{"id":180572,"date":"2026-02-16T21:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/180572\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T21:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:04:11","slug":"sacramento-state-joins-mid-american-conference-as-football-only-member-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/180572\/","title":{"rendered":"Sacramento State Joins Mid-American Conference as Football-Only Member"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND \u2013 The Mid-American Conference today announced the addition of Sacramento State as a football-only affiliate member beginning July 1, 2026, for a five-year term.
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\n\u201cToday\u2019s exciting announcement is about strengthening our competitive profile and creating value for the membership,\u201d said MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. \u201cWe were presented with an opportunity to add an institution with demonstrated success in football, a record of investment and commitment to the continued growth of the institution and community.\u00a0 Sacramento State is ready and poised for this next step.\u00a0 I welcome the Hornets to the Mid-American Conference and expect they will become a competitive and contributing member to the long history and legacy of one of the oldest Division I conferences.\u201d
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\nThe Sacramento State football program has won seven conference titles, including three consecutive Big Sky championships from 2019-2022, and was just one of just 12 FCS programs to win at least seven games in five of the last six seasons. During that time, the Hornets made four NCAA FCS Playoff appearances and held a top-25 ranking for 50 weeks.
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\n\u201cThis partnership will immediately strengthen the Mid-American Conference\u2019s competitiveness, and it will provide flexibility for the future,\u201d said Geoffrey S. Mearns, Council of Presidents Chair and President of Ball State University. \u201cIn this period of dynamic transformation, we believe we must be proactive and innovative. This relationship demonstrates the enduring viability of our conference, and it provides our member institutions with additional confidence.\u201d
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\n\u201cI am pleased to welcome Sacramento State to the Mid-American Conference,\u201d said Scott Wetherbee, Chair of the MAC Council of Directors of Athletics and Vice President\/Director of Athletics at Eastern Michigan University. \u201cI want to commend Commissioner Steinbrecher for his forward-thinking leadership and creative approach in identifying opportunities that enhance value for our membership. The addition of Sacramento State as a football-only member strengthens our conference and positions us well for continued collective success.\u201d
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\nSacramento State is the only public university in the capital of California that has the world\u2019s fourth-largest economy. Founded in 1947, Sac State has grown into one of the region\u2019s leading centers of research, innovation and community engagement with an enrollment of nearly 31,000.\u00a0 It is an accessible and inclusive place of learning, located on a picturesque campus along the American River.
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\n\u201cThis is a historic moment for Sacramento State \u2014 a bold leap into the future,\u201d said Dr. Luke Wood, President of Sacramento State. \u201cOur move to the FBS represents more than a change in classification; it is a declaration of who we are and where we\u2019re going. We are elevating our university, our student-athletes, and the entire Greater Sacramento region onto the national stage \u2014 committed to competing, leading, and winning at the highest level.
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\n\u201cThis is bigger than football. It\u2019s about opportunity, visibility, and momentum. It\u2019s about attracting the next generation of students, fueling enrollment and innovation, and building partnerships that will transform Sacramento State for decades to come. Together, we are proving that belief, vision, and hard work can redefine what\u2019s possible.
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\n\u201cWe extend our sincere gratitude to the MAC Commissioner and the MAC university presidents for their leadership, trust, and confidence in our program. The future is bright, the mission is clear, and the climb continues.\u201d
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\n\u201cThis is a special day for Sacramento State. I am ecstatic for our football student-athletes, coaches, and staff who work so hard to represent our University,\u201d said Sacramento State Director of Athletics Mark Orr. \u201cOur student athletes will now have the opportunity to showcase their talent on the highest level of college football in front of national audiences. I am grateful to Commissioner Steinbrecher, the University Presidents, and all the dedicated staff that played a pivotal role in making this possible. The support for our football program continues to expand, and we are so proud to bring FBS football to Sacramento.”
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\nAbout Sacramento State
\nWith over 31,000 students, Sacramento State has grown into the sixth-largest campus in the California State University system. Sacramento State has been ranked as the ninth-most transformative college by Money.com<\/a> and the second-most diverse campus in the Western United States by the Wall Street Journal.
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\nHornet athletics features 21 intercollegiate teams which have combined to win over 100 conference titles since moving to NCAA Div. I in the mid 1990s. Sacramento State student-athletes have also succeeded in the classroom, posting over a 3.0 gpa for the past 10 years.
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\nFor additional information on Sacramento State visit csus.edu<\/a> as well as hornetsports.com<\/a> for Hornet athletics.
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\n\u00a0About the Mid-American Conference
\nThe Mid-American Conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio as the Conference office serves 13 full-time members and offers championships in 23 sports.
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\nFounded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 13-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of ten members of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
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\nFor more information on the Mid-American Conference, visit GetSomeMACtion.com<\/a> or follow @MACSports<\/a> on our social platforms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND \u2013 The Mid-American Conference today announced the addition of Sacramento State as a football-only affiliate member beginning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-180572","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-sacramento","9":"tag-sacramento-headlines","10":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}