\n\tThe Mid-American Conference just became a little less Mid-American.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tIn the latest example of college sports conference realignment driven by financial incentives rather than geographic sense,\u00a0Sacramento State is joining the MAC as a football-only member, according to multiple reports.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\tSources: The MAC has voted to formally add FCS Sacramento State into the league as a football-only member starting in 2026. The cost of entrance is expected to be $18 million and a deal is expected to be announced in the upcoming days. pic.twitter.com\/SpjPVXJiIt<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tJoining the MAC enables Sacramento State to make the jump from the FCS to the FBS. Sacramento State becomes the second FCS school to secure a move to the FBS for the 2026 season, joining North Dakota State, who joined the Mountain West<\/a> as a football-only member earlier this week.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBefore the addition of Sacramento State, the MAC had been one of the most geographically sensible conferences remaining in the FBS. 10 of the MAC\u2019s other 12 members are located in the contiguous states of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, while the other two are located in the Northeast (Buffalo and UMass).\n<\/p>\n \n\tNow, however, MAC teams will be making cross-country trips in conference play with the addition of a West Coast team, much like the Big Ten\u2019s Midwest teams have since Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington joined the Big Ten in 2024.\n<\/p>\n \n\tSacramento State replaces Northern Illinois in the MAC, as NIU is leaving the MAC to join the Mountain West as a football-only member (and the Horizon League for all other sports).\n<\/p>\n