POCATELLO, Idaho- It is a year of change in the Big Sky Conference as four new schools were added. Joining the conference in all sports are North Dakota and Southern Utah while Cal Poly and UC Davis are football only members.
With the addition of four schools, the Bengals will no longer play everyone in the conference. All Big Sky teams will continue to play eight conference games with four at home and four on the road. Each team will have two “rivals” it will play each season. Over the course of the four years, each Big Sky team will play each other a minimum of two times. The two schools that ISU is set to play each year are Portland State and Weber State.
In 2012, Idaho State will not play Eastern Washington, Montana State, SUU and North Dakota.
“We're embarking on an exciting time in the Big Sky with expansion,'' said conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton. “We've created an eight-game conference schedule that still allows our institutions non-conference scheduling flexibility. The format keeps several strong rivalries intact, and will create new rivalries.''
Although teams will play just eight conference games, Big Sky schools will also have the option to schedule league members in non-conference games. For example, Montana and North Dakota were already scheduled to play a non-conference game in 2013 in Grand Forks. That will remain a non-conference game.
“Scheduling non-conference games, especially against other Championship Subdivision programs has become increasingly difficult in the West,'' Fullerton said. “Since nearly all of the FCS schools in the region now reside in the Big Sky Conference, our institutions need to have the option to play each other as non-conference opponents in years they aren't playing conference games.''
Here is a look at the Bengals conference opponents through 2015
2012
Sept. 29 vs. Sacramento State
Oct. 6 at Portland State
Oct. 13 vs. UC Davis
Oct. 20 at Northern Colorado
Oct. 27 at Montana
Nov. 3 vs. NAU
Nov. 10 at Cal Poly
Nov. 17 vs. Weber State
2013
Sept. 28 at UC Davis
Oct. 5 vs. North Dakota
Oct. 12 vs. Northern Colorado
Oct. 19 at NAU
Oct. 26 at SUU
Nov. 2 vs. Eastern Washington
Nov. 9 vs. Portland State
Nov. 23 at Weber State
2014
Sept. 27 vs. Sacrament State
Oct. 4 at Eastern Washington
Oct. 18 vs. SUU
Oct. 25 at Northern Colorado
Nov. 1 at Portland State
Nov. 8 vs. Cal Poly
Nov. 15 at Montana State
Nov. 22 vs. Weber State
2015
Sept. 26 vs. Portland State
Oct. 3 at Cal Poly
Oct. 10 at North Dakota
Oct. 17 vs. Eastern Washington
Oct. 31 at Sacramento State
Nov. 7 vs. Montana
Nov. 14 vs. Montana State
Nov. 21 at Weber State
We Are Your Bengals
