The Hornets' first-ever FBS game comes on the road against a Bulldogs team that just won a bowl. Talk about a baptism.
Bush’s Picks
SACFRES
SACFRES
OverUnder
Best BetFresno State
Fresno State is the far more established program walking into this one — a 9-4 bowl-winning roster against a team playing its literal first FBS game. Backing the Bulldogs on the moneyline is about talent and experience gap more than anything in the odds themselves.
Sacramento State
+Georgia transfer Jaden Rashada brings real pedigree at QB
+New coach Alonzo Carter overhauled roster via portal
−Literal first-ever FBS game for the program
−Entirely new staff and roster continuity untested
Fresno State
+Coming off 9-4 season and Arizona Bowl win
+Matt Entz's strong debut year building momentum
−QB job still unresolved between Martin and Mandal
−New quarterback-run scheme still being installed
This one's less about who's favored and more about a program crossing a threshold. Sacramento State spent 33 years in the FCS before this offseason's $23 million buy-in to jump to FBS and join the MAC, and Saturday, September 12 is the payoff — a road trip to Fresno State to find out immediately what that level actually looks like. The Bulldogs, fresh off a 9-4 season and an Arizona Bowl win, aren't a gentle welcome.
Fresno State enters its own transition year, jumping to the Pac-12 in 2026 after Matt Entz's rock-solid debut season, but the roster continuity is the real story. The quarterback job is still up for grabs between Maryland transfer Khristian Martin and Jayden Mandal, with Entz installing more quarterback run concepts into the offense this spring. Whoever wins that battle gets to open the season against a defense that, by definition, has never lined up against FBS talent before.
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SAC Sacramento State
FRES Fresno State
Sacramento State isn't just hoping to survive, though — new head coach Alonzo Carter overhauled the roster through the portal, headlined by Georgia transfer Jaden Rashada taking over at quarterback. Rashada arrives with a name recognition few new FBS programs get to start with, but name recognition doesn't fix an entire two-deep learning a new level of speed and physicality in real time.
Sacramento State Hornets
Sep 5?vs Mississippi Valley State—
Aug 29?@ Eastern Michigan—
Fresno State Bulldogs
Sep 4?@ USC—
Recent form.
There's a legitimate California-vs-California angle here too — Fresno and Sacramento aren't rivals in any formal sense, but this is the kind of in-state, up-the- 99 matchup that gives an otherwise lopsided-on-paper opener some juice. For Sacramento State's administration and fan base, just fielding a competitive team in Fresno's stadium is the early measuring stick, regardless of the final score.
For Fresno State, it's about building on last year's momentum before conference play gets harder in a new league. A clean, mistake-free win here matters more for building QB confidence and offensive rhythm than for the record itself — nobody's circling this one as a signature win, but nobody wants to be the team that stumbles against a first-year FBS squad either.
