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Ohio Football Topic
Topic: MAC Has Had Talks With Sacramento State
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cbarber357
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Posted: 2/6/2026 6:59 PM
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Preposterous unless we add more western teams.

https://www.si.com/college-football/mac-exploring-possibi...
Last Edited: 2/6/2026 6:59:22 PM by cbarber357
CatsUp
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Posted: 2/6/2026 7:55 PM
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No thank you.
STVCastle
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Posted: 2/6/2026 8:04 PM
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I don't see how the MAC adding Sac State makes any sense whatsoever, especially if there's no plan to add any other school out west or in the Central Time Zone.
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 2/6/2026 10:56 PM
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STVCastle wrote:expand_more
I don't see how the MAC adding Sac State makes any sense whatsoever, especially if there's no plan to add any other school out west or in the Central Time Zone.
It's not April yet, but this smells of an April Fools type joke.
ExCat21
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Posted: 2/7/2026 12:28 PM
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Meanwhile, the Mountain West is trying to get North Dakota State by next year.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/north-dak... /

I know a few of us wanted the Dakotas to join the MAC. Some even said NDSU wouldn't leave unless a conference took its rivals as well.

Sounds like NDSU might be prepared to leave its rivals for a better opportunity.

Thoughts?
greencat
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Posted: 2/7/2026 2:49 PM
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Latest info:

All Sac.St. sports except football will join The Big West in 2026, making it a 12-member conference.

Football Status: The football team will leave the Big Sky and is currently slated to play as an independent in 2026.

FBS Push: The university is still actively pursuing a move to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), with reports suggesting they are exploring options with the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

i.e. - those talks sound like a one way street/pipe dream on the part of Sac.St.
GoCats105
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Posted: 2/7/2026 4:54 PM
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The Mid-American Coastal Conference.
Ted Thompson
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Posted: 2/7/2026 5:08 PM
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Have read that Sacramento State is willing to pay $10M entry fee and forego conference revenue sharing.
GoCats105
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Posted: 2/7/2026 7:22 PM
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Ted Thompson wrote:expand_more
Have read that Sacramento State is willing to pay $10M entry fee and forego conference revenue sharing.
I saw that too and I know this conference needs all the money it can get but what does $10M really do when split 12 ways? It's a drop in the bucket.
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Posted: 2/7/2026 7:26 PM
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Ted Thompson wrote:expand_more
Have read that Sacramento State is willing to pay $10M entry fee and forego conference revenue sharing.
People on here still to this day occasionally throw out the idea of dropping football or drop to FCS to focus on other sports. I won't go into the reasons why this really wouldn't generate hardly any money to spend on other sports but this just makes it obvious how when you have already made the insane investments to have FBS opportunity and are already reasonable competitive in the G5,the extend to which people to actually run these numbers are tasked with these decisions would think that willfully surrendering the FBS would be considered borderline insane in the year 2026. That sort of thing is so far from reality in the current environment. It won't happen unless something else important externally changes.
M.D.W.S.T
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Posted: 2/7/2026 8:07 PM
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I mean… I think the MAC should add more teams, but this has no chance of happening. Nor should it. Only FCS team I’m considering - outside the Dakotas - is YSU.
BobcatBurner
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Posted: 2/8/2026 12:53 AM
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Ted Thompson wrote:expand_more
Have read that Sacramento State is willing to pay $10M entry fee and forego conference revenue sharing.
Schools would only travel to Sac State once every couple years. A quick buck, no conference rev share, and trip to California. Not sure why the MAC wouldn’t take this deal.
greencat
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Posted: 2/8/2026 7:19 AM
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M.D.W.S.T wrote:expand_more
I mean… I think the MAC should add more teams, but this has no chance of happening. Nor should it. Only FCS team I’m considering - outside the Dakotas - is YSU.
Western Kentucky. Not their fault MTSU screwed it up the other time.
Victory
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Posted: 2/8/2026 8:15 AM
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greencat wrote:expand_more
I mean… I think the MAC should add more teams, but this has no chance of happening. Nor should it. Only FCS team I’m considering - outside the Dakotas - is YSU.
Western Kentucky. Not their fault MTSU screwed it up the other time.
To be clear, WKU has been FBS for most of this millennium.

The MAC was interesting in WKU again once UMass became available but WKU wasn't as desperate to get out of CUSA and didn't just jump at the chance. Apparently, talks continued for a long time after that but I suspect they cooled once the MAC had an even number again unless there is a good candidate 14th team.
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Posted: 2/8/2026 10:00 AM
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UMass might have feelings about a football only member.
ozarkcat
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Posted: 2/8/2026 10:23 AM
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Why not change the name to The Big MAC and go after for football Sac State. Illinois State or Chi State, the two Dakotas. the two Montanas. and in east R. Island, Stoney Brook, New Hampshire. And a couple more. Big is better and more spread out.
STVCastle
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Posted: 2/8/2026 1:00 PM
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If the MAC adds Sac State and then no one else out west for a long period of time, then this will be a super dumb move. It doesn't matter if Sac State pays the MAC $10 Million to get in.

If you're willing to go to Sacramento, why wouldn't you also go to the Montana schools, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, or anywhere back in Illinois?

Better have a plan in place, MAC leadership.
GoCats105
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Posted: 2/8/2026 4:36 PM
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NDSU to the Mountain Wes confirmed.
Last Edited: 2/8/2026 4:36:47 PM by GoCats105
CatsUp
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Posted: 2/8/2026 5:02 PM
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As mentioned I’m not a fan of this but if the MAC is going to follow through on it at least find out if Tom Hanks is a big fan. If so, maybe they can squeeze significantly more than $10M out of them.
cbarber357
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Posted: 2/8/2026 9:55 PM
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GoCats105 wrote:expand_more
The Mid-American Coastal Conference.
The Most of America Conference
STVCastle
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Posted: 2/9/2026 12:25 PM
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I hope it works out well for both the MAC and Sac State if this happens.

But I can't shake the feeling we're repeating the history of UCF's time in the MAC.
Buckeye to Bobcat
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Posted: 2/10/2026 4:22 PM
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STVCastle wrote:expand_more
I hope it works out well for both the MAC and Sac State if this happens.

But I can't shake the feeling we're repeating the history of UCF's time in the MAC.
This.

To be honest, I have conceded the MAC has one of two options. Either acknowledge it's gonna be a rent-a-league until the schools we bring in gets its fellow FCS rivals to FBS + form their own league or a convenient regional alignment presents itself to them; or we stick with who we know, continue to be mediocre as a conference, and yearn for Little Caesar's Bowl game appearances. No two ways about this one for certain.
MiamiBlowsChunks
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Posted: 2/10/2026 5:44 PM
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ozarkcat wrote:expand_more
Why not change the name to The Big MAC and go after for football Sac State. Illinois State or Chi State, the two Dakotas. the two Montanas. and in east R. Island, Stoney Brook, New Hampshire. And a couple more. Big is better and more spread out.
Chicago State is the Bishop Sycamore of college football (now that Lincoln of Cali is taking a year off).

Mt Union could roll them by 60+ ... the idea of a poorly run school and joke of athletic department playing football is criminal. Kids are going to get killed.

Also, bigger ain't better.
M.D.W.S.T
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Posted: 2/11/2026 1:44 PM
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MiamiBlowsChunks wrote:expand_more
Chicago State is the Bishop Sycamore of college football (now that Lincoln of Cali is taking a year off).

Mt Union could roll them by 60+ ... the idea of a poorly run school and joke of athletic department playing football is criminal. Kids are going to get killed.

Also, bigger ain't better.
Are you trying to convince me to get them on the schedule? Cause it worked.
Last Edited: 2/11/2026 1:44:22 PM by M.D.W.S.T
GoCats105
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Posted: 2/13/2026 2:23 PM
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Ross Dellenger reporting that talks are ramping up.

LMAO we're really going to do this dumb ass shit, aren't we? The MAC sees $15M like the cartoon wolf sees a steaming pie on the window sill.
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