Sacramento State football: Why is FBS newcomer in the MAC?

Sacramento State is taking on a new challenge this college football season as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Sacramento State officially joined the conference on July 1 as a football-only member. The agreement was first announced in February.

The university has 21 intercollegiate sports teams on campus but joined the MAC as a "football-only" school as part of its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Big West still serves as a home for 16 of the Hornets' 21 other athletic programs.

Sacramento State fell short in its conference debut, suffering a 28-17 loss to Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Aug. 29.

The university was most recently in the Big Sky Conference from 1996 to 2025. The Hornets did not have much success upon joining the Big Sky, producing just six winning seasons in the first 23 years of its 29-year tenure.

The program won conference titles in 2019, 2021 and 2022 with former coach Troy Taylor at the helm.

Alonzo Carter will have the opportunity to usher in a new era for the Hornets in just his second season as head coach. He was hired by athletic director Mark Orr and the university in December 2025.

Sacramento State joining the conference creates an opportunity for more national visibility. The conference has games that will appear on ESPN and CBS Sports. The school will also benefit by appearing in other ways, such as being included in the EA Sports College Football video game series.

The Hornets will host Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. PT.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sacramento State football: Why is FBS newcomer in the MAC?