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In a move that underscores the ever-blurring lines of conference geography, Sac State football to join MAC is poised to become reality in 2026, according to reports from ESPN. The addition would plant Sacramento State squarely in the Mid-American Conference, one of college football’s leading leagues outside the Power Four.

The decision is as bold as it is bewildering. Sacramento State would effectively slide into the space once occupied by the Northern Illinois Huskies, who departed for the Mountain West. Geography, once the bedrock of conference alignment, now feels more like a loose guideline.

After all, recent realignment has already redrawn the map in dramatic fashion — with California Golden Bears and Stanford Cardinal heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference despite calling the Pacific shoreline home.

$23 Million Leap From FCS to FBS

The Hornets’ ascent will not come cheap.

Reports indicate Sacramento State will pay $23 million to make the jump. Of that total, $18 million would go directly to the Mid-American Conference, with an additional $5 million paid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association as part of its transition from the Football Championship Subdivision, where the program has competed since 1993.

Sacramento State’s pursuit of this move has been anything but subtle. The Hornets have surged competitively in recent seasons, making four FCS playoff appearances since 2019 — reaching the postseason in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. All but the 2023 appearance came after winning the Big Sky Conference title.

Last season, Sacramento State finished 7-5 overall and 5-3 in Big Sky play. The program will enter its new era under head coach Alonzo Carter.

A 2,177-Mile Commute

The logistics are striking.

If the move is finalized, the Hornets’ nearest conference opponent would be Western Michigan Broncos, located 2,177 miles away by car. The addition would stretch the MAC’s footprint thousands of miles westward, turning what was once a tightly clustered Midwestern league into a bi-coastal experiment.

And there is a catch. Should Sacramento State complete the transition, the program would be ineligible for postseason play for two seasons — a standard requirement for teams reclassifying to the FBS level.

Realignment’s Relentless Tide

Sacramento State would not be alone in chasing a new competitive horizon. The North Dakota State Bison, another Big Sky powerhouse, recently made its own conference leap to the Mountain West.

In today’s college football landscape, conference lines move like shifting sand. Television contracts, media markets and competitive ambition often outweigh maps and mileage.

For Sacramento State, the gamble is clear: pay the price, brave the distance, endure a temporary postseason blackout — and stake a claim in a bigger arena.

The MAC, long rooted in the heartland, may soon have a new outpost on the West Coast.