Sacramento State’s football program is making the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), with Mid-American Conference (MAC) officials voting to add the Hornets to the league, multiple sources confirmed to CBS Sacramento. 

As first reported by ESPN, Sacramento State is expected to pay $18 million, with the total cost expected to be $23 million, as the university will have to pay $5 million to the NCAA. An official announcement is expected in the coming days. 

The Hornets football team was left as an independent after deciding to leave the Big Sky Conference, where they had been for nearly 30 years. Now, the team will join the MAC for the upcoming 2026 season. 

Sacramento State President Luke Wood has long been pushing for the Hornets to make the jump to the FBS. They were rejected by the NCAA to join as an independent last summer. 

Football will be the only sport to join the MAC, as other sports are set to join the Big West this upcoming season. 

Wood said earlier this week that plans to bring a stadium to Cal Expo are moving forward as planned. 

The Hornets hired Arizona assistant Alonzo Carter following the departure of Brennan Marion after last season. 

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