Volume 28 · Number 3 · Spring 2011
Sports: Big Times Ahead In Big Sky
Starting in 2012, UC Davis football will have a new vista of play—in the Big Sky Conference.
The big picture is that the Big Sky Conference will build on old Aggie rivalries and offer new opportunities for postseason play. Other benefits include a reduction in the team's traveling time and expenses. For these reasons and more, UC Davis football will end its membership in the Great West Conference after the 2011 season.
On the rivalry front, the Big Sky Conference includes UC Davis' longtime nemesis, Sacramento State, as well another traditional foe, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which is joining along with UC Davis.
Big Sky is part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), which is distinct from the subdivision that plays bowl games. In recent years, two Big Sky teams have typically made the FCS playoffs, including Eastern Washington, which won the 2010 national title. Aggie fans certainly relish more postseason opportunities.
Chess game for conferences
Big sky conference current members
- Eastern Washington
- Idaho State
- University of Montana
- Montana State
- Northern Arizona
- Northern Colorado
- Portland State
- Sacramento State
- Weber State
UC Davis has coveted joining the Big Sky for several years. However, the conference has preferred that schools bring all of their sports to the table, not just football, and that was never in the cards for UC Davis. But that changed last year as football conferences around the country — including the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Mountain West — jockeyed for new members as others bolted for new venues. Amid this domino effect, word came that the Big Sky Conference approved exceptions to league rules that require all member schools to take part in the same 14 sports.
With the welcome mat rolled out, Aggie football cleats eagerly dug in.
Meanwhile, the Aggies remain committed members of the Big West Conference, which, although it does not sponsor football, provides competition for 18 of UC Davis' 22 other intercollegiate sports (four teams belong to other conferences).
The Big Sky Conference currently includes Eastern Washington, Idaho State, University of Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State, and Utah's Weber State. Southern Utah, also from the Great West, is another school joining the league.
The regional interest is significant — with all Big Sky competitors in eight western states, student-athletes will miss fewer days of classes, and eliminating travel to the east and southeast will reduce travel expenses. Since beginning competition in Division I in 2007,
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UC Davis has played games as far away as Massachusetts, North Dakota, South Dakota and Arkansas.
Moreover, UC Davis will benefit from a full slate of conference games and an automatic playoff bid for the 20-team FCS championship. As a member of the Great West Conference, the team has not had a shot at an automatic berth for postseason play. It occasionally pays game-guarantees to help bring in opponents and fill out its schedule.
Greg Warzecka, director of athletics, said the move benefits both the football program and its followers.
"Our fans will not only be able to watch some great teams come to Aggie Stadium, but they will have a much better opportunity to travel to road games," he said.
Joining the conference will intensify the Aggies' Causeway Classic rivalry with the Sacramento State Hornets. The programs share history in three conferences but have not played in the same league since 1993. The move also allows UC Davis and Cal Poly to continue their storied rivalry, nearly even throughout its 35-game history.
Doug Fullerton, Big Sky Conference commissioner, said, "The addition of two great institutions like Cal Poly and UC Davis gives us more depth to compete for additional playoff berths and enhances our profile throughout California."
Competing in a first-rate conference like the Big Sky is an exciting prospect for Bob Biggs, head football coach for UC Davis. With the dust settling on conference realignments, he knows where Aggie football will call home for years.
"Things were happening so fast that you never knew what the next move was going to be," Biggs said. "As it turned out, the Big Sky is the best move for UC Davis."