Big Sky Conference
The Big Sky Conference is a NCAA conference that play in the NCAA Division I. The conference is headquartered in Ogden, Utah and features universities and colleges from the Western United States, plus one in the Midwestern U.S. In football, the league plays in the second-level Division I FCS.
Members
As of the 2017–18 school year, the Big Sky has 12 full members, or schools that play almost all of their sports in the conference. Of these schools, only Idaho does not play football in the conference. Its team in that sport plays in the top-level Division I FBS as a single-sport member of the Sun Belt Conference.
After the full Sun Belt members decided not to renew their football membership contract with Idaho when it expired after the 2017 season, Idaho decided to downgrade its football program to the FCS level and return to Big Sky football in 2018.[1]
North Dakota left the non-football side of the Big Sky to join the Summit League, home to many of its traditional rivals, in 2018.[2] The school's football team will join the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2020. It played the 2018 season as an FCS independent (not in a conference), and will do so again in 2019. However, North Dakota still plays a full Big Sky football schedule, and games against North Dakota count in the Big Sky standings for other conference members.[3]
| School | Location | Founded | Type | Nickname | Joined Big Sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Washington University | Cheney, Washington | 1882 | Public | Eagles | 1987 |
| University of Idaho | Moscow, Idaho | 1889 | Public | Vandals | 1963, 2014[a] |
| Idaho State University | Pocatello, Idaho | 1901 | Public | Bengals | 1963 |
| University of Montana | Missoula, Montana | 1893 | Public | Grizzlies[b] | 1963 |
| Montana State University | Bozeman, Montana | 1893 | Public | Bobcats | 1963 |
| Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff, Arizona | 1899 | Public | Lumberjacks | 1970 |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, Colorado | 1889 | Public | Bears | 2006 |
| Portland State University | Portland, Oregon | 1946 | Public | Vikings | 1996 |
| California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) | Sacramento, California | 1947 | Public | Hornets | 1996 |
| Southern Utah University | Cedar City, Utah | 1897 | Public | Thunderbirds | 2012 |
| Weber State University | Ogden, Utah | 1889 | Public | Wildcats | 1963 |
Associate members
The Big Sky has four "associate" members that play only one sport in the conference.
| School | Location | Founded | Type | Nickname | Joined Big Sky |
Main Conference | Big Sky Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binghamton University | Vestal, New York | 1946 | Public | Bearcats | 2014 | America East | Men's golf |
| California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) | San Luis Obispo, California | 1901 | Public | Mustangs | 2012 | Big West | Football |
| University of Hartford | West Hartford, Connecticut | 1877 | Private | Hawks | 2014 | America East | Men's golf |
| University of California, Davis (UC Davis) | Davis, California | 1905 | Public | Aggies | 2012 | Big West | Football |
References
- "Big Sky Conference". bigskyconf.com. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
- ↑ Dodd, Dennis (April 27, 2016). Idaho will become first team to drop from FBS to FCS in 2018. CBSSports.com. http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/25568947/idaho-will-become-first-team-to-drop-from-fbs-to-fcs-in-2018. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ↑ The Summit League (January 26, 2017). "The Summit League Adds The University of North Dakota". Press release. http://thesummitleague.org/general/2016-17/releases/20170126g1swrw. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ↑ Missouri Valley Football Conference (January 26, 2017). "UND to Join Missouri Valley Football Conference". Press release. http://www.valley-football.org/news/default/2016-17/9330/und-to-join-missouri-valley-football-conference/. Retrieved January 27, 2017.