SAC 12 adds hall of famer to executive committee, releases financial path to conference realignment
SACRAMENTO — More familiar faces are throwing their support behind the move to get Sacramento State University into the Pac-12 Conference, including Assemblymember Joe Patterson, Senator Melissa Hurtado and 2017 Sacramento State Hall of Fame inductee Cyrus Mulitalo.
"We're not just a committee who thinks we can do it," Mulitalo said. "We're a committee that believes we can get it done and we will get it done. We just need everybody's efforts to rally behind us."
Big dreams for a Pac-12 bid come with a big price tag, including over $5 million to realign from an FCS to an FBS school.
Mulitalo said he is excited to give his input from a players' perspective but said it's going to take massive support from the community as well. He compared the excitement surrounding the Kings to what it would take to bring a similar collegiate atmosphere to Sacramento State.
"It's going to take everybody locking arms and staying focused," Mulitalo said. "There's no reason why Sac State can't have that same type of fan base, that same type of excitement, that same type of college football feel."
In addition to bolstering the so-called SAC 12 Executive Committee, the group is also detailing the financial goals they would have to meet to take the next step toward a new conference. In a letter released Wednesday, the group released these five steps:
1. Secure $50M in NIL commitments to cover the first 10 years in the PAC 12.
2. Secure funding and approvals to build a new, state-of-the-art football stadium that seats at least 25,000 attendees.
3. Secure funding and approvals to build a basketball arena that seats at least 6,500 attendees.
4. Turn out at least 15,000 attendees per home football game for the remainder of the season.
5. Secure $5.25M in conference fees for NCAA realignment into the PAC-12.
It's unclear where these funds will come from or how the group is planning on securing the money. The television market could play an influential role with Sacramento being the 20th largest media market in the nation. Fresno State University is a much smaller TV market, and the school has plans to move to the Pac-12 in 2026 as the 53rd largest.
In a letter released Wednesday, alumni and Assemblymember Joe Patterson said he was excited to join the list of people making the SAC 12 push.
"As the effort to rebuild the PAC-12 continues to gain momentum, I am honored to be joining such an influential group to ensure Sacramento State is the next school added to an elite athletic conference," Patterson said. "As a community and as a university, we are all collectively ready to invest and support this effort to bring our athletics to the next level."
The move would mean a massive economic boost to the city of Sacramento and university.