North Dakota State joins the Mountain West as Sacramento State moves to the MAC, pushing FBS to 138 teams

College football’s offseason reshaping continued Wednesday with two more FCS programs officially stepping into the FBS, increasing the Football Bowl Subdivision membership to 138 teams. Sacramento State’s move brings the Hornets into the Mid-American Conference, while North Dakota State’s addition lands the Bison in the Mountain West. Together, the changes keep expanding the sport’s top tier at a time when conferences are reworking geography and media value.

Sacramento State’s arrival into the MAC follows another notable shift in the conference landscape. CBS Sports reported that Northern Illinois is departing for the Mountain West, creating a roster-level opening that Sacramento State fills as the league adjusts to the new mix of members. For the Hornets, the move is not simply a change of opponents, but a change in the standard of national exposure and the financial and operational expectations that come with FBS membership.

North Dakota State’s transition into the Mountain West is particularly striking because the school is widely recognized as the most successful FCS program of the past 15 years. CBS Sports framed the move as NDSU following Northern Illinois into a revamped Mountain West, positioning the conference to add a proven winner with a track record built in playoff football. In practical terms, it also raises the question of how quickly a program built for FCS postseason preparation can recalibrate for an FBS schedule.

For both schools, the FBS jump carries implications beyond next year’s results. Moving conferences changes travel patterns, recruiting territories, and the style of competition, especially in leagues where matchups are driven by a blend of established regional rivals and teams that have their own recruiting pipelines. The Hornets and Bison will also enter a landscape where scholarship management and compliance rules are aligned to FBS standards rather than FCS limits.

The conference picture also shows how realignment is becoming increasingly interconnected. CBS Sports’ report ties the additions directly to departures, with Northern Illinois leaving the MAC for the Mountain West and those vacancies (and momentum) helping determine where incoming programs fit. That means every new member can trigger a chain reaction, not only for schedule construction but for how conferences market themselves to media partners and fans.

As these transitions take hold, the key storyline for college football will be competitive integration. The MAC and Mountain West will each face a measuring stick question: whether the incoming FCS-to-FBS moves translate immediately into on-field competitiveness, or whether the first seasons look more like a ramp-up period. Fans should also watch recruiting, because players often commit with the long-term trajectory of a conference move in mind rather than just the first season of transition.

CBS Sports reported the membership count and the pairing of moves, but details beyond the league affiliation and the broad context were not included in the available preview. For official confirmation, timelines, and any additional conference structural changes, readers may want to check releases from the MAC and Mountain West as well as the schools themselves when those become available.