Tarleton State Keeps Beating FBS Teams. Is an FBS Jump Next?

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Tarleton State Keeps Beating FBS Teams. Is an FBS Jump Next?

Kyle Wood

Thu, Sep 17, 2026 ·

7 min read

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Tarleton State has made a habit of beating FBS teams. Since the Texans transitioned to the FCS from Division II in 2020, they've done so three times.

If Tarleton State has its way, that will soon happen much more often. The Texans hope to become the next team to move up to the FBS. They invested in the program with that goal in mind and have seen encouraging results when they do play up a level.

That's why Tarleton State's win two weeks ago over Bowling Green, while celebrated on campus in Stephenville, Texas, about an hour outside Fort Worth, didn't come as a shock.

"Everything that we have done around here, from a strategic standpoint, has been to elevate our program and get better every year," longtime head coach Todd Whitten told Athlon Sports. "One of the things that I'm the most proud of is we have made improvement, really, each year of our Division I FCS journey. And so, we just want to keep that going."

The size of the FBS membership has grown in back-to-back years despite the increased cost to transition . What once cost programs $5,000 has ballooned to $5 million. And that's just the bill due to the NCAA, never mind associated costs paid to the new conference.

Upfront investments are needed to make a program attractive to one of the 10 FBS conferences — realistically, just the Group of 6. Facilities have to be on par with soon-to-be competitors. And at a time when the cost to build and retain rosters is skyrocketing, programs must be ready to spend.

Check and check, says Tarleton State, a public school in the Texas A&M University system with a recently renovated stadium that can almost house its student body of 27,000.

"Winning football games is a real priority here at Tarleton," said Whitten.

Tarleton State head coach Todd Whitten shakes hands with Army head coach Jeff Monken after the Texans' double-overtime win on Aug 29, 2025, in West Point, New York.Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Texans (3-0) are ranked No. 5 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll. Their 12 wins a season ago tied a program record. One of those victories came at the expense of Army, the Texans' second FBS win in school history.

Though Whitten's team lost in the 2025 FCS quarterfinals, Tarleton State has made the playoffs twice since it became postseason eligible in 2024 and has won 30 games over the last three years. And since 2018, no team in Texas — Division I or II — has a better winning percentage.

Whitten has been with the Texans every step of the way. This is his third stint at Tarleton State. It's also the longest and most successful for the program's all-time wins leader. Whitten got his first shot as a head coach in 1996 for the Texans, who went from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 1994. After just one season in charge, Whitten bounced around for a few years as an offensive coordinator before he returned to Stephenville in 2000. He stayed until 2004 and returned more than a decade later in 2015.

Whitten oversaw the transition to the FCS. Now, the 61-year-old head coach aims to lead his team up another rung. He believes Tarleton State is already operating at an FBS level.

The Texans have a full coaching staff with an assistant salary pool that Whitten said is commensurate with many MAC budgets. They also haven't been on a bus for a game in years. When Tarleton State played at McNeese State in Lake Charles, Louisiana, last week, the team chartered a plane. It was less than an hour-long flight instead of a seven-hour drive.

"Just you name it, and we do it first class," Whitten said.

Tarleton State players celebrate on the field after a double-overtime win against Army at Michie Stadium on Aug. 29, 2025.Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Tarleton State opted into athlete revenue sharing to pay players directly when it was introduced in the summer of 2025. The Texans rarely lose players to the transfer portal and have the budget to compete for players they want to bring in.

"Oftentimes we can beat some folks in the FBS," Whitten said. "I'm not saying all the time. But once in a while, we can do that, because we're a really good option. We're just not quite FBS yet."

Tylan Hines was one of those priority targets. He spent years at Hawaii splitting time at running back and slot receiver. Whitten knew about him when he was a high school standout in Texas years earlier.

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Tarleton State went all-in on Hines two years ago, and he transferred home. That investment paid off now that he's starting in the backfield. Through three games, he leads all Division I players with 575 rushing yards. That includes 250 in the win against Bowling Green.

"A lot of the guys that we try to recruit out of high school, they don't come here. They go to the FBS," Whitten said. "We keep track of everybody, and so when they get in the portal, it is attractive to them, oftentimes, to come home and be able to play."

The Texas component could also make Tarleton State attractive to a prospective conference. It's a growing state with a football-crazed population home to multiple strong media markets. With Texas State now in the Pac-12, the Sun Belt no longer has a footprint in the Lone Star State. Conference USA, which has become a popular landing spot for programs that transition from the FCS, has just one: Sam Houston.

Whitten coached the Bearkats years ago when they, too, were in the FCS and thinks Sam Houston can be a model for Tarleton State. It took the Bearkats just two years at the FBS level to win 10 games and appear in a bowl game.

Tarleton State head coach Todd Whitten looks on during his team's game against the Baylor Bears on Aug. 31, 2024, in Waco, Texas.© Chris Jones-Imagn Images

There is no longer a two-year transition period for FBS newcomers to become postseason eligible. That change benefits North Dakota State, one of two new teams that joined in 2026 to bring FBS membership to 138 schools.

The Bison are one of the most FBS-ready programs to ever make the move. Winners of 10 of the last 15 FCS national championships, NDSU used to beat FBS programs routinely. That is, until they stopped scheduling the Bison.

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Tarleton State, which hasn't even been in the FCS for a decade, cannot tout the same high-level or sustained success that the Bison enjoyed. But the Texans are 3-3 all-time against FBS opponents. That includes a win over New Mexico State in 2020, the double-overtime victory against Army in 2025 and the recent Bowling Green game.

"When it's been like-minded opponents coming out of the FBS, we've done pretty good," Whitten said. "So we felt like we had a chance going into the game."

Tarleton State's three FBS losses were to Big 12 teams: Baylor, Texas Tech and TCU. The Texans play North Texas in 2027, but they have no future FBS games scheduled beyond that. Whitten wants another shot against the Horned Frogs, who are just up the road in Fort Worth.

By the time such a game is scheduled, though, it could be FBS vs. FBS.

"I don't know how long it will take us. Maybe sooner rather than later, we're hopeful," Whitten said. "We just want to be ready. And so it'll be kind of a seamless move for us, we think, when we do get the opportunity."

More College Football Essentials

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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