the switch for some time now. The MWC wasn't interested in added them as a member for whatever reason, so Sacramento State tried to get a hardship waiver from the NCAA so it could compete as a FBS Independent. The NCAA (committee) denied the request because public schools have no grounds to receive a hardship waiver under the 3 or 4 acceptable criteria. I know religious reasons is one of the criteria because Liberty used it to make the switch a few years ago. Since Sacramento State is basically desperate to make sure it end ups in the group right below the P2 group, because everyone thinks that is where it is headed, its only left is to pay an existing FBS conference extorsion price to satisfy the criteria that was created when the moratorium was lifted in the early 2000s. The moratorium I'm referring to is the once put into place by the FBS schools in late '90s because "too may FCS schools were trying to make the switch before they were financially stable to compete in the FBS." UMass was the first school to make the switch when the moratorium was lifted. Whenever UMass joined the MAC as a football-only member the first time was the year the moratorium was lifted.