The Big Sky Conference (BSC) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I with football competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. As of 2023, full member institutions are located in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Four affiliate members each participate in one sport: two from California are football–only participants and two from the Northeast participate only in men's golf.
The North Dakota State Bison are the athletic teams of North Dakota State University (NDSU), which is located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota. The teams are often called the "Thundering Herd". The current logo is a bison.
Portland State Vikings is the nickname of the NCAA-affiliated, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Portland State University of Portland, Oregon. The Vikings compete at the NCAA Division I level in basketball, soccer, volleyball, golf, tennis, softball, indoor and outdoor track and field, and cross country. The university has been a member of the Big Sky Conference since 1996. Along with the other Big Sky football programs, Viking football takes-part in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as NCAA Division I-AA.
The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association. On December 15, 2012, Villanova and the other six, non-FBS schools announced that they were departing the Big East for a new conference. This conference assumed the Big East name on July 1, 2013.
The Sam Houston Bearkats are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas. Sam Houston's colors are orange and white. Sam Houston sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), having joined that conference on July 1, 2021 after spending the previous 34 years in the Southland Conference. SHSU's primary rival is Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and tensions between the two schools can run high before major sporting events that pit one against the other.
The Idaho State Bengals are the varsity intercollegiate athletic teams representing Idaho State University, located in Pocatello, Idaho. The university sponsors thirteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, tennis, and track and field; women's-only golf, soccer, softball, and volleyball; and men's-only football. The Bengals compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level and are currently a member institution of the Big Sky Conference. The Bengals' in-state athletic rivals are the University of Idaho Vandals.
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds football program is a college football team that represents Southern Utah University (SUU). With a history dating back to 1963, SUU currently competes in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision as a member of the United Athletic Conference.
The Weber State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Weber State University, located in Ogden, Utah. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a charter member of the Big Sky Conference, founded in 1963. The school's first football team was fielded a year earlier in 1962. Home games are played at the 17,312-seat Stewart Stadium. After the 2022 departure of Jay Hill, the winningest coach in program history, the Wildcats will be led by coach Mickey Mental beginning in 2023.
Beau Daniel Baldwin is an American football coach and former player. He is the offensive coordinator at Arizona State. Previously, He was the head football coach at California Polytechnic State University, a position he held from December 2019 to 2022. Baldwin previously served as the head football coach at Central Washington University in 2007 and at Eastern Washington University from 2008 to 2016. He led the 2010 Eastern Washington Eagles football team to an NCAA Division I Football Championship. Baldwin was the offensive coordinator at University of California, Berkeley from 2017 to 2019.
The UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros is a collegiate athletic program that represents the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The Vaqueros inherited the NCAA Division I status of the Texas–Pan American Broncs and compete in the Western Athletic Conference.
The 2015–16 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Weber State University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats were led by tenth-year head coach Randy Rahe and played their home games at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. They were members of the Big Sky Conference. The Wilsdcats finished the season 26–9, 15–3 in Big Sky play to win the regular season championship. They defeated Portland State, North Dakota, and Montana in the Big Sky tournament. to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they lost to Xavier in the first round.
Brian Patrick Jankowski is a former American NCAA Division I football and basketball player for Weber State University. He played tight end for five years at the NCAA Division I FCS level and one season of basketball at the NCAA Division I level. He is currently training to become an American General Dentist and is set to graduate in 2019 from Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health in Mesa, Arizona.
The 2017 Weber State Wildcats football team represented Weber State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Wildcats were led by fourth-year head coach Jay Hill and played their games at Stewart Stadium as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 11–3, 7–1 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for the Big Sky championship with Southern Utah. Due to their head-to-head loss to Southern Utah in the regular season, they did not receive the Big Sky's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, but did receive an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs, their second straight trip to the playoffs. In the first round, they defeated Western Illinois. In the second round, they avenged their regular season loss to Southern Utah. In the quarterfinals, they lost to eventual national runner-up, James Madison.
The 2018 Weber State Wildcats football team represented Weber State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Wildcats were led by fourth-year head coach Jay Hill and played their games at Stewart Stadium as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 10–3, 7–1 in Big Sky play to finish in a three-way tie for the Big Sky championship with Eastern Washington and UC Davis. They received the Big Sky's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where, after a first round bye, they defeated Southeast Missouri State in the second round before losing in the quarterfinals to Maine.
The 1965–66 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Weber State College during the 1965–66 NCAA University Division basketball season. In the third season of the Big Sky Conference, the Wildcats were led by sixth-year head coach Dick Motta and played their home games on campus at Wildcat Gym in Ogden, Utah. They were 20–5 overall and 8–2 in conference play.
The 1982–83 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Weber State College during the 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Members of the Big Sky Conference, the Wildcats were led by eighth-year head coach Neil McCarthy and played their home games on campus at Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah.
The 2019 Weber State Wildcats football team represented Weber State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Wildcats were led by fifth-year head coach Jay Hill and played their games at Stewart Stadium as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 11–4, 7–1 in Big Sky play to finish in a two-way tie for the Big Sky championship with Sacramento State. They received the Big Sky's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs where, after a first round bye, they defeated Kennesaw State in the second round and Montana in the quarterfinals before losing to James Madison in the semifinals.
The 2008 Weber State Wildcats football team represented Weber State University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Ron McBride, the Wildcats compiled an overall record of 10–4 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play to share the Big Sky championship with Montana. Weber State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Cal Poly in the first round before losing to Montana in the quarterfinals.
The 2020–21 Weber State Wildcats men's basketball team represented Weber State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, led by 15th-year head coach Randy Rahe, played their home games at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah, as members of the Big Sky Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 17–6, 12–3 in Big Sky play to finish a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the Big Sky tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Montana.
The 2022 Weber State Wildcats football team represented Weber State University as a member of the Big Sky Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Wildcats were led by ninth-year head coach Jay Hill and played their games at Stewart Stadium in Ogden, Utah. The Wildcats began the regular season ranked number 20 in the FCS rankings. On September 10, the Wildcats defeated the Utah State Aggies, their first win against the Aggies since 1978, and their first win against an FBS opponent since their victory against Nevada in 1993. The Wildcats finished the regular season with a record of 9–2, good enough to qualify for the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs, their fifth appearance under Jay Hill. The Wildcats defeated North Dakota in the opening round, but were defeated by Montana State the following round. After the season, head coach Jay Hill announced he would step down as Weber State head coach to accept the Defensive Coordinator position at BYU. Offensive coordinator Mickey Mental was announced as Hill's successor.
