Officials at Sacramento State are pushing to join a Football Bowl Subdivision conference as soon as the upcoming football season, offering multiple leagues an eight-figure entry fee and a temporary forfeiture of conference revenue, according to multiple sources within college athletics.

Several FBS conferences, including the Mountain West and the Pac-12, have rejected the proposal, but others have shown interest, most notably the Mid-American Conference. Sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions. Sacramento State and MAC officials declined to comment.

University president Luke Wood and athletic director Mark Orr have publicly pursued an FBS move for months. That effort was slowed last summer when the NCAA denied the school’s request for a waiver to compete as an FBS independent, a step required for schools moving up without a conference invitation.

The push comes as Sacramento State transitions its athletic department from the Big Sky to the Big West, which does not sponsor football, leaving the Hornets set to compete as an FCS independent. The program has scheduled seven games for 2026, six against FCS opponents.

The MAC is entering a period of transition of its own. Northern Illinois departs the league after this season, while UMass joined last year to maintain a 12-team membership. The conference is also preparing for new television contract negotiations with ESPN.

Sacramento State’s proposal is believed to be football-only, with other sports remaining in the Big West. In outreach to multiple leagues, the university has offered more than $10 million in entry fees and agreed to forgo conference media revenue for a set period, a strategy previously used by SMU to enter the ACC.

The financial commitment does not include the NCAA’s $5 million FCS-to-FBS transition fee. Supporters of the move cite the school’s enrollment of roughly 30,000 students, its location in a top-20 television market, recent athletic investments, and strong on-field success, including three straight Big Sky titles earlier this decade.