Now that’s an interesting piece of news! While college football programs are busy with either their spring practice or hunting down star high school recruits, one of them dished out a big surprise. That’s none other than Sacramento State. In a world full of players’ flips, they brought in a surprise move. Yes, they have decided to hit the ‘FLIP’ button when it comes to their conference. Going by ESPN’s reports, Sacramento State plans to apply with the NCAA to transition from the FCS to the FBS level. It should be noted that the Hornets want to make the move as an independent in football. Meanwhile, this is not the first time that the Hornets found themselves in the conversation of switching conferences.

As of now, they are waiting for approval from the NCAA. If they get a ‘YES’, Sacramento State would be ineligible for postseason play in 2025 and 2026. It will be only in 2027 that they will regain their postseason eligibility. Their main goal behind this move is to leave the FCS conference. After all, over the years, a lot of programs have lost confidence in them, followed by their plunge to FBS. That includes Sam Houston State, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Delaware, and Missouri State, among a bunch of others. Another factor has to do with fortunes. After all, making this flip, the exit fee for the Big Sky is way too alluring.

As per the reports, the exit fee has been increased from $250,000 to $1 million.  The sky is the limit for the Hornets. They have put in their blood, sweat, and tears to have that edge. For this, the Hornets have been aggressive in accumulating NIL funding that would make the school competitive in a move up to the FBS. Back in December 2024, they hired ex-UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion as their 13th head coach. And guess what? It came with a big boost. Sacramento State signed the No. 1 recruiting class at the FCS level. The effect could be felt at the transfer portal, too, where the program signed the No. 1 FCS transfer class in the nation. So, they have started to strengthen the ground below their feet. After all, it’s hard to woo FBS, as they are the highest level of Division I college football.

With this, the Hornetts have a clear idea of what they want. For instance, joining the Mountain West Conference or even the new Pac-12 for 2026 is a big no-no for them. They are aware that they need to fill a 12-game schedule without conference games if approved. Yet, the Hornets are all ready to make the pursuit to make their dream come true. After all, they have walked down the same road but did not reach their goal. 

A three-year plan of Sacramento State Hornets

This isn’t the first time the Hornets and a possible FBS move surfaced. The last time the conversation came up, they became a popular pick among CFB fans for the Western Athletic Conference. Unfortunately, during the first conference realignment cycle of 2010-11, the WAC started to dissolve. Eventually, the longtime football conference folded. Many programs jumped into the Mountain West Conference or even considered joining Pac-12 (Utah) or Big 12 (TCU). At that time, BYU went independent momentarily. 

That’s when power brokers in the state capitol then made a pitch for the Hornets. They proposed the program to join the Pac-12. But that was not Sacramento State’s plan. As analyst Pete Thamel shared, “By transitioning as an independent, Sacramento State is positioning itself for FBS conferences. The reason for a waiver is because they aren’t transitioning with a conference invite.” Here comes another leverage that the Hornetts hold in their move to jump conferences. 

“The school sits in a Top 20 media market and has been aggressive in hiring coaches and in NIL.” All of Sac State’s athletic programs officially moved to Division I in 1991, according to the university. The Hornets football program has played in the Big Sky since 1996. Now, their plan for the future may look like this:

• 2025 – Continue in the Big Sky Conference.
• 2026 – Join FBS as an independent team.
• 2027 – Become bowl-eligible.

But it all depends on whether the NCAA waves the green flag.