The Big West is staying intact after Cal Poly and UC Davis decided to move into the Big Sky Conference for football only.
There was speculation that the schools would make a complete move to the Big Sky for all sports.
The nine full-time Big Sky members are Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State and Weber State.
Cal Poly and UC Davis, the only football-playing schools in the Big West, are members of the Football Championship Subdivision and play in the Great West Conference.
Cal Poly and UC Davis will continue competing in all other sports as members of the Big West. The league continues its membership at nine schools. Cal Poly has been a league member since 1996, while UC Davis has been a member since 2007.
UCSB Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mark Massari expressed his excitement Tuesday about the decision by Cal Poly and UC Davis.
“I’m happy that our Big West partners have found a good fit for their football programs,” Massari said. “I am also excited about the future of the Big West Conference. Maintaining the conference’s stability is important and this move goes a long way towards that.”
