*Started playing football in 1904
* Played in 3 different conferences in the last 3 years: 2011 Independent, 2012 WAC, 2013 Sunbelt
*Important rival: UTSA
*Home Stadium, Capacity and Average Capacity: Bobcat Stadium, 30,000, 18,062
* Head Football coach: Dennis Franchione
Texas State became the 11th D1 school in Texas, claiming that spot just two short years ago. Texas State however, is no stranger to football having started their program in 1904. To coincide with Texas State's jump to D1 status, the Bobcats hired journeyman Dennis Franchione to a 5 year $350,000 contract. Franchione immediately went to work recruiting and preparing the team for the FCS to FBS jump.
The Bobcats have some good things going for them as they begin another year in their very young FBS life. For starters, the school is not new to winning and competing as Bobcat baseball has traditionally been strong. The school is also located in talent rich Texas and Dennis Franchione has proven he knows how to win football games and turn programs around like he did at TCU.
The Bobcats improved on their 2012 season, with two extra wins in 2013. Looking ahead to 2014 season, Texas State fans are excited to have an experienced OL return , 3 solid rb's in the backfield, options at QB and a very good Lb corp, especially in players Michael Orakpo and David Mayo.
There are however, many challenges Texas State will need to overcome before they can make a name for their football program. For starters, Texas State is late to the FBS game. Texas of course is a huge state, still, 11 FBS programs makes for challenging recruiting battles. Texas State will need to distinguish themselves from the other G5 programs in the state. North Texas, Rice, UTEP, as well as UTSA, will all be going after the same recruits Texas State does. Texas State made a smart choice in hiring Dennis Franchione, if for no other reason than he is a known entity in Texas football circles. Still, Texas State faces an uphill battle in creating brand recognition and separation from the other G5 Texas schools. Texas State had a nice win over Houston in 2012, they need to continue to play Houston as well as SMU and beat them to improve their standing among the G5 in Texas.
Look for Texas State to finish somewhere in the middle of the Sun Belt this year. They have a chance to turn some heads this season, if they can beat Navy, Illinois or Tulsa. Either way, Texas State will have to continue to build their program one win at a time, one recruit at a time. It's hard work, but work that the loyal and small Texas State fan base seems willing to do.
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