Big Sky

13 current members, four former. Our membership records under this name start in 1970; its titles go back further. 2025 champion: Montana State.

2023 standings

TeamConf.OverallPollEloLast 5
Montana7–⁠113–⁠221562WWWWL
Idaho6–⁠29–⁠441443WLWWL
Montana State6–⁠28–⁠481526LWWLL
UC Davis5–⁠37–⁠41401WLWWW
Northern Arizona5–⁠35–⁠61316LWLWW
Sacramento State4–⁠48–⁠5151428LWLWL
Weber State4–⁠46–⁠51389LLWWW
Portland State4–⁠45–⁠61275LWLLW
Eastern Washington3–⁠54–⁠71283WLWLL
Idaho State3–⁠53–⁠81157WLLLL
Cal Poly1–⁠73–⁠81135LWLLL
Northern Colorado0–⁠80–⁠111071LLLLL

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied. Poll: the FCS coaches’ poll, final (else the final AP rank). Elo is our own rating, a measure of strength, not a prediction.

Against other conferences, 2023

Big Sky teams are 23–⁠22 outside the conference.

The bar is the share of those games won. Games against teams from the FBS count together.

Champions

Most titles

Montana19last 2023
Montana State18last 2025
Eastern Washington10last 2018
Nevada9last 1997
Idaho9last 1992
Weber State8last 2020
Boise State6last 1994
Sacramento State3last 2022
Idaho State3last 2002
Southern Utah2last 2017

By year

2025Montana State
2024Montana State
2023Montana
2022Montana State, Sacramento State (shared)
2021Sacramento State
2020Weber State
2019Sacramento State, Weber State (shared)
2018Eastern Washington, UC Davis, Weber State (shared)
2017Southern Utah, Weber State (shared)
2016Eastern Washington, North Dakota (shared)
2015Southern Utah
2014Eastern Washington
51 earlier seasons, back to 1963
2013Eastern Washington
2012Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, Montana State (shared)
2011Montana State
2010Eastern Washington, Montana State (shared)
2009Montana
2008Montana, Weber State (shared)
2007Montana
2006Montana
2005Eastern Washington, Montana, Montana State (shared)
2004Eastern Washington, Montana (shared)
2003Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona (shared)
2002Idaho State, Montana, Montana State (shared)
2001Montana
2000Montana
1999Montana
1998Montana
1997Eastern Washington, Nevada (shared)
1996Montana, Nevada (shared)
1995Montana, Nevada (shared)
1994Boise State, Nevada (shared)
1993Montana
1992Eastern Washington, Idaho, Nevada (shared)
1991Nevada
1990Nevada
1989Idaho
1988Idaho
1987Idaho, Weber State (shared)
1986Nevada
1985Idaho
1984Montana State
1983Nevada
1982Idaho, Montana, Montana State (shared)
1981Idaho State
1980Boise State
1979Montana State
1978Northern Arizona
1977Boise State
1976Montana State
1975Boise State
1974Boise State
1973Boise State
1972Montana State
1971Idaho
1970Montana
1969Montana
1968Idaho, Montana State, Weber State (shared)
1967Montana State
1966Montana State
1965Idaho, Weber State (shared)
1964Montana State
1963Idaho State

Conference titles as each program’s Wikipedia infobox lists them (CC BY-SA), shared titles counted for every co-champion; the conference’s earlier names count as the same conference.

Members

  1. Boise State1970–⁠1995
  2. Idaho1978–⁠19952018 on
  3. Idaho State1978 on
  4. Montana1978 on
  5. Montana State1978–⁠20192021 on
  6. Northern Arizona1978 on
  7. Weber State1978 on
  8. Nevada1979–⁠1991
  9. Eastern Washington1987 on
  10. Portland State1996 on
  11. Sacramento State1996–⁠20192021–⁠2025
  12. Northern Colorado2006–⁠20192021 on
  13. Cal Poly2012 on
  14. North Dakota2012–⁠2017
  15. Southern Utah2012–⁠20212026 on
  16. UC Davis2012 on
  17. Utah Tech2026 on
Every school and its years (17)

Members now

Former members

Football membership as CollegeFootballData.com records it under this conference’s name, from 1970; a school’s separate stays are listed apart.

Who came and went

SeasonSchoolMoveAnnounced
2026Sacramento StateLeft for Mid-American Conference (football only)February 15, 2026
2026Southern UtahJoined from UACJune 25, 2025
2026Utah TechJoined from UACJune 25, 2025
2022Southern UtahLeft for Western Athletic ConferenceJanuary 14, 2021
2018IdahoJoined from Sun Belt Conference (football only)April 27, 2016
2018North DakotaLeft to play as an independent (football only)January 26, 2017
2012Cal PolyJoined from Great West Conference (football only)September 7, 2010
2012North DakotaJoined from Great West ConferenceNovember 1, 2010
2012Southern UtahJoined from Great West Conference (football only)November 1, 2010
2012UC DavisJoined from Great West Conference (football only)September 7, 2010
2006Northern ColoradoJoined (independent before)Source
1996Boise StateLeft for Big WestSource
1996IdahoLeft for Big WestSource
1996Portland StateJoined (independent before)Source
1996Sacramento StateJoined from American West ConferenceSource
2 earlier moves
1992NevadaLeft for Big WestSource
1987Eastern WashingtonJoined (independent before) (football only)Source

Football moves from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the season is the first one played in the new conference, and the date the one the lists or their sources give for the announcement. SportsDataverse’s football memberships agree with ours in 478 of 481 team-seasons from 1970. the member tables in the conference’s Wikipedia article agree with ours in all 30 team-seasons from 2012. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); memberships: SportsDataverse.

Honors while members

NFL first-round picks 1

Northern Arizona1

Counted only in seasons a school was a member on file (from 1970); a draft pick counts for the season before the draft. Heisman and All-America lists from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), draft picks from CollegeFootballData.com.

The money

The Big Sky Conference is a nonprofit. Its IRS Form 990 for the year to June 2025 reports $16.9 million in revenue, $3.6 million of it from officials deposits, and $16.8 million in expenses; it ended the year with $3.9 million in assets. Its best-paid, commissioner Thomas Wistrcill, was paid $435,000.

By year

YearRevenueExpensesAssetsTop pay
2024-25$16.9M$16.8M$3.9M$435K
2023-24$13.7M$14.0M$4.0M$500K
2022-23$12.8M$12.9M$4.4M$410K
2021-22$14.0M$14.5M$3.9M$397K
2020-21$11.1M$8.6M$4.4M$330K
2019-20$10.9M$13.1M$1.8M$379K
2018-19$11.5M$11.9M$4.0M$162K
2017-18$11.3M$11.6M$4.6M$261K
2016-17$12.9M$10.6M$5.0M
2015-16$8.6M$9.1M$2.5M
2014-15$7.9M$7.9M$3.0M
2013-14$7.5M$7.4M$2.9M
2012-13$8.6M$7.2M$2.8M
2011-12$6.1M$6.6M$1.4M

Best paid, 2024-25

Thomas Wistrcill, commissioner$435,000
Daniel Satter, deputy commissioner$191,000

From the organization’s IRS Form 990, via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and the IRS’s e-file data. Fiscal years end in June; top pay is the best-paid person’s total compensation on the return, listed for e-filed years (2018 on). Grants are the ones the conference lists on Schedule I; bowl payments are the ones bowls list on theirs. See every filing at ProPublica (EIN 87-0622708).