The Big Sky Conference announced the addition of Southern Utah and Utah Tech, bringing its membership to 13 teams and cementing its reputation as one of the premier Football Championship Subdivision leagues.
Expanding the Big Sky
The new members fit neatly within the conference’s traditional geographic footprint, reducing travel burdens and fostering rivalries that resonate with regional fans.
Utah Tech, formerly Dixie State, has been competing at the Division I level since 2020, while Southern Utah previously captured league titles in 2015 and 2017, underscoring a history of success.
Existing schools stand to gain from a larger, more diverse slate of opponents, allowing the conference to showcase all scholarship FCS programs across the western United States.
Financial and Competitive Implications
The move is expected to be financially advantageous for Southern Utah, delivering increased revenue streams and greater national exposure.
For players such as Utah Tech junior running back Ace Chatman, the transition offers a heightened platform to display talent to scouts and fans alike.
Balancing the Schedule
With nearly 40 non‑conference games already scheduled, the league must preserve those commitments while ensuring each team plays a balanced number of contests.
The conference will adopt a rotating model in which each program maintains three permanent rivals and cycles through the remaining nine opponents, a structure designed to distribute home and away games equitably.
Geographic realities make traditional rivals like Eastern Washington and Idaho unlikely annual opponents for the new entrants, given the distance between their campuses.
Historically, the third‑place team in the Big Sky has reached the FCS playoffs in every non‑COVID season since 2011, suggesting that the expanded league may continue to produce postseason contenders.