Sacramento State’s intentions of moving up to the FBS were no secret.
The Hornets filed an application last year to transition to the FBS as an independent program with the NCAA. The school had dedicated plenty of financial resources to become ready for a move like this.
But the NCAA Division I Council voted against granting Sac State’s waiver. That was in large part because the school didn’t have an invite from a conference.
But the Hornets will be playing in the FBS after all this year, as they received and accepted an invite to become a football-only member of the MAC as part of a five-year deal. But it won’t be cheap. In fact, it’ll be more expensive than North Dakota State’s move to the Mountain West, which was announced last week.
Here’s how much it’ll reportedly cost Sac State to move to the FBS:
How Much Is Sacramento State Paying To Move Up To The FBS?
Sacramento State will pay the most money a team ever has to move up to the FBS.
Sac State will pay more than $23 million to become a member of the MAC and FBS, and it’ll likely be closer to $25-27 million.
The Hornets are reportedly paying the MAC $18 million to join the league, with $6 million due in Year 1. And then there’s the FCS-to-FBS entry fee of $5 million that goes to the NCAA.
Sac State also agreed to cover travel for visiting conference programs for five years, which is estimated to cost $2-4 million.
The program also won’t accept conference distribution during that five-year period.
Can Sacramento State Afford The FBS Jump?
Sacramento State has a good amount of financial backing, and program leaders claim the long-term money produced by this move will make this decision make sense in the long run.
Sac State president Luke Wood said in an interview with Yahoo Sports that he believes this puts “the university on the map” more than playing in the FCS ever could. The visibility that comes with the FBS like playing in bowl games is valuable, including when it comes to marketing for out-of-state students and generating money for the local economy.
Sac State subsidizes much of its athletic budget, but Wood told Yahoo Sports that most of the upfront costs to move to the MAC will come from football. Being able to schedule “buy games” against power teams more frequently will certainly help.
