The Sept. 11 start is the latest for the Hornets since the team opened the 1987 season at Pacific on Sept. 12. The game also marks the first time Sacramento State has played the Wolf Pack since 1990 and the third-straight season the team has began the year against a Div. I-A opponent.

The schedule shake-up originated with Notre Dame and Brigham Young wanting to move their game from Oct. 30 to Sept. 4. What followed was a domino effect which altered nine other games. BYU was the most affected, shifting three of its games. Along with the Notre Dame change, BYU moved its games against Stanford and USC. The Stanford change forced the Cardinal to open their season against San Jose State on Sept. 4.

The Spartans then opted out of their Sept. 4 game at San Diego State to accommodate Stanford. That opening allowed San Diego State to schedule Idaho State for Sept. 4, provided that ISU broke its contract with Carroll College (NAIA).

The problem became more convoluted when ESPN needed to shift a couple of Western Athletic Conference games to meet the requirements of their package. The network will now televise Nevada’s game at Louisiana Tech on Monday, Sept. 6. The Wolf Pack will then travel back from Ruston, La., before hosting the Hornets on Sept. 11. The Wolf Pack also moved their game at San Diego State from Sept. 11 to Sept. 25.

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