Surprising college making push to join Pac-12, Mountain West

College football conference realignment appears to be on the brink of another monumental shift. But instead of a mass exodus from the Pac-12, there seems to be a line forming to get in.

At the front of that (short) line is Sacramento State, an FCS school with a student population of just 31,000.

On Friday, business leaders, university officials and local politicians gathered at the Hornets football stadium (which seats 21,195) to make a formal pitch to the Pac-12 for admittance.

The group also appealed to the Mountain West (likely hedging its options), as that conference just lost five members to the new-look Pac-12 earlier in the week.

The former may be its only option in jumping from the FCS to the FBS, as just hours after officials made their public pitch the Pac-12 released a statement seemingly in no certain terms, "thanks but no thanks."

"We appreciate the continuous interest and outreach from numerous universities who are interested in joining the conference," the conference wrote in a statement to ABC10 . "Out of respect for our members and to maintain the integrity of our process, we strive to refrain from commenting on specific institutions."

The Mountain West has not yet addressed Sacramento State's public bid.

Part of that bid includes a newly announced replacement for Hornet Stadium. The project would increase capacity to a minimum of 25,000 fans and also include upgrades to the school's basketball and other athletic facilities.

"This venue will be the largest outdoor venue in this region," athletic director Mark Orr said in a news conference Thursday.

"I really think this can help all of Sacramento come together for one team," head football coach Andy Thompson said. "We want to be the pride of Sacramento in every sport but especially in football ... today is about this university moving forward."

Sacramento State football currently resides in the Big Sky Conference, which it has won three times (2019, 2021, 2022). It has appeared in the FCS playoffs four of the last five seasons (sans the 2020 Covid year).