Cal Poly, UC Davis football joining Big Sky football teams from Cal Poly and UC Davis are joining the Big Sky Conference, league commissioner Doug Fullerton said Tuesday. The universities accepted the invitations to join the conference as football-only schools late last week after university presidents approved changes to league rules that require all member schools to take part in the same 14 sports. Cal Poly and UC Davis are Football Championship Subdivision members that compete in the Great West Conference but participate in the Big West Conference for the majority of their sports. A timeline for the move has not been set. "Our obligation and commitment to them is to work them in just as quickly as we can," Fullerton said. Many of the Big Sky teams have their 2011 schedules nearly complete and Cal Poly and UC Davis must officially withdraw from the Great West, which also includes football teams from North Dakota, South Dakota and Southern Utah. Fullerton said he expects Cal Poly and UC Davis to end up with some games against Big Sky schools next year, a heavy slate of games in 2012 and likely a full schedule by 2013. "The Big Sky is recognized as one of the top Football Championship Subdivision conferences in the nation," Fullerton said in a statement. "The addition of two great institutions like Cal Poly and UC Davis gives us more depth to compete for additional playoff berths and enhances our profile throughout California. "They will benefit from us in having access to an automatic playoff bid and a full slate of conference games," he added. UC Davis football coach Bob Biggs has a 12-8 record against Big Sky teams over the past 17 years. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5543666
Villanova football considering joining Big East IF VILLANOVA WANTS its football program to move up from the Football Championship Subdivision level to join the Big East, all the university has to do is say yes. The Daily News has learned that the Big East, one of six BCS conferences, has asked the Wildcats to make the jump. "The Big East very recently communicated its interest in adding Villanova as a football member," Villanova athletic director Vince Nicastro told the Daily News yesterday. "As a result, we have decided to embark on an in-depth evaluation of this opportunity. Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20100910_BIG_UPS_.html#ixzz0z8LPPf00
