In recent times, the athletic board at Sacramento State has expressed a desire to elevate the football program to the FBS subdivision, the highest level in college football. It's a plan that is promising but has underperformed in some aspects, particularly regarding facility renovations. We did a piece last month on whether this plan makes sense for the school.
There are several questions and concerns surrounding the state of Sac State's athletics and the decisions they are making, including the hiring of notable names to run their men's basketball program, Mike Bibby, and most recently, Shaquille O'Neal. Regardless, if the Hornets were to move up to the FBS, they would start as an independent.
However, as time goes on, they will have to join a conference at some point. Sacramento State is interesting. Although they are a small school, the institution is located in one of the bigger media markets in the country. They are the 20th largest media market in the U.S., according to Nexstar Media Group, INC.
With that being said, here are three conferences that the school could join if it were to make the jump to the FBS level.
Here is the first option. This is likely the most realistic one as well, at least to start. Conference USA is regarded as lowly by many and placed at the bottom of the conference hierarchy in the sport. The league has sponsored football since 1996, a year after C-USA was initially formed. Over the course of their history, the league has seen numerous schools join and then leave after a certain amount of time.
If you've been keeping track over the years, 21 different schools have joined, then departed C-USA. That includes Army, South Florida, Cincinnati, TCU, Louisville, Memphis, SMU, Houston, UCF, Tulane, East Carolina, Tulsa, Old Dominion, Marshall, Southern Miss, Charlotte, Rice, North Texas, UTSA, UAB, and Florida Atlantic. That's a big list.
As you can see, some of the schools that have left C-USA, such as Louisville, TCU, and Cincinnati, outgrew the league. They all flocked to greener pastures elsewhere. The league has also had some decent markets and historic programs like Army and Houston. However, it's safe to say that this conference is not feasible for anyone looking to establish their football program long term in the FBS.
It's not a secret that C-USA makes the least amount of money of all the Group of 5 conferences in college football. While it's difficult to find out how much revenue the conference made during the 2023-24 academic year, there is some insight to be found in the total amounts of financial support each school garnered.
According to NIL-NCAA.com, the school that gained the most financial support was UTEP, which collected $5.8 million. UTEP is leaving to join the Mountain West next year. Western Kentucky collected $5.3 million. New Mexico State collected $4.1 million. Four other schools don't have that information out, and Kennesaw State, Sam Houston, and FIU made $2.2 million or less.
It's no secret that if Sac State were to join Conference USA, it and the league would receive several benefits. Of course, if the school were to accept an invitation, it would give its football program greater national exposure and more TV appearances. While C-USA doesn't have the most lucrative media deal, its games get aired on CBS Sports Network and ESPN's family of networks.
A potential inclusion of Sac State would also improve the recruiting footprint, not just of the program but of the conference as a whole. The deep talent pool of California would be accessible. As a matter of fact, C-USA is made up of schools located in the south, and the most the league stretches out west is New Mexico State. The Hornets could be the flagship West Coast program of the conference.
However, Sac State being in C-USA could create challenges to the scheduling. There would be a massive geographic sprawl, with all the other schools needing to increase their travel budgets and burdens. Of course, there are also the time zone challenges that have to be dealt with. Also, there is limited immediate brand value.
The Hornets are not a household name in college football. They aren't even one of the top programs in the FCS, and they have never come close to being that. Their TV and ticket draws will not boost the conference's media valuation much. Also, with ongoing realignment volatility with conferences these days, C-USA would be taking a risk that I'm sure they won't want to deal with.
Adding distant schools from your main base could backfire if others decide to leave at any given moment. That would make Conference USA overextended and unstable.
This scenario is also realistic and makes more sense for both parties involved. The Mountain West Conference will be undergoing an overhaul as this college football season comes and goes. Several of their key programs will be playing their final year in the league before moving over to the resurgent PAC-12.
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— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 24, 2024
This includes several of their long-time tenants such as Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Utah State. Did you notice anything when reading that list? Three of the five universities that are leaving the Mountain West are California-based institutions. So, knowing that, it would be wise and clever for the MW to offer Sacramento State a full-time membership into the conference.
The league is already adding Hawaii, UTEP, and most notably UC-Davis as full-time members. Northern Illinois is also leaving the MAC to compete in the MWC, strictly in football. The conference is slowly replenishing some of the lost entities that will soon leave. So, why does this make more sense for both sides and why would if be good?
Well, as already mentioned, several California schools are out. However, San Jose State remains, and of course, as already mentioned, UC-Davis will come into the conference in 2026. Sacramento State would be a good geographical fit, not only because they're in California, but also because the league will still feature schools in nearby states, such as Nevada, UNLV, New Mexico, and Air Force.
The MWC will retain its California footprint. Sac State will automatically give the Mountain West one of the larger media markets, similar to San Diego. The Hornets would also be a great institutional fit for the league as several of their school enroll large student bases of anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000. Natural rivalries can grow as well with SJSU and Nevada, which could energize the fan base.
Also, joining a high-profile, G5 conference could help boost Sac State's profile. The Mountain West has always been one of the more respected conferences in college football and has had a strong history. That has led to the league getting better TV deals with FOX and CBS. The conference even has its streaming network. They have better bowl tie-ins as well. There's just more perks to being in the MWC when compared to being in a low-tier conference like C-USA.
Finally, we end with the league that Sacramento State is trying its hardest to get into, the PAC-12. The school has even put together a committee called the SAC12. This is the league that Sacramento State wants to join, and it's understandable. The PAC-12 went through its first season of turmoil in 2024. All of the schools, except for Washington State and Oregon State, left for the Big 12 or Big Ten.
Amidst the chaos of all the previous programs, there is an opportunity for the league to restart itself. They have done that already, as six schools have been added. Most have already been mentioned, but the PAC-12 also added Gonzaga. However, there is one problem. Gonzaga doesn't play football. This has left the conference with just seven schools that play football.
That leaves the rebuilt league just one school shy of the minimum of eight needed to become a legitimate FBS conference. They have struggled in securing the last program needed. Why not invite Sacramento State to come in? The school fits within the geographic limitations of the conference. Also, the school will get its highest form of unprecedented national exposure.
Despite the arduous times the conference has experienced, the PAC-12 has a long history as well as strong brand recognition. Larger media rights, bowl affiliations, and exposure would be high if they were to join the league. This can also be beneficial as there will be more opportunities to improve facilities, fundraising, and even student interest with the money to be gained by joining.
Sac State also represents a large, growing urban campus with a passionate local base. Over 30,000 students are currently enrolled at the school. With investment, it could follow a trajectory that's similar to the likes of Liberty and Coastal Carolina, an FCS school that quickly becomes competitive at the FBS level. Of course, the PAC-12 has had ties with California schools in the past.
With USC, UCLA, Cal, and Stanford all left for other conferences before the start of last season. Sacramento State will help maintain a footprint for the league in California’s capital region and a growing media market. The PAC-12 would love to add more California based schools and this is a solution.