Sacramento State files NCAA application to move to top tier of college football By Joe Davidson

Sacramento State files NCAA application to move to top tier of college football By Joe Davidson

Luke Wood has quite a menu of activity to ponder and discuss as president of Sacramento State, and among his favorite topics is the Hornets’ efforts to transition into the highest classification of college football.

Wood said in an interview with The Sacramento Bee that he filed a waiver to the governing body NCAA with his signature on Thursday morning to became an independent team in football — meaning the school would have no conference affiliation in that sport — to inch closer to the school’s quest of moving up from the FCS level to the FBS.

The waiver is needed because Sacramento State is attempting a transition up without an invite from an FBS conference. If approved, Sacramento State will play its final Big Sky Conference season this fall, which would also be the school’s last season in the FCS.

Sacramento State moved up from non-scholarship Division II to scholarship Division I in 1991. The Hornets surged in football after years of mediocrity, winning Big Sky Conference championship in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Sacramento State made the playoffs in 2023 before injuries and late-game losses led to a 3-9 record in 2024, including a 1-7 mark in the 12-team conference.

Sacramento State football coach Brennan Marion leads the team during the first day spring practice on campus last month.

PAUL KITAGAKI JR. pkitagaki@sacbee.com With NCAA waiver approval, Sacramento State would not be eligible for the football playoffs in 2025 and 2026, the norm for programs transitioning up in classification. The Hornets would become bowl-game eligible starting in 2027, and that’s where the real fun can begin, Wood said.

A local-based committee, called SAC-12, for months has made an effort to get Sacramento State football into an FBS conference, either the Pac-12 or the Mountain West.

The idea of going independent didn’t become public until this week. It also may prove to be the quickest route to the FBS, Wood said. “I’m stoked and excited about the independent route,” Wood said. “My thinking is that this is the best pathway for Sacramento State to the FBS, and we’re taking destiny in our own hands.

This wouldn’t work for most institutions, but we sit in a Top 20 media market that doesn’t have a team in the FBS.” Wood added that the Hornets are not just about talk but results. “We’re not going to the shallow end of the pool but the deep end,” he said. “We hope the big boys can keep up.” Wood said he expects to receive an answer from the NCAA this spring. The waiver application first goes to the FBS oversight committee, then to the Division I council. Wood said he should get a timeline by next week at the latest.