SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State University's push to the Pac-12 continues, even as the conference added a new member.
The Pac-12 announced Tuesday that it will add Gonzaga as the eighth member of the conference, effective on July 1, 2026. Gonzaga is leaving the West Coast Conference and joining the conference as a full member, despite not fielding a football program.
Gonzaga's men's basketball programs is one of the elite programs college basketball, making the Sweet Sixteen in March Madness nine consecutive times.
Due to Gonzaga not having a football team, the Pac-12 still needs to add another football member to reach the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision requirements. The deadline for the conference to fulfill the NCAA’s requirements is July 1, 2026.
The Pac-12 are still in search of a football-playing school after its pursuit of American Athletic Conference schools Tulane, Memphis, South Florida and the University of Texas-San Antonio were denied.
ABC10 reached out to Sacramento State about the Pac-12's Gonzaga announcement. The university said it will not comment on the news.
As part of an effort to join the Pac-12, the SAC12 Executive Committee announced Monday that it secured over $35 million in NIL (name, image and likeness) funds. The money raised is part of the committee’s ultimate NIL goal of $50 million.
SAC12 is a committee of business leaders, local government officials and alums of Sacramento State that aims to elevate the university to the Pac-12 and the highest level of college football.
Last week, the Pac-12 sent ABC10 the following statement on Sacramento State’s interest in joining the conference:
“The Pac-12 Conference takes pride in celebrating institutions like Sacramento State and their vibrant communities for their commitment to advancing collegiate athletics and enriching the student-athlete experience. We appreciate the continuous interest and outreach from numerous universities who are interested in joining the conference. Out of respect for our members and to maintain the integrity of our process, we strive to refrain from commenting on specific institutions until we can share official announcements."
Barry Broome of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council is a supporter of Sacramento State moving to the Pac-12, saying the school and city have what the conference needs to be seriously considered.
“We’re the biggest market on the table for the Pac-12,” Broome told ABC10. “$35 million NIL raised in what was 36 hours starting Sunday morning, brand new stadium and you’re the state capitol of California, to me it’s a no brainer.”
On Sept. 26, Sacramento State announced plans to build a new football and multi-use stadium with a capacity of 25,000. The stadium is set to replace Hornet Stadium, which was originally built in 1969 and currently has a capacity of 21,195, according to Sacramento State Athletics.
Hornet Stadium is planned to be torn down after the current football season ends.
A hurdle Sacramento State faces is hosting Division I basketball in the Pac-12, as the university’s current venue, The Nest, has an intimate setting of 1,012 capacity.
Broome mentioned the Golden 1 Center could be an option if coordinated with Sacramento Kings.
“One of the questions would be and we’re not anywhere far along to the answer, but could we share Golden 1 Center?” Broome said. “That way you would have an optimization of a current facility in the community and we increased revenue to the parking, increasing income to DOCO.”
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