Sacramento State Hornets football has enjoyed notable success in the FCS, earning playoff wins in both 2022 and 2023. The program finished the 2025 season with a 7-5 record and is now preparing to start a new chapter by moving on from the Big Sky Conference.
Sacramento State To Pay $23 Million in Total Fees As 2,200+ Mile Travel Challenge Awaits in MAC Move
On Saturday, presidents from the Mid-American Conference approved a plan to add Sacramento State as a football-only member beginning in fall 2026. While the agreement is expected to be finalized soon, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the school will likely pay $18 million to enter the league, along with a separate $5 million fee required to transition to the FBS level.
The decision marks a historic shift, as Sacramento State becomes the first West Coast program from California, Oregon, or Washington to elevate its football team from FCS to FBS since Fresno State Bulldogs football and San Diego State Aztecs football made the jump in 1969.
Sacramento State is undergoing a period of transition as it will begin this new chapter under first-year head coach Alonzo Carter. The assistant from Arizona becomes Sacramento State’s fourth head coach since 2022.
Sacramento State has aggressively pursued FBS status. After the NCAA rejected its request last year to compete as an independent, university president Luke Wood reiterated over the summer that the school had met every significant requirement for FBS membership. He said that the university and the Sacramento region deserve major college football and maintained that the program remains committed to competing at the FBS level in 2026.
As part of the transition process, Sacramento State will be ineligible for postseason play for two seasons. The addition keeps the MAC at 13 football members, with the Hornets effectively replacing the Northern Illinois Huskies football. NIU finished last season with a 61.3 score in the PFSN’s CFB Offense Impact Metric and is set to depart for the Mountain West Conference in football next year, paying a $2 million entrance fee to join.
Geographically, Sacramento State will face significant travel demands. The closest MAC institution is Ball State in Muncie, Indiana, located 2,222 miles away. Northern Illinois would have been closer at 1,987 miles, but it is leaving the conference.
Distances from Sacramento State to other MAC schools are as follows: Western Michigan- 2,177 miles; Miami- 2,263 miles; Toledo- 2,271 miles; Eastern Michigan- 2,283 miles; Bowling Green- 2,286 miles; Central Michigan- 2,292 miles; Akron- 2,399 miles; Kent State- 2,401 miles; Ohio- 2,421 miles; Buffalo- 2,574 miles; and UMass- 2,947 miles.
Sacramento State’s decision marks the second major move in the past week, as North Dakota State Bison football finalized its transition to the Mountain West. According to athletic director Matt Larsen, NDSU will pay $12.5 million to join the conference, in addition to the $5 million fee owed to the NCAA to move to the FBS level.
