🏅Why is Sacramento State joining the MAC?

I’m baaack!

Hello everyone. I’m happy to return from vacation. Thanks for stopping by NIL Wire today. I have a fun story today about Sacramento State, the MAC and what could be in store for the future. Hope you enjoy this exclusive subscriber content.

— Kyle

There was only one reaction to Sacramento State joining the Mid-American Conference as a football-only member: WTF?!

Everything about it is absurd. How does Sacramento State have tens of millions to buy its way into the MAC? Why does the MAC want Sacramento State? Does MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher remember what the M and the A in MAC stand for? 

Which is why it all makes perfect sense. It’s college sports in 2026. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are in the Big Ten. Stanford and Cal are in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Northern Illinois is in the Mountain West. 

So, why exactly did this all happen? It’s a branding decision. Sacramento State President Luke Wood doesn’t operate like a traditional university administrator. The 43-year-old president is overflowing with ambition and bluster. He is an outside-the-box thinker who acts on his thoughts. 

Sacramento State was denied a waiver to play as an FBS Independent, and the Pac-12 and Mountain West said no thanks. That wasn’t going to complicate the school’s mission to get in FBS.

We talked to Wood and Steinbrecher to get their side of the story:

Become a paying subscriber of NIL Wire All-Access to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.