[8] In November 1986, then-university president Donald Gerth, influenced by an athletic advisory board study, announced a five-year plan to elevate the program to the Division I level.

Then in 1995, following a reported $1.1 million deficit stemming from elevating the program up to the Division I-AA level (today known as FCS), Sacramento State students voted to raise their fees from $5 to $45 per semester to keep Hornet football, with 62 percent of voters supporting the increase.

[11] During 2010–2014 NCAA conference realignment, there was speculation that the Hornets' Athletic department would like to move the football team to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)[12] due to the population base of Sacramento (ranked 20th-largest in college sports),[13] the (enrollment) size of the university and the attractiveness of recruiting in the Sac-Joaquin Section.

[16] Sacramento State was unable to fund a massive facility upgrade for their athletic facilities (including basketball/volleyball, football, baseball and softball among others) in order to move to the FBS due to economic reasons and resistance from students and faculty members because of increasing tuition and overall cost.

On June 6, 2011, Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton announced that "We're in a better place than the WAC is,"[18] marking an end of fan and community attempts to move to FBS-level sports during that period.

The Sacramento State Hornets women's beach volleyball team participates in the Big West Conference.

The Hornets upset the Beavers in OT 29–28 with a 2-point conversion pass from QB Jeff Flemming to WR Brandyn Reed, beating an AQ Conference team for the first time in school history in front of an announced crowd of 41,581.

On September 8, 2012, the Hornets repeated the feat of defeating a Pac-12, upsetting the Colorado Buffaloes by a score 30–28 in Boulder in front of a crowd of 46,843.

[28] The Sacramento State Hornets men's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 2–2 through two appearances.

[29] The Sacramento State Hornets women's soccer team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 0–2 through two appearances.

[31] The Sacramento State Hornets men's indoor track and field team never made the NCAA Division I Tournament.

[32] The Sacramento State Hornets women's volleyball team have an NCAA Division I Tournament record of 2–10 through ten appearances.

The Sacramento State Hornets competed in the NCAA Tournament across 12 active sports (5 men's and 7 women's) 55 times at the Division I FCS level.

is also played as the band forms a tunnel for the football team as they enter Hornet Stadium before the beginning of each home game.

After every Hornet win, the football team comes over to the sideline where the band's section is and sings along while the song is being played.