well-rounded college experience academically, athletically and socially. We look forward to seeing the Bobcats’ future trajectory continue to shine big and bright.”

The widely-expected move comes one week after the Pac-12 revealed a media rights agreement with CBS, which begins next summer and runs for five years.

The conference remains in negotiations with other networks over the football and basketball inventory not covered by the deal with CBS. That process hinges, in part, on the next expansion move — if there is a next expansion move.

The Pac-12 could end its growth phase with eight football members and nine for basketball. Or it could pursue schools in football- or basketball-only capacities. The decision will impact the number of conference games played in each sport, which affects the inventory offered to potential media partners.

Either way, the 110-year-old conference, which imploded in the summer of 2023, has expanded into football-crazed Texas for the first time.

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The Bobcats are located in San Marcos, between Austin and San Antonio. Much of their history was spent competing in the lower divisions, but they transitioned to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012 and spent one year in the WAC before switching to the Sun Belt.

Their resume features two postseason appearances: The 2023 and 2024 First Responders Bowls under coach G.J. Kinne.

“This is a historic moment for TXST and Bobcat athletics,” university president Kelly Damphousse said.

“Joining the Pac-12 is more than an athletic move — it is a declaration of our rising national profile, our commitment to excellence, and our readiness to compete and collaborate with some of the most respected institutions in the country.

“Our acceptance into the Pac-12 affirms the strength of our academic vision, our commitment to providing access to a TXST degree, the momentum of our athletic programs, and the ambition that defines this institution.”

The Bobcats are expected to receive a partial share of conference media rights in their initial years, laddering up to full-share status at the end of the decade. Details of the financial component have not been revealed.

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