Fullerton Won’t Play San Jose State in 1992 : College football: Titans replace Big West rival with home game against Division II Sacramento State.

Cal State Fullerton continued its effort to soften its football schedule, replacing a 1992 Big West Conference home game against San Jose State with a nonconference home game against Division II Sacramento State, the school announced Thursday.

The move was a result of the flexibility created by the new Big West Consortium, which goes into effect next season and requires the eight Big West schools to play only six conference teams instead of seven.

According to Big West Commissioner Jim Haney, San Jose State wanted to drop Fullerton in order to schedule “an intersectional contest and gain more national exposure.”

Fullerton and San Jose State were scheduled to play Nov. 14, but the Titans now will have a bye that week. They will play Sacramento State in their new on-campus stadium Sept. 12, meaning Fullerton will open the season with two home games for the first time since 1972.

The Titans originally were scheduled to open the season at Hawaii but dropped the Rainbows for a Sept. 5 home game against Cal State Northridge. In another change, Nevada, which enters the Big West Conference next year, will replace Fresno State on Fullerton’s schedule. The Titans will play Nevada at home Oct. 10.

“For so long, the program has been in a position of playing early season games on the road against highly formidable opponents,” Fullerton Athletic Director Bill Shumard said. “For the first time in a long time, we’ll open the season with two home games. If we’re going to develop any kind of following, we have to do that.”

Although Sacramento State is a Division II team, Fullerton won’t be a heavy favorite. The Hornets are 5-0 and ranked sixth nationally among Division II teams. Sacramento State beat Pacific, 43-40, in its season opener. Pacific beat Fullerton, 56-28, two weeks ago.