Conference realignment in college football has led to a ton of change to the landscape of the sport, some of which has been for the better and some that haven't made a ton of sense. As conferences have lost teams to bigger leagues, they're tasked with finding new schools to fill the void. The decimation of the Pac 12 led to them poaching several schools from the Mountain West.
As the Mountain West needed to rebuild its league, it turned to the MAC for one of its new teams, poaching Northern Illinois. The MAC needed to add a school, and their latest addition points to how little sense some of these transitions make.
Sacramento State joins the MAC in head scratching move
On Sunday Night the Sacramento State Hornets made the jump to the FCS, joining the MAC as a football only member.
NEWS: The MAC has voted to add Sacramento State into the league as a football-only member, @RossDellenger reports👀https://t.co/eFN8wv7B2j pic.twitter.com/dB9lJd4QKb
— On3 (@On3) February 15, 2026
The move for the Sacramento State Hornets makes a ton of sense as they've been trying hard the last two offseasons to make a move to the FBS. The Hornets now land in an easier league for the transition, and they will now have a chance to build themselves up to potentially make another move down the line.
What doesn't make a ton of sense is the fact that the Hornets land in the Middle-American Conference. Northern Illinois left the MAC to join a league filled with West Coast schools while a West Coast school now replaces them.
College football is more focused than ever on money, and the destinations for these teams make no sense. Schools are now spending more money than ever to travel coast to coast when these leagues were set up for regional competition. Eventually, schools will end up right back where they started when they acknowledge how much money is being wasted.