By bringing Texas State into the fold, the Pac-12 expansion has made the conference viable in the long run. The league now has the mandatory eight programs to play college football at the FBS level. Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State, and San Diego State make up the rest of the field.
𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘.
Please join us in welcoming @LATechSports to the Sun Belt Conference. ☀️
📰 » https://t.co/KrCMIMM6AB pic.twitter.com/eAsF4Wn6EU
— Sun Belt (@SunBelt) July 15, 2025
However, the problem was now with Texas State’s former conference, the Sun Belt, which needed to find a replacement for the Bobcats. They found one in the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, who on Tuesday joined the Sun Belt with a unanimous vote by the rest of the conference’s members.
“We are thrilled to welcome Louisiana Tech University to the Sun Belt… the Sun Belt Conference is RISING and our best days are ahead,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill
She also highlighted the fact that the school is already inside the geographical footprint of the conference, and that the addition of the Bulldogs will bring several school rivalries under the banner of the Sun Belt. Louisiana Tech’s rivals, Southern Miss, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Louisiana-Monroe, were already members of the Sun Belt.
Louisiana Tech is expected to join the Sun Belt by July 2027. Further details on the agreement are set to be disclosed this Wednesday, at a press conference by Louisiana Tech President Dr. Jim Henderson, Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Ryan Ivey, and Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill, which will be held at 4 p.m. ET in the Davison Athletics Complex in Ruston, Louisiana.
Commissioner Teresa Gould on Texas State joining the conference in the Pac-12 expansion wave
Earlier this month, the Texas State Bobcats decided to join the Pac-12, providing a lifeline to a league that had not long ago seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Probably no one was happier to hear the news than Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould.
BREAKING: Texas State has officially agreed to join the Pac-12 beginning in 2026 @TxStateBobcats @pac12 🚨 pic.twitter.com/DT2cJwRdt1
— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) June 26, 2025
When announcing the latest round of the Pac-12 expansion earlier in the month, Gould said:
“We are extremely excited to welcome Texas State as a foundational member of the new Pac-12…” said Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould. “We look forward to seeing the Bobcats’ future trajectory continue to shine big and bright.”
The Commissioner also stated that she believes that the new Pac-12 is positioned to succeed in the modern environment of college athletics. It’s a remarkable business and sports management turnaround for a conference that lost all but two of its members in 2023, and that seemed to be on life support not long ago.
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