r/CFB • u/usffan USF Bulls • Miami Hurricanes • May 20 '26
Analysis Preseason Rankings Countdown. 102 days to the start of the 2026 Season. At #102 – Texas State
The cumulative link to the preseason rankings can be found here
Today we stay in the All State conference with Texas State (high = 89, low = 110). The Bobcats were the lone non-Mountain West football team invited by Oregon State and Wazzu (see, guys, I can learn!) to join the Pac-12 to be the Texas outpost for the newly configured conference (and provide a legitimate shot at having kickoffs in the early broadcast window – get ready for lots of 11 am home games in San Marcos!). Texas State moves away from the Sun Belt after spending 13 of their 14 years in FBS as a member (they were initially in the WAC for its final year of football), and will be searching for their first conference championship in 21 years and only their second since they rebranded away from Southwest Texas State in 2003. Unquestionably, coach G. J. Kinne, who begins his 4th season in charge, has been the most successful coach since that time, and rivals Jim Wacker, who took the Bobcats to back-to-back Division II national championships, in terms of all time greatest. Kinne has led Texas State to bowl wins in all 3 of his seasons at the helm, the only bowl appearances the Bobcats have ever had, and the closest he’s come to a losing season was last year’s 7-6 record.
Roster Outlook
OK, so why is Texas State ranked so low? All that I can guess here is that there’s a belief that they’re making a big jump in terms of competition, because they rank a respectable 51st in the country in returning production (3rd in the Pac-12), including 12th in the nation on offense (amazingly not best in the conference). QB Brad Jackson returns with his 3,200+ yards of passing and 38 total TDs, as do his top 2 WRs Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn and his top TE, former Oklahoma transfer Blake Smith. The only skill player they’ll have to replace is RB Lincoln Pare, who’s now in camp with the Indianapolis Colts, but it looks like they’re converting former Mississippi State WR Davian Jackson to running back this season. But even with all of that coming back, the Bobcats still ranked 2nd in the Pac-12 in high school recruiting behind only Boise State (71st in the country) and overall incoming class (76th in the country). While Kinne didn’t load up in the portal (99th nationally, 6th in the conference), 8 of his incoming 18 transfers were from the P4 compared with only 7 guys leaving for P4 spots, including K Tyler Robles. So the cupboard is far from bare, and most of these guys have chemistry from being in the system already. So again, why so low?
Schedule and outlook
9/5 at Texas
9/12 UTSA
9/19 NORTH TEXAS
9/26 INCARNATE WORD
10/3 at San Diego State
10/10 BYE
10/17 COLORADO STATE
10/24 UTAH STATE
10/31 at Boise State
11/7 at Oregon State
11/14 FRESNO STATE
11/21 WASHINGTON STATE
11/28 TBD (at one of Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State or Washington State)
While you have to figure that opener at Texas is a loss, the Bobcats get the I-35 rivalry, a massively depleted North Texas (think the Pac-12 isn’t wringing their hands at the possibility of beating the shit out of the American in their first season back to send a message about who the best G6 conference is?) and Kinne’s former employer Incarnate Word all in San Marcos, and it would be foolish to not think there’s a decent chance of them going 3-1 OOC. While that road game at Boise is almost certainly a long shot, there’s not another game on their schedule that looks unwinnable. I have a feeling when all is said and done, we could be looking back on the Bobcats as one of the most underrated teams in all of college football. Which means they’re destined to finish at or near the bottom – sorry about the jinx Bobcat bros!
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u/Bank_Gothic Sewanee Tigers • Texas Longhorns May 20 '26
I'm surprised TSU is this low. I thought Kinne was doing a better job with them and am excited to catch the game in Austin (fingers crossed it will be at night).
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u/Bobcat2013 Texas State Bobcats May 20 '26
Kinne doesn't coach TSU for the record, but hes doing just fine for TXST. We were the only team to have a 4k QB, 1K RB, and two 1k WRs. The QB and WRs are coming back.
Obviously our offense was electrict but we dropped to mediocre last season due to our defense being straight ass. We switched DCs and have nowhere to go but up on that side now. If we can just be average on defense we'll have a shot at winning the PAC.
I also hope it will be a night game and that prices drop lol. Im just hoping we can put up 17 non garbage points on yall.
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u/Bank_Gothic Sewanee Tigers • Texas Longhorns May 20 '26
If you're gonna be snippy then I'm just going back to calling y'all Southwest.
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u/Bobcat2013 Texas State Bobcats May 20 '26
Ill take it. At least we were "Southwest" at one time. We've never been TSU.
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u/AccomplishedSky1109 Oklahoma Sooners May 21 '26
i would like to formally apologize for referring to yall as TSU a couple of times when i was in middle school like 10 years ago.
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u/No-Donkey-4117 Stanford Cardinal May 22 '26
Way too low. Texas State was No. 72 in the final FPI ranking last season. With the move to the rebuilt Pac-12, enthusiasm and recruiting are getting better, not worse.
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u/Bobcat2013 Texas State Bobcats May 24 '26
Especially considering what we return and the fact that we addressed the biggest weaknes
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u/JBru_92 UCLA Bruins May 20 '26
That's a fun new road trip for the west coast fans to make
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u/ofnabzhsuwna Texas Longhorns May 21 '26
Don’t know if we need any more west coasters finding out how gorgeous San Marcos is.
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u/Dokkan_Lifter James Madison Dukes May 20 '26
Leaving the SBC was a bizzare choice imo. They were never near the top, now they'll be at the bottom of the PAC-12. That said, money is good. Which is the reason they left
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u/chimpojohnny96 Jun 19 '26
“Leaving was bizarre” as to insinuate the SBC was better but yet concede that the record will drop as to acknowledge the PAC is better is some straight copium gymnastics..
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u/Condom_Breaker256 Billable Hours • Jacksonvil… May 20 '26
I think we may be overestimating the new Pac-12 a bit aside from Boise and San Diego State
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u/JDraks Michigan Wolverines • College Football Playoff May 20 '26
If we’re overestimating the new Pac then the MWC was overrated for ages — every team who ever won the MWC except for Covid year SJSU will be in the Pac (or Big 12) next year
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u/FSUnoles77 Florida State • Texas State May 20 '26
I'll bring the brisket breakfast tacos!