MAC plans to add Sacramento State from FCS for 2026 season: Source

The Mid-American Conference will add Sacramento State as a football-only member for the 2026 season in the latest conference realignment move, according to a person briefed on the conversations. Sac State’s plan was first reported by Yahoo Sports.

The move is the culmination of a years-long effort by the school to move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, even after the NCAA denied a waiver for it to move up without a conference invitation. Sacramento State is expected to pay an $18 million entry fee to the MAC, along with a $5 million NCAA fee for the move up from the Football Championship Subdivision.

The move also comes a week after the Mountain West announced plans to add North Dakota State for football, with its own $12.5 million entrance fee. The Mountain West and Pac-12 passed on adding Sac State, hence an earlier waiver attempt last summer.

The addition of Sac State will keep the MAC at 13 football members, as Northern Illinois is set to join the Mountain West this summer (with only a $2 million entrance fee). The MAC also added UMass last year, meaning the Midwest-based conference will span from California to Massachusetts for one sport. Sac State’s other sports are set to move to the Big West.

Sac State had a 38-13 record from 2019 to 2023, including a 12-1 record under coach Troy Taylor in 2022. The Hornets hired Alonzo Carter, an Arizona assistant with a deep coaching history in the Bay Area, this offseason after the previous head coach, Brennan Marion, landed the Colorado offensive coordinator job after one season.

The Hornets will not be eligible for the postseason for the next two years, as part of NCAA transition rules, though they could play in a bowl game if there aren’t enough bowl-eligible teams in the second season.