From the "Let's just do it and be legends" category of realignment moves, Sacramento State and the MAC are officially moving forward with their marriage. Or, their arrangement.
Word of mutual interest between the state university in California's state capital and the Cleveland, Ohio-based conference went public late last week, and on Monday the MAC formally announced the Hornets as a football-only member.
With a catch.
Beginning July 1, Sacramento State will be a member of the MAC for a five-year term.
“This partnership will immediately strengthen the Mid-American Conference’s competitiveness, and it will provide flexibility for the future,” said Geoffrey S. Mearns, Council of Presidents Chair and President of Ball State University. “In 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.”
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Yahoo reported that a $15 million entry fee was being discussed, in addition to the $5 million fee required by the NCAA. Which means Sacramento State could wind up paying $3 million a season to play in the MAC, and then find themselves left by the roadside after the 2030 season. It's unclear how Sacramento State is affording any of this.
The financials behind the Sacramento State move are disastrous. Last year, the university & student fees subsidized more than $37M of the $43M athletic budget. Their athletic ticket sales and corporate sponsorship were less than $1M combined! https://t.co/bxChBUGRqX
— Chad McEvoy (@ChadMcEvoy) February 16, 2026
A conference voting a member off the island is not unprecedented, even in modern college football. The Big East voted out Temple in 2001, and half of the WAC left to form their own club, now known as the Mountain West Conference, around the same time. We've also seen schools make one-sided deals in order to gain admittance to the club. SMU bought its way into the ACC by taking zero media rights dollars for their first nine years of membership, and it's commonplace for schools to endure a prolonged wait to earn a full share. Rutgers had to wait six years to get a full Big Ten share, for instance.
But I can't recall a school buying its way into an invite, and that invite coming with an expiration date. With that knowledge on the table, taking the Sac State was a no-brainer for the MAC.
Another no-brainer? Demanding another check when the Hornets' 5-year contract expires.