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. 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.

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. 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.

 School  Location  Founded  Type  Nickname  JoinedBig Sky Eastern Washington University  Cheney, Washington  1882  Public  Eagles  1987   Moscow, Idaho  1889  Public  Vandals  1963, 2014 Idaho State University  Pocatello, Idaho  1901  Public  Bengals  1963   Missoula, Montana  1893  Public  Grizzlies  1963 Montana State University  Bozeman, Montana  1893  Public  Bobcats  1963 Northern Arizona University  Flagstaff, Arizona  1899  Public  Lumberjacks  1970   Greeley, Colorado  1889  Public  Bears  2006 Portland State University  Portland, Oregon  1946  Public  Vikings  1996   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  JoinedBig Sky  Main Conference  Big SkySport 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   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


Category:NCAA Division I athletics conferences