Idaho to play Eastern twice as six-game Big Sky football schedule updated
From news services
With the Big Sky Conference now down to eight teams playing football this spring, the conference announced an adjusted six-game schedule for the spring 2021 season.
The eight teams, including Idaho and Eastern Washington, will play six conference games over an eight-week period, the conference Presidents’ Council approved last week.
The 2021 spring season of Big Sky football will kick off on Saturday, Feb. 27, and conclude on Saturday, April 10. Two open dates are placed inside the schedule — March 20 and April 17 — to provide opportunities if needed for rescheduling games postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the updated schedule, Idaho will open Feb. 27 at home vs. Eastern Washington, play host to UC Davis on March 6, visit Northern Arizona on March 13, host Southern Utah on March 27, travel to Idaho State on April 3 and close out by visiting Eastern Washington on April 10.
Idaho will not face Weber State and Cal Poly.
Eastern Washington is slated to open Feb. 27 at Idaho, play host to Northern Arizona on March 6, travel to Idaho State on March 13, play host to Cal Poly on March 27, visit UC Davis on April 3 and play host to Idaho on April 10.
EWU will not face Weber State and Southern Utah.
The game with Cal Poly will mark the return to EWU of new Mustang head coach Beau Baldwin, who spent 13 previous seasons as a coach at EWU. He was an assistant from 2003-06, and head coach from 2008-16.
Each team will play three home games and three away games, and no team has three consecutive road games. The schedule also has each team playing a "drivable" opponent twice to start and end the season.
Idaho and Eastern are each other's "drivable" opponents.
Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado and Portland State opted out of Big Sky play, announcing that they intend to play a smaller non-conference schedule that is still to be determined. Sacramento State announced in October it would not compete this season.
Montana State is looking for a new head football coach after Jeff Choate, the former St. Maries High star, and former Post Falls High football coach and athletic director, left Bozeman last week after four seasons to take a job coaching linebackers at Texas.
Game times and broadcast clearances will be announced at a later date. Each member institution will determine stadium capacities in accordance with local and/or state health ordinances and government officials.
The FCS Playoffs will feature 16 teams with 11 automatic qualifiers and five at-large berths. The bracket will be announced on Sunday, April 18, with a champion being crowned in Frisco, Texas, on Sunday, May 16.
On Aug. 7 in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Big Sky announced that all league schools would move their 2020 schedule to winter/spring 2021. The NCAA had previously announced that the NCAA FCS Playoffs would not have its playoffs in the fall, and eventually announced their move to 2021.
The 2020 schedule was going to be Eastern's best in school history, featuring home games versus Montana, Montana State, Idaho and two-time defending Big Sky Conference champion Weber State. The Eagles were scheduled to open Big Sky Conference play at Southern Utah on Sept. 26, followed by its conference home opener versus Montana on Oct. 3. The schedule also included non-conference home games versus Western Illinois and Northern Arizona, and a trip to play at Florida.
The Vandals are scheduled to open training camp on Friday.