POCATELLO, Idaho- The Big Sky Conference has released its football schedules for the 2012-2015 seasons featuring a one-division, 13 team format.
Each team in the Big Sky will have two “rivals” it will play each season. The teams will continue to play eight total conference games with four being on the road and four at home. Within the following four seasons, each Big Sky team will play each other a minimum of two times.
Big Sky Conference athletic directors recently approved the schedules.
Idaho State's two rivals that it will play each year is Portland State and Weber State. In 2012, the Bengals will have home conference games against Sacramento State, UC Davis, Northern Arizona and Weber State while traveling to Portland State, Northern Colorado, Montana and Cal Poly.
In 2013, ISU hosts North Dakota, Northern Colorado, Eastern Washington and Portland State and travels to UC Davis, Northern Arizona, SUU and Weber State. The 2014 year brings Sacramento State, SUU, Cal Poly and Weber State to Holt Arena while road games are at Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado, Portland State and at Montana State.
In 2015 the Bengals host Portland State, Eastern Washington, Montana and Montana State and travel to Cal Poly, North Dakota, Sacramento State and Weber State.
“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.''
The unveiling of the football schedules is the first step as the league prepares for expansion. The conference is working on developing a tiebreaker formula to determine the regular-season conference champion which determines the conference's automatic bid to the Division I playoffs.
Big Sky Conference athletic directors, senior women administrators, and faculty athletic representatives will meet in Salt Lake City, Utah, May 23-25 for the annual spring meetings. Representatives from North Dakota, Southern Utah, Cal Poly and UC Davis will also be in attendance. League presidents will hold their annual spring meetings in early June in Salt Lake City.
2012 ISU Conference Schedule
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. 17vs. Weber State
2013 ISU Conference Schedule
Sept. 28 at UC Davis
Oct. 5 vs. Northern 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 ISU Conference Schedule
Sept. 27 vs. Sacramento 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 ISU Conference Schedule
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
www.isubengals.com
