Sacramento State will join the Big West conference as a full member starting with the 2026-27 academic year. Sacramento State informed the Big Sky on Wednesday that it will leave the conference after this year and the Big West announced that the school will become the 12th school in the conference.

Sacramento State’s longshot bid to join the Pac-12 is officially over. On Wednesday, the Hornets announced that they will withdraw from the Big Sky Conference and join the Big West Conference for all sports other than football in July 2026.

Luke Wood aims to elevate all of the sports programs on campus with a move to the Big West Conference starting in July 2026, he confirmed in a text to The Sacramento Bee on Wednesday, saying, "Yes, we are in the Big West.