Sacramento State's bid join FBS was dealt a fatal blow on Tuesday when the Division I Council voted to deny the school's waiver request to join the NCAA's top division without a conference. Or was it?
In a message posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Sac State president Dr. Luke Wood vowed that not only will the Hornets play FBS football, they'll do it in 2026. He claimed Sacramento State met every "meaningful" benchmark to make the move.
"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," Wood tweeted.
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. pic.twitter.com/NoEcQ7EmyG
— Dr. Luke Wood (@DrLukeWood) June 25, 2025
If the Pac-12 or Mountain West was going to invite the Hornets, they would have done so by now. Therefore, I have no idea how Sac State plans to build an FBS independent schedule to begin barely more than one year from now, but I'll be fascinated to see them try.