Sacramento State, Southern Utah reschedule football game for 2029 in Sacramento

Sacramento State and Southern Utah pushed their football meeting from Nov. 21, 2026 at Hornet Stadium to Sept. 8, 2029 in Sacramento, and the Hornets’ guarantee payment climbed to $350,000 in the process. The March 20, 2026 contract update added $75,000 to the original $275,000 fee, moving a canceled nonconference date to a more expensive game three seasons later.

The reset came after Sacramento State’s move to the Mid-American Conference changed the program’s future schedule. The Hornets were announced as a football-only MAC member on Feb. 14, 2026, the move became official Feb. 16, and Sacramento State was set to begin play in the league July 1, 2026. MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said, “Today's exciting announcement is about strengthening our competitive profile and creating value for the membership.”

Sacramento State’s football history page lists the teams’ first meeting on Oct. 25, 1986 and 19 games played. The Hornets’ official record lists a 41-20 win on Oct. 9, 2021 as the latest meeting and puts Sacramento State ahead 10-9 in the series. Southern Utah’s history page matches that last game and lists the Thunderbirds trailing 9-10.

On May 29, 2026, Southern Utah pushed the Sacramento State game again, this time to the 2031 season, and added Chicago State at home on Nov. 21, 2026 for its sixth home game of the regular season. The opening let the Thunderbirds add Chicago State at home in Cedar City, while Sacramento State kept a future nonconference game inside a football-only MAC calendar instead of the FCS slate the Hornets had when the matchup was first booked.