College football always stands to get more exciting when an underdog new player enters the mix of juggernauts. While FBS rakes in billions and enjoys a serious craze among college football fans, FCS remains the silent observer. Overshadowed by the glitz and attention the larger division gets, FCS keeps to itself, away from the attention. But when you know you can make it in the big leagues, a shot at breaking through is always welcome. However, the NCAA is forcing the doors shut for one such aspiring program.

Sacramento State, in the past 6 years, has racked up 3 conference titles. Now, it wants to move over to FBS, which the school now sees as its worthy home. The top brass put it in the papers, hoping to succeed like Liberty did in 2017. However, the NCAA has denied the transition, ruling that Sacramento State does not have a formal offer from a conference in the FBS. This puts the Hornets in extreme danger because of the uncertainty of their future in both the FCS and the FBS. The program has already informed the Big Sky Conference that they will be leaving the group by June 30, 2026. Save for football, other sports will be moving to the Big West Conference the next day.

That means Sacramento will have to fly blind if the issue does not see some respite. However, Sacramento State President Dr. Luke Wood is confident that their perseverance will ultimately pay off. He wrote in a tweet, “Sacramento State has met every meaningful benchmark for FBS membership, and we believe our university, our students, and the entire Sacramento region deserve major college football. We’re full steam ahead and we still plan to be playing FBS football in 2026.” FBS is the goal for Sacramento State; that much is evident. But with the NCAA failing to consider the precedent with which Sacramento State was hoping to get the waiver, the Hornets may fail to reach that goal.

Sacramento State, in its argument to compete as an independent program until an FBS conference invites them, cited Liberty. The Flames officially became a part of the subdivision in 2018 and played independently until 2018, when they joined Conference USA in 2023. Sacramento State was denied the same plea because of Liberty’s case being in a “different era, under a different set of facts and rules,” the NCAA wrote in a recommendation. 2026 is the make-or-break year for Sacramento State football. Even when news first broke out of the program applying for an FBS space, the hopes were not as high.

Early projections indicated non-Power-4 conferences had no desire for Sacramento State

Because they do not have an offer from the FBS conferences, Sacramento State had hoped that their existing record and potential would be good enough to compete as an independent player. In a Feb 3 episode of The Big Mountain Podcast, JY made it clear that the school was not in demand in the FBS conferences. “I don’t think the PAC-12 is interested right now. Maybe in the future, but not in 2026. Don’t think the Mountain West is interested. And I have been told Conference USA does not want to go that far west.” The NCAA ending the Hornets’ hopes to compete with the best essentially freezes them in time after their run with the Big Sky comes to an end.

Sacramento State reportedly wanted to be part of the Pac-12 someday, after playing independently in the FBS. In fact, they had already put things into motion by forming the Sac12, an NIL collective that had a goal of accumulating $50 million in funds. All of those plans face a dead end with the NCAA denying them the right to compete as an independent player, as a hopeful stepping stone into the FBS. The top brass of the Hornets had also secured a $2.5 million loan from the Sacramento State Associated Students Inc. (a student-led non-profit) to pay half of the $5 million fee needed to make the transition.

The Hornets have only one stick that keeps them afloat in this trouble. To continue playing college football, the program now has to list as an independent player in the FCS. It’s a major loss for Sacramento State, which was all set to go to the big leagues. However, going by Wood’s words, the fight to book a spot in the FBS will still continue with full zeal.