SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State football team will have at least five appearances on national television during the 2026 season. The Hornets will have games air on ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS Sports Network during their first season as an FBS program and a member of the Mid-American Conference.
 
The five national appearances will easily be the most in program history. Sacramento State has appeared on a network channel six times from 2021-25 with no more than two games in a single season. The team's game on ESPN will also be a first in program history.
 
"We are excited to appear on national television multiple times in our inaugural FBS season," Sacramento State Director of Athletics Mark Orr said. "It's a terrific opportunity for our student-athletes to showcase our University and Sacramento.  We look forward to adding to our national television package over the course of the next several weeks."
 
Sacramento State's game at Fresno State will be shown on CBS Sports Network, marking the first time in program history the Hornets will appear on the network. The game against the Bulldogs will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12.
 
The following weekend, Sacramento State will welcome North Dakota State to Hornet Stadium for the first time for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. Both teams will make the move to FBS in 2026 and will face one another for the first time since the 1988 NCAA Div. II semifinals.
 
The Hornets' home game on Friday, Oct. 30, against Kent State was selected to be shown on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m.
 
The team will have mid-week MACtion against Toledo on Nov. 4 and at Central Michigan on Nov. 11. Those games will air on ESPN2, ESPNU or CBS Sports Network.
 
The first two games of the season (Aug. 29 at Eastern Michigan and Sept. 5 vs. Mississippi Valley State) will both be on ESPN+. The team's other regular season games against UMass, Bowling Green, Ohio, Ball State and Hawaii have not yet been assigned to a television network.