OGDEN, Utah -- The Big Sky Conference announced on Tuesday that the University of California, Davis and Cal Poly have accepted invitations to join the league as affiliate members in football.
Cal Poly and UC Davis are both Football Championship Subdivision members that currently compete in the Great West Conference, but participate as members of the Division I Big West Conference for the majority of sports.
“The Big Sky is recognized as one of the top Football Championship Subdivision conferences in the nation,’’ Fullerton 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."
A definite timeline has not been set for the programs to officially join the Big Sky Conference, but an effort will be made to work the schools into a conference schedule as quickly as possible. Many Big Sky schools have limited openings in their 2011 schedules, as contracts with non-conference opponents have already been signed. Cal Poly and UC Davis must also comply with withdrawal procedures from the Great West Conference.
Fullerton said this is the first part of an expansion process, an exercise that could lead to a 12-team football conference that would split into two six-team divisions.
“We’re going to look at all options,’’ Fullerton said. “The landscape of college athletics has shifted even more this summer, and with the great diversity of funding and budgets at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, the role of the FCS may became even greater in the coming years. The FCS could become the home for many institutions. We feel like the additions of UC Davis and Cal Poly puts us in front of that momentum.’’
