Local Committee Is Attempting to Propel Sacramento State Into the FBS

A group of community leaders in Sacramento are trying to take advantage of an unprecedented opportunity provided by the news of the Pac-12’s expansion.

On Friday, a slate of Sacramento local politicians and business leaders launched an executive committee called the “Sac-12,” aimed at propelling Sacramento State from FCS to FBS football through an invite from either the Pac-12 or Mountain West. Front Office Sports first reported the news of the committee’s formation Thursday.

The announcement comes just one day after the two-member Pac-12 said it would add four Mountain West schools (Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado State) to the conference in 2026. The conference will look for at least two more members so it can maintain FBS status. The Mountain West has four schools to replace.

The committee includes California State Senator Angelique Ashby, California State Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, Sacramento City Council Member Eric Guerra, as well as several business leaders and former San Francisco 49er and Sac State alum Otis Amey. 

In a media release, the group touted what it believes are some of the school’s biggest selling points: “The Sacramento State Hornets, currently members of the Big Sky Conference, won seven conference championships in 2023, reside in the 20th largest media market in the country and with a student population of over 30,000, are the fourth largest university in the Cal State System,” they wrote. “If added to the Pac-12, they would make up the largest media market in the conference.”

The campaign is independent from the university, a spokesperson for the campaign told FOS. But in a statement to FOS, a spokesperson for Sacramento State athletics said: “It’s exciting to see key members of the Sacramento community celebrating the success of the Sacramento State Athletics program and sharing their interest in helping shape the vision of the future. It makes us proud to be part of such a wonderful, supportive community, and we will continue to support our student-athletes at the highest levels possible.” 

It is unknown whether the Pac-12 or Mountain West has mutual interest in the Hornets. In an interview Thursday, Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould told FOS it was too early to comment on which schools the conference may be looking at, though she’d consider adding more than just two programs.

Sacramento State certainly fits some of the broad criteria laid out by the Pac-12 in public comments Thursday, including geography, university culture, and media value. But it would face a long road compared to other candidates for either the Pac-12 or Mountain West, given it would have to undergo a formal, two-year transition process through the NCAA from FCS to FBS. The application fee was recently raised from $5,000 to $5 million, and there are strict requirements related to scholarship allowances. Schools also can’t apply unless they have an invitation from an FBS conference.

The school would ultimately have to prove it could compete at the next level. This year, the Hornets’ football program is ranked 11th in the FCS. Its total athletic department budget in 2022 was $35.9 million, according to USA Today, with $21.2 million deriving from university funds. The median Mountain West budget for that year, by comparison, was $50.4 million, according to the Knight-Newhouse database.

The move isn’t impossible, however. One recent success story: James Madison, which joined the Sun Belt in 2022 and made a bowl-game appearance in just its second year in the league. But the Dukes were already one of the best football programs in all of FCS football, regularly trading championships with North Dakota State. The Dukes have also been spending with the intention of transitioning to the FBS for more than a decade.

“We understand the transition from FCS to FBS takes time and commitment, but the university, the athletes, coaches and supporters, are ready to compete at the highest level, and the university and community are ready with the support and resources to get the Hornets there,” the campaign’s spokesperson said.