The local Sacramento TV news stations have been covering Sac's move to the FBS extensively. They often lead the story with something like "Sac State is moving up to the big time in college football" and they talk about how they will be "playing at the highest level now," but they also comment about the $23+ million price tag often with some comments from people who are skeptical about the move.

See you guys in the MWC in 2031... LOL

When its a smart and beneficial decision for Davis football, we'll be in the MWC. No matter where Sac is.

You do realize that around 8/10 people think Sac made a bad decision/deal here right?
As a contrast, NDSU public sentiment is waaaaay more positive (comparing because the moves were made at nearly the same time).

Nothing to see here, I guess?

Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius.

:rofl:

Preach!!

I hope you guys are successful. A stable Mountain West Conference that included Davis, Sac St, San Jose and Nevada would be great for athletes, travel costs as well as fans being able to attend many games. Perhaps myself and 95% of the opinions I've seen in the college sports world will be wrong and this will be a great move.

I echo this. A world where UC Davis and Sac can continue the rivalry is the best case scenario for both schools long term.

I hope your move lights a fire under our donor alumni. Why so much trash talking to Fresno State though?

Gary May seems to be striking a diplomatic congratulatory tone

Sounds like his future plan is to wait 5 years to become a FBS independent and schedule 6-7 away games to get $. He literally wants to be the Lincoln college football team in FBS.

Everyone chill out, we will both be FBS soon. We just both have stadium work to do over next 5 years...

truthfully a majority of us want sac state to succeed. We just worry that dr wood is gambling the schools future for his ego and are especially concerned when he pushes out crazy false revenue possibilities and no real plan of how he will fund everything rather than those crazy projections. Even in later interviews he and Orr are specific in their wording in saying they no student fees that are earmarked for academics will be used. Hidden implications that fees for athletics can/will be used for their MAC movement. Which is fine but don’t try to act like students aren’t helping fund the move.

From public broadcast CapRadio Sacramento:

The State Hornet initially published this story. The State Hornet is Sacramento State's independent student-run news publication.

By: Jack Dann

Two days ago, it was announced that Sacramento State would join the Mid-American Conference beginning in the 2026 season, becoming the first West Coast university to join college football’s highest division since 1969.

Today, the deal becomes official, and for President Luke Wood, it’s a major step in his ambitious goals for the university.

“We made a different offer to the MAC than we did to other conferences, because of the media value that they represented,” Wood said. “It’s the media exposure, MACtion is on ESPN, and it allows us to go from local broadcasts to national broadcasts on a regular basis.”

The MAC, known for their mid-week “MACtion” football games, presented a lucrative FBS option and significant exposure that goes beyond just athletics. The deal extends five years, per the official release from the MAC.

“It’s a $675 million media valuation, so over the five-year agreement we have, we go from where we’re at right now to that $675 million media valuation,” Wood said. “The exposure of the university on a national stage has a significant increase on the value of a Sac State degree. You have students who will graduate from Sacramento State, and their degree will be worth more in the marketplace.”

As is typical for schools that move conferences, Sac State will forgo media revenue for five years, a shorter period than seen for North Dakota State’s recent move to the Mountain West.

Sac State will also cover the air travel of visiting teams and pay $6 million of the $18 million dollar fee in the first year, per Ross Dellenger at Yahoo Sports. During the five years, Sac State aims to pay off their $18 million buy-in, plus the standard $5 million FBS entry fee.

“None of this is being paid by student fees, tuition or by the general fund,” Wood said. “All of this is being primarily paid for by game guarantees. As an FBS school, we can get $1 million to $1.5 million per game. Sam Houston was paid $1.5 million to go play Oregon State and beat them at home.”

With game guarantees and major increases to game revenue, Wood put it simply: “Football is paying for football.”

With the move, the campus expects major upgrades to Hornet Stadium as a new stadium is planned and built at Cal Expo.

“It’ll be an updated Hornet Stadium for the next two years,” Wood said. “As a part of our agreement with the MAC, we are making [Hornet Stadium] FBS-ready. We’re adding a new locker room for the visiting team and end zone seating that makes the stadium more wraparound.”

The Hornets had games scheduled in the event that they played the upcoming season as an FCS independent, but will abandon those games in favor of the new conference schedule, with one exception.

“In all of our agreements that we had, it was noted that if we became FBS, we would be released from that contract,” Wood said. “In all those cases, that was done with the exception of Fresno State, which is a preseason game and one we absolutely plan to keep.”

Sac State won’t be eligible for postseason football right away, although a waiver to avoid that isn’t off the table. When that ineligibility is lifted, the goal is clear.

“By 2028, I absolutely expect us to be competing for a conference championship and playing in our first bowl game,” Wood said.

https://www.capradio.org/articles/2026/02/17/sacramento-state-officially-joins-the-mid-american-conference/

Try and follow that math, lol.

Hard to imagine how a real journalist writes up that math without noting the obvious problems. They will get what, best case scenario, maybe $3 million in guarantee money per season? That will be largely eaten up by paying for their own travel and paying for opposing travel. So again, where is the $23 million coming from?

it was already previously announced that the students would pay at least half of the 5 mil NCAA transfer fee and sac only has to pay 6 mil in year 1 to MAC and then 3 mil a year for the next 4 years. Dr wood and Orr later specified that student fee earmarked for academics wouldn’t be used but that implies that student fees earmarked for athletics could/would be used.

With game guarantees and major increases to game revenue, Wood put it simply: “Football is paying for football.” — BlueGoldAg

The game revenue is the head-scratcher.....

Where in the hell is he getting 975M from? Like that number mixed with the 600 million number doesnt seem realistic in the slightest. — Jdur

He pulled it straight out of his backside.

“By 2028, I absolutely expect us to be competing for a conference championship and playing in our first bowl game,” Wood said.

LOL. Good luck, buddy. Enjoy going 5-7 year after year in FBS just like you went 5-7 year after year in FCS.

that's one of the few statements i agree with Dr. Wood on. I can easily see them getting to a winning record in the MAC and qualifying for one of their bowls. Last year, 5 MAC'ers went to a bowl. With the expanded college playoffs coming, there should be even more lower level teams going.

Though with the expanded play-off system and the number of teams or players that decline to play in the other bowls, I think some of those college bowl games are fading away. I think the Los Angeles Bowl announced that last year was their last game. Someone, somewhere may try to fill the void, but college bowls may be a dying event.

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2025/12/23/college-football-bowl-game-system-dying-on-life-support/

Bowl game sure. I was referring to playing for the conference championship within a couple years. They've done nothing outside of 4 Troy Taylor seasons in their history so why moving up to a harder league are they then going to compete for a conf championship right away? I mean, maybe they will. But I doubt it.

Commentary on the deal, brief.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU3UBWBjdKL/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Pretty much sums up our thread on the subject.

5 reasons to worry about Luke Wood’s $23M Sac State-MAC football deal | Opinion

https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article314778931.html

I'll try to cut & paste later today, but as agalum noted, pretty much sums up our comments over the past months.

[quote]5 reasons to worry about Luke Wood’s $23M Sac State-MAC football deal

Opinion By Tom Philp and LeBron Antonio Hill
February 23, 2026 5:00 AM[/quote]

Sacramento State has finally made it to college football’s elite level, the Football Bowl Subdivision, but only after reportedly agreeing to pay a huge price: $23 million.

So many questions linger about the deal the university made with the Mid-American Conference.
That is because the university has chosen to remain silent about many of the details. Simply put, there are many more questions than answers about what university President Luke Wood and Sac State just did.

Here are five reasons why the public should be skeptical:

Sac State is slow to provide the details

Wood’s agreement with the MAC is a public document for this public university, a formal agreement between this institution and another.

Yet, to our knowledge, nobody has been allowed to see it yet.

The university’s news release mentions an external economic analysis of this pact, which estimates tens of millions of dollars in benefits to the university, including increased exposure and game day revenue. But for now, the analysis remains top secret.

Separately, Wood on social media has said that various analyses are complete on how to convert the horse track and grandstand at Cal Expo into the Hornets’ new stadium. Again, no release of new and important information.

The university delays the inevitable by funneling requests for the documents under the California Public Records Act through a portal process that can take weeks and even months.

How can the institution get a historic deal done, one that changes the trajectory of the university, and not have public information at the ready

[quote]$23 million in fees, and $11 million due soon?[/quote]

North Dakota State, previously a second-tier team like Sacramento State in the Football Championship Subdivision, recently worked out a similar deal as Sac State to climb into the FBS. The Bison reportedly agreed to pay $12 million to join an FBS conference, the Mountain West.

The MAC apparently is requiring an all-too-willing Sacramento State to pay 50% more, $18 million. If you factor in the $5 million fee levied by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the total tab hits $23 million.

Paying MAC teams to travel to Sacramento

For lesser FBS teams like Sacramento State, a tried-and-true way to make some money is to play a superior team from another conference on the road. In exchange for the likely victory, the home team pays a so-called “guarantee” to the visiting team, often an amount exceeding $1 million.

Normally, this is an important revenue source for a college football team to offset expenses. Not for Sacramento State, however. The Hornets have agreed to pay off the $12 million balance of that $18 million entrance fee to the MAC with these guarantees.

This appears to be a first in college football history: a team volunteering to give up this key revenue source. It only adds to the mystery of how the university can afford what it’s doing.

Paying MAC teams to travel to Sacramento

On top of all these millions in new entrance payments, there is another new cost.

As yet another price of admission into the MAC, Sac State is apparently on the hook to pay the full travel costs of visiting teams, unfamiliar names in these parts like the Akron Zips, Central Michigan Chippewas and Kent State Golden Flashes.

These costs for a single game routinely run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Where is the campus support?

In all the testimonials gathered by the university to support the Feb. 16 announcement, there was an abundance of elected officials, alumni and business leaders.

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article314778931.html#storylink=cpy

Note: The public comments to this article are all critical ranging from "release the documents today" to Replacement of Woods is in order" to "Can't wait to see the Hornets in Ypsilanti!"

I just don’t know what ‘economic impact’ means.