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Well, this is another twist in the ever-evolving saga of Sacramento State. For those of you keeping score at home, the Hornets have gone from launching a $50 million Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) fund to scaling back academic programs, all in pursuit of the elusive dream of joining the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). A dream that, let’s face it, only a handful of programs actually turn a profit from competing at that level (or any level!). Oh, and don’t tell Ohio State, Alabama and Texas (among others!) that a FCS school has a bigger NIL budget than them.
Now here comes the latest chapter.
On Monday, the FBS Oversight Committee formally recommended that the Division I Council deny Sacramento State’s waiver request to move up to the FBS — the highest level of college football. That decision isn’t final yet, but you can feel the direction this is heading.
So, how did Sacramento State respond?
By saying, essentially, We’re going anyway.
Yes, the Hornets plan to go independent in football, even as an FCS independent, if the FBS bid is officially denied. And don’t be surprised if legal action follows. A lawsuit wouldn’t be shocking, given how committed they seem to this path.
Monday: Denial recommendation.
Tuesday: Leak an announcement to become an independent.
Wednesday: Make the announcement official in a very extravagant way.
Thursday: Find a way to make “Go-Go” work more into their marketing scheme for becoming independent.
Life comes at you fast.
With football likely heading to FCS independence, Sacramento State plans to place its other sports in the Big West Conference. This would bring Big West membership to 12 schools — right at the number the league has long desired to stabilize at, though 14 isn’t off the table. Especially now that Utah Valley University officially joined the league earlier this month.
There’s also buzz about adding another non-Utah school to round things out. But as it stands right now, that isn’t in the foreseeable future.
What about the Texas-based WAC schools?
This is where it gets juicy.
There’s serious traction that the Texas-based WAC schools — Tarleton State, Abilene Christian, and UT-Arlington — could soon jump ship to the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference. These schools reportedly want to stay together during any transition, though Tarleton has bigger ambitions to go to the non-JV league, ahem, I mean FBS.
If the “Texas Three” do leave, where does that leave Southern Utah and Utah Tech?
Does the Big Sky backfill if/when Sac State leaves?
Let’s rewind for a moment.
Southern Utah shocked the Big Sky Conference when it announced a move to the WAC in 2021, officially joining in 2022. The Big Sky had long been Southern Utah’s dream destination, and their exit rubbed plenty of administrators in athletic departments and in campus leadership the wrong way.
Who was the AD that got SUU into the Big Sky Conference in 2012?
Ken Beazer.
And who is now the AD at Utah Tech?
Ken Beazer.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming … Let’s attack what else is in this recipe for realignment.
The Big Sky recently announced the return of men’s golf earlier this month and added Division II’s Francis Marion University as a golf affiliate — despite being 2,100+ miles away from Big Sky HQ. Why? Because they need enough eligible teams to keep automatic bids in NCAA tournaments.
If Sacramento State bolts, Big Sky men’s golf and softball drop below the six-team minimum required for an auto-bid. That’s a problem.
Sure, affiliate members can be added. But there’s a bigger solution staring everyone in the face.
And it’s in Utah. In fact, two schools that are 42 minutes away from each other.
Both Utah Tech and Southern Utah offer football, men’s golf, and softball — three sports the Big Sky desires to have stability in numbers, especially with the FCS football schedule possibly expanding. Currently, FCS teams play either 11 or 12 games based on the calendar year. However, a new NCAA proposal would standardize the season into 13 weeks, allowing 12 regular-season games every year, starting in 2026.
If that passes (and it’s expected to), the Big Sky will need even numbers for scheduling sanity. Without Sacramento State, they’d be at 11 football teams — an odd number that complicates league scheduling.
A school with football, men’s golf, and softball — and located within the Big Sky footprint — would become essential.
Hello, Utah Tech and Southern Utah.
Which one gets the nod? That depends on who you ask — and maybe how many bridges were burned in 2021. Or even, who remembers how many were burned?
We also haven’t even started on the ripple effects a possible Texas State jump to “Pac-12 v2.0” might cause for Tarleton State. But that’s a story for another time, along with this doozy of an interaction on X.
TL;DR
Sacramento State is shooting for the stars while the ASUN is ready to pounce on WAC teams not in Utah. Meanwhile, the Big Sky Conference might need to play the numbers game.
