Future Causeway Classic football games between UC Davis and Sac State could be in jeopardy
The annual Causeway Classic rivalry football game between UC Davis and Sacramento State could be in jeopardy moving forward.
With Sacramento State leaving the Big Sky Conference after the 2025 season, the annual matchup will need to be moved to a non-conference game.
The Hornets would like to continue the rivalry game in 2026, but UC Davis already has a full slate of non-conference matchups in 2026, which include San Diego and SMU on the road and Stetson at home. The Aggies have no interest in canceling those games.
The Aggies are interested in restarting the Causeway Classic in 2027, but nothing has been agreed upon as of this point.
The regional rivalry is named after the Yolo Causeway viaduct traversed by Interstate 80 between Sacramento and Davis
All of UC Davis' athletic programs, except football, will be moving to the Mountain West conference come 2026. Sacramento State's athletics programs are also moving to the Big West conference in 2026, except for football.
Causeway Classic history
UC Davis and Sacramento State have been playing in the Causeway Classic since the 1950s, when the Hornets started fielding a football program.
The games alternate between being played in Davis or Sacramento every year, except for in 2018 when the matchup was moved to Reno due to the poor air quality in Northern California after the Camp Fire.
UC Davis owns the all-time match-up against Sacramento State 47-23. This year's 71st Cauesway Classic game is set for Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. at Hornet Stadium. The game will be broadcast on KMAX31.
Other Aggie and Hornet sports teams – like the baseball and volleyball programs – also compete against each other in games also dubbed their own Causeway Classics.