Texas State officially to join Sun Belt

Texas State has now joined the Sun Belt, effective July 1, 2013. The official announcement was made on the Sun Belt's site this morning.

From the announcement:


We are very excited about becoming a member of the Sun Belt Conference in 2013," said Texas State Director of Athletics Dr. Larry Teis.  "We know that our student-athletes will be eager to succeed in the Sun Belt, and we will enter the conference ready to compete.  We look forward to building new rivalries with some Sun Belt schools and renewing rivalries with others.  The Sun Belt Conference encompasses eight states from Texas to Florida that are rich in college athletic traditions, especially in the sport of FBS football."
 
Texas State's budget for athletics ranks in the upper half of the current Sun Belt Conference membership, and its undergraduate enrollment ranks near the top of the league's current membership.

Texas State is between Austin and San Antonio on I-35. The addition of Texas State gives the Sun Belt a footprint in Texas again after North Texas is expected (along with FIU) to depart for Conference USA.

Texas State, in San Marcos, is the Bobcats and are coached by Dennis Franchione, who was at Alabama for a couple of years.

You can go HERE to check out Texas State's football stadium & renovations.

From SaturdayBlitz.com, HERE is a good breakdown of the Sun Belt, with a map, etc.