2026 Big Sky Conference Football Schedules

[RangeCat]

[Prodigal Cat]

https://msubobcats.com/sports/football/schedule/2026

Easier version for the Cat games. When was the last season the Cats had less home than road games?

[coloradocat]

Love the week 0 games. Hate that none of them are even close to rivalries. There's no excitement for a week zero game between MSU and UTU or SUU and the griz.

[coloradocat]

Interesting that we play in Greeley two years in a row. I'll take it though as it's essentially a home game for me.

[tetoncat]

Doesn't look like Cats and Griz are home at same time. That is different. Griz home 2 weeks in a row before Cat Griz, Cats on road 2 in row. Both, as well as other teams that draw well, all on road week zero. That's not a great way to kick off season.

[damnyoutuesday]

Every team will play 9 conference games.

Southern Utah and Utah Tech will alternate playing 8 conference games each year to have the math work out (basically 13 teams playing 9 conference games isn't possible, but 12 playing 9 and one playing 8 works out)

Also this schedule is honestly really solid. Playing Idaho, Idaho State, Weber, Eastern, and Montana in the same season just feels right

[coloradocat]

Doesn't look like Cats and Griz are home at same time. That is different. Griz home 2 weeks in a row before Cat Griz, Cats on road 2 in row. Both, as well as other teams that draw well, all on road week zero. That's not a great way to kick off season.

That's what happens when you let AI create the conference schedule. There also aren't any obvious ESPN games. The two best tv draws for the Cats and griz are @ Idaho and @ UC Davis on back to back weeks early in the season. I guess the griz home game vs Idaho on 10/17 will be one of the games locked in immediately but I don't know which one of ours will get picked up.

Strange as it is to say it, our most difficult games next year will probably be the 2 road games before Cat-griz.

[The MICKSTER]

In addition to the above our 2026 OoC game schedule is.....

* Sep 5.....Butler
* Sep 12...@Nevada (a trip to Reno to visit Choate)
* Sep 19...Central Connecticut State

Another 12 game season......6 away 6 at home (5 BSC games away, 4 BSC games at home....I'm assuming we'll have 5 BSC home games in 2027....when we play NDSU in Vegas)

[damnyoutuesday]

Doesn't look like Cats and Griz are home at same time. That is different. Griz home 2 weeks in a row before Cat Griz, Cats on road 2 in row. Both, as well as other teams that draw well, all on road week zero. That's not a great way to kick off season.

That's what happens when you let AI create the conference schedule. There also aren't any obvious ESPN games. The two best tv draws for the Cats and griz are @ Idaho and @ UC Davis on back to back weeks early in the season. I guess the griz home game vs Idaho on 10/17 will be one of the games locked in immediately but I don't know which one of ours will get picked up.

Strange as it is to say it, our most difficult games next year will probably be the 2 road games before Cat-griz.

Cats-NAU could be an ESPN game. UC Davis-Idaho could be the legally obligated non-Montana-school game for ESPN

[MSU01]

https://msubobcats.com/sports/football/schedule/2026

Easier version for the Cat games. When was the last season the Cats had less home than road games?

My memory goes back to the '90s and I don't remember it ever happening. They will have 6 home, 6 away next year. The online schedule is missing the 10/31 game against Cal Poly in Bozeman.

Things can obviously change a lot before next August with the transfer portal but MSU seems to have a pretty favorable schedule here despite the five road games in conference play.

[coloradocat]

Doesn't look like Cats and Griz are home at same time. That is different. Griz home 2 weeks in a row before Cat Griz, Cats on road 2 in row. Both, as well as other teams that draw well, all on road week zero. That's not a great way to kick off season.

That's what happens when you let AI create the conference schedule. There also aren't any obvious ESPN games. The two best tv draws for the Cats and griz are @ Idaho and @ UC Davis on back to back weeks early in the season. I guess the griz home game vs Idaho on 10/17 will be one of the games locked in immediately but I don't know which one of ours will get picked up.

Strange as it is to say it, our most difficult games next year will probably be the 2 road games before Cat-griz.

Cats-NAU could be an ESPN game. UC Davis-Idaho could be the legally obligated non-Montana-school game for ESPN

If our 9/26 game with NAU is picked that would meant the griz/Davis game wouldn't and that's a much better game. Having the two most likely games on the same day is a mistake. The only other griz option is Idaho on 10/17 unless they go with Idaho St on 11/14. But if they take the Idaho game then that would mean Idaho would get 2 games, which I guess is fine but it's hard to believe they'll deserve it.

[Montanabob]

Doesn't look like Cats and Griz are home at same time. That is different. Griz home 2 weeks in a row before Cat Griz, Cats on road 2 in row. Both, as well as other teams that draw well, all on road week zero. That's not a great way to kick off season.

i have always liked that option.
and i hate it when they llay at the same time.
2 biggest crowds in BSC and they split the online audience in half.

[damnyoutuesday]

Also fun tidbit:

Utah Tech has 9 conference games next season, as well as non-con games @ Montana and vs NAU. So 11 of their 12 games next year will be vs Big Sky opponents

[Helenabobcat]

I noticed we don't play Portland State this again next year while the Griz play them this year and next year. Is that one of their "rival" games that they will play every year?

[AFCAT]

Already made my hotel reservations for Gold Rush.

[Prodigal Cat]

Also fun tidbit:

Utah Tech has 9 conference games next season, as well as non-con games @ Montana and vs NAU. So 11 of their 12 games next year will be vs Big Sky opponents

Honestly rather than bringing in a Pioneer league or equivalent team i'd rather play a decent BSC team in the non conference. They could swap Butler or CCSU for Southern Utah or heck even Sac St next year it would be a better matchup.

[damnyoutuesday]

I noticed we don't play Portland State this again next year while the Griz play them this year and next year. Is that one of their "rival" games that they will play every year?

Big Sky hasn't announced annual opponents, and said they will be released at a later date. There's going to be some janky repeats and misses from this season to next season just because of the schedule format and number of conference teams changing

(No actual basis, but I feel like Portland will no longer be a protected game for Montana. Each team will have 3 protected games as confirmed by the Deputy Commissioner on the MSU/NAU broadcast, and I find it hard to see any combo for the Griz other than Cats/Idaho/EWU. This works out for both EWU [Griz/Idaho/Portland] and Idaho [Griz/ISU/EWU]. For the Cats I can only predict Griz and ISU as annual opponents, with maybe UNC as the third?)

[coloradocat]

I noticed we don't play Portland State this again next year while the Griz play them this year and next year. Is that one of their "rival" games that they will play every year?

Big Sky hasn't announced annual opponents, and said they will be released at a later date. There's going to be some janky repeats and misses from this season to next season just because of the schedule format and number of conference teams changing

(No actual basis, but I feel like Portland will no longer be a protected game for Montana. Each team will have 3 protected games as confirmed by the Deputy Commissioner on the MSU/NAU broadcast, and I find it hard to see any combo for the Griz other than Cats/Idaho/EWU. This works out for both EWU [Griz/Idaho/Portland] and Idaho [Griz/ISU/EWU]. For the Cats I can only predict Griz and ISU as annual opponents, with maybe UNC as the third?)

I'm sure Barney will lobby hard for the griz to be protected but your lineup makes more sense. I assume we'll keep UNCU as one of ours (to the disappointment of everyone that doesn't live in Colorado). I wish they would increase the protected games beyond 3.

[damnyoutuesday]

I noticed we don't play Portland State this again next year while the Griz play them this year and next year. Is that one of their "rival" games that they will play every year?

Big Sky hasn't announced annual opponents, and said they will be released at a later date. There's going to be some janky repeats and misses from this season to next season just because of the schedule format and number of conference teams changing

(No actual basis, but I feel like Portland will no longer be a protected game for Montana. Each team will have 3 protected games as confirmed by the Deputy Commissioner on the MSU/NAU broadcast, and I find it hard to see any combo for the Griz other than Cats/Idaho/EWU. This works out for both EWU [Griz/Idaho/Portland] and Idaho [Griz/ISU/EWU]. For the Cats I can only predict Griz and ISU as annual opponents, with maybe UNC as the third?)

I'm sure Barney will lobby hard for the griz to be protected but your lineup makes more sense. I assume we'll keep UNCU as one of ours (to the disappointment of everyone that doesn't live in Colorado). I wish they would increase the protected games beyond 3.

They could've done 6-3-3 (6 protected, 3 in odd years, and the other 3 in even years) and it would've worked

[coloradocat]

I noticed we don't play Portland State this again next year while the Griz play them this year and next year. Is that one of their "rival" games that they will play every year?

Big Sky hasn't announced annual opponents, and said they will be released at a later date. There's going to be some janky repeats and misses from this season to next season just because of the schedule format and number of conference teams changing

(No actual basis, but I feel like Portland will no longer be a protected game for Montana. Each team will have 3 protected games as confirmed by the Deputy Commissioner on the MSU/NAU broadcast, and I find it hard to see any combo for the Griz other than Cats/Idaho/EWU. This works out for both EWU [Griz/Idaho/Portland] and Idaho [Griz/ISU/EWU]. For the Cats I can only predict Griz and ISU as annual opponents, with maybe UNC as the third?)

I'm sure Barney will lobby hard for the griz to be protected but your lineup makes more sense. I assume we'll keep UNCU as one of ours (to the disappointment of everyone that doesn't live in Colorado). I wish they would increase the protected games beyond 3.

They could've done 6-3-3 (6 protected, 3 in odd years, and the other 3 in even years) and it would've worked

That was pretty much my idea earlier when we brought in the two Utah teams. I even had a rule where everyone plays 1 CA, UT, ID, MT team each year. I feel like having only 3 protected makes it much more likely that comparable teams (like us and the griz) could have wildly different schedules (as seems to already happen all the time).