Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Sac State Wants to Elevate Football Program, Eyes Pac-12 or Mountain West
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 9 months ago on
September 16, 2024

Local officials launch committee to propel Sacramento State football to FBS level, eyeing Pac-12 or Mountain West invitation. (Shutterstock)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

SACRAMENTO – Local officials have launched a committee aimed at helping Sacramento State move to the highest level of college football with hopes of getting an invitation down the road to either the Pac-12 or Mountain West conferences.

The committee, named SAC 12 and independent from the school, includes state and local politicians, business and union leaders, and former Hornets receiver and NFL player Otis Amey. It was launched on Friday, a day after the latest round of conference realignment hit the FBS.

The Pac-12 announced on Thursday that Mountain West schools Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State would join holdovers Washington State and Oregon State, starting in 2026, in the conference that lost 10 of its 12 members to new conferences earlier this year.

The Pac-12 needs to add two more members and there are now also potential openings in the Mountain West, which will have seven full-time members and Hawaii for football after those four schools depart.

Sacramento State’s Current Status and Success

“It’s exciting to see key members of the Sacramento community celebrating the success of the Sacramento State Athletics program and sharing their interest in helping shape the vision of the future,” the school said in a statement. “It makes us proud to be part of such a wonderful, supportive community, and we will continue to support our student-athletes at the highest levels possible.”

Sacramento State currently plays in the Big Sky conference at the FCS level. The Hornets won seven conference championships last season and have made the FCS playoffs in football the last three seasons.

Sacramento’s Potential as a Major Conference Member

Sacramento is California’s capital city and the 20th-largest media market in the country. The school has more than 30,000 students as the fourth-largest university in the Cal State system.

“As a proud alumni, I am excited to get to work to bring Sacramento State to a major conference like the Pac-12,” said California State Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, a member of the committee. “Our student athletes, coaches, administration and fans are eager to compete at the highest level, and Sacramento’s diverse, metropolitan culture, size and importance to our state would make us a great addition to the conference.”

Sacramento State has 21 athletic teams including men’s football, men’s baseball, men and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, soccer, tennis, and track and field and women’s gymnastics, beach volleyball, volleyball and softball.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Sanger Police Seek Public’s Help to Find Missing Teen

Fresno Approves $2.4 Billion Budget. What’s In, What’s Out?

2 hours ago

The S&P 500 Is Nearing a Record. Really.

3 hours ago

How Trump Shifted on Iran Under Pressure From Israel

By the end of last month, American spy agencies monitoring Israel’s military activities and discussions among the country’s political leader...

12 minutes ago

President Donald Trump speaks during an Invest America Roundtable in the State Dining room, at the White House, in Washington, U.S., June 9, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
12 minutes ago

How Trump Shifted on Iran Under Pressure From Israel

A firefighter works to extinguish a fire on a bus following a missile attack from Iran, in Herzliya, Israel, June 17, 2025. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
1 hour ago

Trump Calls for Iran’s ‘Unconditional Surrender’ as Israel-Iran Air War Rages On

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks to the 2025 Supreme Court Fellows Program, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Supreme Court Justices Disclose Income From Book Deals and Teaching

2 hours ago

Fresno Approves $2.4 Billion Budget. What’s In, What’s Out?

3 hours ago

The S&P 500 Is Nearing a Record. Really.

3 hours ago

Only Nonviolence Will Beat Trump

3 hours ago

Kaweah Health CEO Says He’s Ready to Retire After 34 Years at Hospital

3 hours ago

Obama Steps Back Into Public Eye at a Stormy Political Moment

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend