Sac State Football Goes Prime Time: Five National TV Dates for Historic FBS Debut

Sacramento State football is about to become a household name—or at least a familiar face on your cable dial. As the Hornets embark on their first-ever season as an FBS program this fall, they’re bringing some serious national media visibility along for the ride, with at least five games landing on ESPN, ESPN2, and CBS Sports Network.

This is genuinely big. For a program that’s spent decades at the FCS level, reaching FBS isn’t just about moving up in competition—it’s about getting your story told to millions of viewers across the country. Sacramento State Director of Athletics Mark Orr framed it perfectly: this is a chance for“our student-athletes to showcase our university and Sacramento.”And they’re getting real platform to do it.

The schedule tells an interesting tale. The Hornets kick off their MAC journey on August 29 against Eastern Michigan on ESPN+, then face Mississippi Valley State at home before a major crossover game at Fresno State on CBS Sports Network in mid-September. Add a home date against North Dakota on ESPN and late-season appearances on ESPN2 against Kent State and potential primetime slots against Toledo and Central Michigan, and you’ve got a television package that most programs would dream about in their inaugural FBS year.

What’s particularly clever here is the strategic scheduling. Five more regular-season games haven’t been assigned to a network yet—which means the MAC (and potentially ESPN) are keeping their options open. A hot start, a surprising upset, or an emerging star could easily land more games on the broadcast schedule as the season unfolds. That’s how you build momentum and narrative in modern college football.

For Sacramento fans, this is your moment. Your team is playing on some of the biggest stages in college sports, and the country’s watching. The question isn’t just whether Sac State can compete at the FBS level—it’s whether they can capture people’s attention and make them care about purple and gold football in August, September, and November.