The Winner Of a Potential Sacramento State Move to the MAC

Conference realignment just got even more unbelievable, even as people thought it could not jump the shark any further. John Canzano reported that the Mid-American Conference could be a landing spot for Sacramento State.

Before diving into the meat of this article, let’s be clear. Hardly anyone wins if Sacramento State is in the MAC. Suppose Sacramento State president Dr. Luke Wood’s vision for the school being part of the “varsity” level of college athletics were Tuesday and Wednesday night trips to Amherst, MA, and Kent, Ohio. In that case, he has missed the point of his role entirely.

That being said, believe it or not, there is a winner in all of this if Sacramento State does become a football-only member of the MAC.

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl continues to struggle with attendance. Since the end of the pandemic, the bowl has regularly been one of the lowest-attended. The bowl has failed to draw 14,000 fans in every edition since the 2018 game. Last year’s 2OT thriller between Northern Illinois and Fresno State drew a paltry 10,359 fans.

Multiple factors cause this. First, Boise is far from the warmest place in December and it is a difficult place to fly into. This proves especially true for participating schools from the MAC. Fans must buy cross-country flights on less than three weeks' notice.

Should Sacramento State join the MAC they would have a manageable nine-hour drive to Boise. In addition to proximity, Sacramento State would create some intriguing matchups for multiple Mountain West fanbases.

The door is open for a Causeway Classic matchup with UC Davis in the Potato Bowl when the Aggies finally make the jump to FBS. Sacramento State could reunite with its old rival Nevada in the bowl game. The Hornets and Wolf Pack have met 27 times since their rivalry began in 1954, but only twice since 1990. Finally, Sacramento State could have a rare clash with San Jose State for in-state bragging rights in the Potato Bowl. The two schools have surprisingly met just twice ever.

Perhaps more importantly for the MAC, it saves another team in the league from losing money making the trip to Boise. Western Michigan notoriously lost over $400,000 on its 2014 trip to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Sacramento State could make instances like this rarer should it join the MAC.

Most of the above applies to the Arizona Bowl, which is a 13.5-hour drive from Sacramento State. In the end, should the Hornets make the insane decision to join the MAC it will have a mutually beneficial bowl partner. The Hornets can reignite old rivalries and save their potential conference mates from exorbitant travel costs.