FBS Conference Shuffling
Scott Lawson - Board AdminSounds like Texas State is getting a PAC 12 invite.
Other than Gonzaga, the new PAC12 will be the X State conference: Washington State and Oregon State, plus in 2026 Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah State, and now likely Texas State. Texas State would be the league's 8th football playing member (which is the minimum for a FBS conference).
Other than Gonzaga, the new PAC12 will be the X State conference: Washington State and Oregon State, plus in 2026 Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah State, and now likely Texas State. Texas State would be the league's 8th football playing member (which is the minimum for a FBS conference).
So Texas State to the new Pac-12 is happening, and it sounds like the Sun Belt is likely to invite Louisiana Tech to replace them. Sun Belt already has UL Lafayette and UL Monroe as members. Despite the "Tech" name, Louisiana Tech is a part of the UL system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Belt_Conference
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Belt_Conference
Good rundown of the situation for this season, with comments on 2026: https://fbschedules.com/college-footbal ... ect-today/
Louisiana Tech officially joining the Sun Belt in 2026, replacing the departing Texas State, and tightening up the footprint just a little bit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Belt_ ... er_schools
Map from before the addition of Louisiana Tech, full members in blue:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Belt_ ... er_schools
Map from before the addition of Louisiana Tech, full members in blue:
A bunch of FBS realignment is official as of July 1st, 2026.
- Pac-12 is back to being an actual conference (rather than 2 schools in a trenchcoat), now consisting of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Texas State, Utah State, and Washington State. All except Texas State (from the Sun Belt), Oregon State and Washington State (the last vestiges of the old Pac-12) are coming from the Mountain West.
- Mountain West is "backfilling" with UTEP (from CUSA), Northern Illinois (from MAC), and North Dakota State (from FCS MVFC)
- Louisiana Tech is leaving CUSA for the Sun Belt
- The MAC is adding formerly FCS Sacramento State in place of the departing NIU
James Madison will now be moving to the American (AAC) by 2028.
For reference, JMU was in the FCS (CAA conference) until 2021. They won the FCS championship in 2016, and made the championship game in 2017 and 2019.
In 2022, they moved up to the FBS, joining the Sun Belt. Since then, they have pretty much dominated the lower level of the FBS (G6), going 8-3 in 2022, 11-2 overall in '23 (only losses were an OT loss to App State and in their bowl game against Air Force), 9-4 in '24, and then 12-2 last year and making the College Football Playoff. They are undefeated (6-0) so far in 2026.
By 2028, the AAC will include the following for football: Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, North Texas, Rice, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UTSA, Army, Navy, and now JMU (assuming no other changes).
For reference, JMU was in the FCS (CAA conference) until 2021. They won the FCS championship in 2016, and made the championship game in 2017 and 2019.
In 2022, they moved up to the FBS, joining the Sun Belt. Since then, they have pretty much dominated the lower level of the FBS (G6), going 8-3 in 2022, 11-2 overall in '23 (only losses were an OT loss to App State and in their bowl game against Air Force), 9-4 in '24, and then 12-2 last year and making the College Football Playoff. They are undefeated (6-0) so far in 2026.
By 2028, the AAC will include the following for football: Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, North Texas, Rice, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UTSA, Army, Navy, and now JMU (assuming no other changes).