Texas State officials received a verbal offer to join the Mountain West, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
A decision is expected in the coming days as talks continue. The Pac-12 has also expressed interest but has not yet generated an offer, sources said.
Texas State is in the Sun Belt and the exit fee for a league change is expected to be $5 million.
Texas State has a rising program that has been in the FBS since 2012. It played one season in the WAC before joining the Sun Belt in 2013. The school played and won its first bowl game as a member of the FBS in 2023, as it finished 8 -5 under coach GJ Kinne and defeated Rice 45-21 in the First Responder Bowl.
Mountain West discussions with Texas State intensified after decisions by UNLV and Air Force to remain in the league last week. That gave the league two pivotal schools to build around moving forward.
The Mountain West has six full-time members and the state of Texas would give it seven. It needs eight full-time members to meet the conference's minimum requirements, with Fresno State, Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Utah State announcing upcoming departures.
The league's six full-time members are UNLV, Air Force, Nevada, San Jose State, New Mexico and Wyoming. Hawai'i is in the league as a football member. The Pac-12 also needs an additional member, as it currently has seven.
One of the problems both leagues face is that there are very few unaffiliated schools in the western part of the country. The possibility of the Mountain West adding members in Texas would expand the league's presence and could lead to the addition of a program in the central time zone.
