Like it, where's the press box/suites with that picture?

I think there's a lot of truth to your post and hypothesis, interesting times and the winds of change are blowing.

I didn't see CSU Sacramento of the Mid America Conference (MAC) on the list. If this is the split, they would need a playoff. 75+/- teams to choose from, 32 team playoff field, or cut it down to 16? The American and Mountain West leftovers would run that deal, with occasional infiltrations by teams like Coastal, App St., and maybe a couple of those Conference USA scrubs.

Way-too-early-2026-because-I'm-sick-of-the-off season predictions for Aggie fans dreaming of Mountain West glory TBD:

1. New Mexico (toss up between them and UNLV. Should be 3-1 at worst heading into MWC play)
2. UNLV (could be 1-3 heading into conference but capable of running the table from there)

(it REALLY drops off from here)
3. Air Force (I think this is too high but they'll find a way)
4. Hawaii (congrats on your pre-season Hawaii Bowl invitation!)
5. SJSU (should be the #3 football program in the MWC)
6. Wyoming (who cares. NDSU could end up here anyway)
7. Nevada (*&%#! UC Davis is claiming Lake Tahoe!)
8. NDSU (would not be surprised if they finish as high as 6th)
9. N. Illinois (late coaching change, ouch)
10. UTEP

Mountain West bowl tie-ins and predicted bowl games:
LA Bowl: UNLV
Arizona Bowl (Presented by Gin & Juice): New Mexico
Hawaii Bowl: duh, Hawaii
New Mexico Bowl: "hey, Snoop, can we trade you for the Lobos?"
Snoop: "Nah, that's not it. Look for something else, ya dig?"
New Mexico Bowl: SJSU
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Wyoming (if bowl eligible)
Armed Forces Bowl / First Responder Bowl: Air Force

Nevada, NDSU, NIU, UTEP: See you for Spring Ball

Good work on this. I can't agree more with this line, at least for the next couple years: "I'm not sure I want to be Cal to be honest. I'd rather stay FCS and win championships."

Good points. Not sure I see a world where Northwestern or the Gophers are kicked out of the Big10, for example, but you raise some very interesting questions. What Tim said is true about Stanford and Cal being highly competitive recently, and Rutgers has had some admirable seasons as well. Rice would finish middle of the pack in the Big Sky and I forgot UConn had a football team (kidding). It will be very interesting to see what college football does with those programs that traditionally struggle but are affiliated with power conferences for the dough

Thanks for the history lesson on the Aggie-Pack rivalry, I love that stuff! 12k+ in the Toom must have been magical.

I appreciate rivalries so I vote 'no' on the Sac rivalry going away. When it comes back, the landscape of college football will be different and the playing field should be comparable unless they find a way to continue to print money to fund their program.

The Sac market component is overstated in my opinion. A team's success, the opponent, and the promotion of the game will continue to drive attendance, and there are alums from both schools in the market. So will geographic proximity for an opponent, and that is what is going to suck for Sac playing in the MAC. MAC attendance is mostly awful, and MAC @ Sac games will draw poorly unless they're able to promote the heck out of it and maybe schedule Lil' Yachty 2 some Saturday night against Kent State. They jumped to the MAC to save face and as a place holder. Probably won't be there in 2028.

Moving to the Mountain West might bump UC Davis attendance some (with stadium expansion, "better competition", new/renewed regional opponents, etc.), but the average MWC attendance minus the new Pac 12 programs was 19,969. The Ags averaged 12,991 (questionable accounting) in 2025, while Sparta and Hawaii averaged just south of 14k per game. Sac lists an average of 15k and some change. I think the weekly 13-15,000 average attendance is about where we'll land once we move to FBS and make the stadium upgrades.

There is still room for Causeway, even with the Hornets in FBS. UCD should be going there next anyway since we hosted in '25, and Sac should pay the same guarantee they pay the other FCS opponents they're hosting when it happens. The next game in Davis will take some negotiating as FBS teams typically don't travel to an FCS host, but there can always be an exception, especially when playing for a chunk of concrete with Tim Plough's lips smeared on it after grinding out another dub. I would much rather see the Ags playing Sac than Stetson or USD.

Not crazy, I was actually serious about it being the hypothetical framework for a California conference minus the Big 4 (USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford). I don't think those programs will be turning back in our lifetimes.

1987 Pacific Coast Athletic Association:
San Jose State
Fresno State
Cal State Fullerton (RIP)
Long Beach State (RIP)
Pacific (RIP)
Utah State
New Mexico State
San Diego State

@SailorGabe, maybe this is your ticket to the "California-esque Conference":
SJSU
Fresno St. (not happenin' unless new/old Pac12 resurrects)
UC Davis
Sac State
Cal Poly (not happenin')
Utah State
NMSU
San Diego State (not happenin' unless new/old Pac12 resurrects)

Other suspects:
Nevada
Idaho
New Mexico

I guess this is counterproductive to the thread, "The Rivalry with Sac State Needs to End"

Shows how much I think about those programs, forgot about them! Nevada has UNLV for the Cannon, but man they got upset about the Tahoe deal so let's get it on!!!

San Jose State-Fresno has been sort of a thing in past years. I remember as a kid back in the old 1980's PCAA days those Mike Perez-led Spartan teams vs. Kevin Sweeney's Bulldogs were must see TV.

I'm fine with that.

The distance across the Causeway makes it a natural rivalry, especially as the two programs have competed mostly at the same "level" of college football. I don't disagree with any of your points, it is simply what it is.

Cal has Stanford and Stanford has Cal. I doubt the Ags crack that one anytime soon.

In the old days, Fresno's rival was Cal Poly. Many, many moons ago. Fresno-Davis makes more sense moving forward once we hit the MWC.

Sac vs. Toledo, Bowling Green, all of the Directional Michigans, Buffalo, UMass, Ohio U. et al will be riveting Tuesday/Wednesday night MACtion viewing for all... :vomit: I nominate Sac State vs. UMass for the rivalry game for no good reason. Player parents and degenerate gamblers are the only people who will care about those match ups.

Right, I was just being a smart ass. With their newfound FBS/MAC affiliation, it's doubtful they will travel to Davis again until we're "at their level" :rofl: No way we go out there without a guarantee for now.

And I'm in no way questioning his abilities or pedigrees. It is hard for ANY QB from ANY program to adjust to ANY level of college football. It just hits different (literally).

How about this version of future Causeways: $300k on the line, played in Sac every year. Ags win and they get paid. Sac wins and they keep it. Spice it up a little.

From the AI regarding MAC attendance and the prospect of Sac averaging 15k+ over the next 5 years:

Based on 2025 data, MAC football attendance ranges from roughly 21,000 at the top (Toledo, Ohio) to under 8,000 at the bottom (Akron), with many schools averaging fewer than 10,000 fans per game. This represents a significant, long-term struggle for the conference to draw crowds.

I tend to agree with SailorGabe in that there will be a major shake-up in college football after the '27 season or whenever the new TV deals are up, with a split between Power 4 and the rest+ maybe 3-5 current FCS's elevating at that time, perhaps with a re-vamped playoff split between the two "upper levels".

There are a lot of things a young QB from smaller competition has to adjust to, even before the ball is snapped: is the protection right, what's the coverage telling me, shit, those defensive guys are fast, and, oh yeah, the receivers are faster than I've ever played with! That's why it is the hardest thing to do well in sports aside from hitting a baseball.

No idea. Would have made for a nice story. I had never heard of his school so I looked them up on MaxPreps and there was only one small school on the schedule I had heard of before (Coronado). Used to be a great Irish pub in Coronado, by the way if any of yall ever make it out there.

LeFan beat me to it. Since he's out for a year with the ACL, they'll treat him like a '27 signee basically. Or he can take unlimited medicals like the Montana kid and start his freshman year in 2029 or so.

Has the pedigree. Seems to be our M.O., going after kids with a family history at QB! One of them should be able to win!

I don't see a mention of FBS as a goal; it is more of a statement of fact:

"In today's evolving college football landscape, opportunities at the Football Bowl Subdivision level continue to grow. With this extension, DeLuca, the athletic department and Plough have reaffirmed their shared commitment to the long-term success of Aggie football on the national stage."

I am fired-up that Plough was extended and it's positive news coming out of Davis during the doldrums of pre-Spring Football. I share RollOn's perspective though that the statement was a hype piece; a combination of hyperbole and vision casting without much meat on the bone aside from the fact that Plough will be driving the ship as long as he wants to, which I think we are all behind in support.