Local politicians and business owners are pushing for Sacramento State to join the Mountain West Conference or the Pac-12 by forming a coalition called the “Sac 12.”
The committee was launched to help propel Sac State to the next level of college athletics and take football, basketball and other sports to the Pac-12 or MWC, according to a press release from the Sac 12.
The committee announced a path to the Pac-12 on Wednesday morning that includes securing funding and approvals for a new stadium and basketball arena. Along with improving facilities, the plan said they’d look for $5.25 million in conference realignment fees and $50 million in Name, Image and Likeness commitments to cover the first 10 years in the Pac-12.
SAC-12 group announces “path to the PAC-12”, including new stadium and securing 50 million in NIL fees: pic.twitter.com/A6BSPtpOax
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“It’s exciting to see key members of the Sacramento community celebrating the success of the Sac State Athletics program and sharing their interest in helping shape the vision of the future,” Sac State Athletics 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.”
Sac State’s football team is currently an FCS program playing in the Big Sky Conference, a tier below the highest level of college football, the FBS. In an effort to help Sac State enter the FBS, the Sac 12 are trying to raise money to aid the school’s potential move.
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One of the biggest problems facing the Hornets’ jump from the FCS to the FBS is the NCAA’s increased transition fee which jumped from $5,000 to 5 million last year.
Not only do they have to cover a transition and exit fee from the Big Sky, they also need an invite from the Pac-12 or MWC.
The increased fees make the transition fiscally difficult, but mass departure of schools moving from the MWC to the Pac-12, such as Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State could open the gate for Sac State to move up.
There have also been reports linking Air Force to the American Athletic Conference which would open up another spot in the MWC. The Pac-12 has been connected to current AAC schools Tulane and Memphis.
Sac State football has beaten Stanford and Colorado State within the last three years, which are both FBS teams, prompting optimism that they could compete at the next level and bring more opportunities for student-athletes in Sacramento.
“It sounds like a good thing overall,” senior civil engineering major Francisco Barron said. “I feel like it brings a lot more opportunities for our players and for the students who want to see other teams for home games.”
Sac State has already proposed a plan to upgrade their athletic facilities and they need larger stadiums if they want to join either conference. The Sac 12 wants to upgrade the current stadium capacity from 21,195 to 25,000.
“If all that money goes towards new facilities, I’d be supportive of that,” freshman biology major Angad Singh said. “I’ll always be supportive of the athletics here.”
Additional reporting by Ryan Lorenz.
