Thirteen teams across eight western states, a season that opens with conference games in August, and a September spent almost entirely on the road at FBS stadiums. Here is the whole Big Sky season, week by week.
Times are Eastern. Conference games are in bold. TBA means the networks have not set the window.
Front-loaded, then paused, then relentless
The Big Sky starts league play on the first Friday of the season — six conference games are in the books before Labor Day. Then it stops. Across the next two Saturdays the league plays twenty-three games and not one of them counts in the standings.
That fortnight is the money run. Big Sky teams travel to Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Utah, Utah State, BYU, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado State, San Diego State, San Jose State and SMU inside fifteen days. When they come home on September 26, conference play resumes and never lets up: from that date to the final Saturday, all but one game on the board is a league game.
Week 1 — August 28 to September 5
Six conference games before anyone else has kicked off. Idaho plays a league game on the opening Friday and a trip to Salt Lake City five days later.
Week 2 — September 12
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Cal Poly at San Jose State | TBA | Mountain West Plus | Pick → |
| Eastern Washington at South Dakota | 2:00 | Pick → | |
| Utah Tech at Montana | 3:00 | TBD | Pick → |
| Weber State at Colorado | 3:30 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| UC Davis at SMU | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Lamar at Idaho | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Northern Colorado at Wyoming | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| UIW at Northern Arizona | 5:00 | Pick → | |
| San Diego at Idaho State | 6:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Southern Utah at Colorado State | 7:00 | Pick → | |
| North Dakota at Portland State | 10:00 | Pick → | |
| Montana State at Nevada | 10:30 | The CW | Pick → |
Twelve games, none of them conference games.
Week 3 — September 18 and 19
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Portland State at Oregon | Fri Sep 18 | 10:30 | Big Ten Network | Pick → |
| Southern Utah at St. Thomas | Sat Sep 19 | 2:00 | Pick → | |
| Central Connecticut State at Montana State | Sat Sep 19 | 3:00 | Scripps / ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Abilene Christian at Idaho | Sat Sep 19 | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Eastern Washington at Washington | Sat Sep 19 | 7:15 | Pick → | |
| San Diego at Cal Poly | Sat Sep 19 | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| Northeastern State at Northern Colorado | Sat Sep 19 | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| Northern Arizona at Utah Tech | Sat Sep 19 | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| Northwestern State at Weber State | Sat Sep 19 | 8:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Stetson at UC Davis | Sat Sep 19 | 10:00 | Pick → | |
| Montana at Oregon State | Sat Sep 19 | 11:00 | USA Sports | Pick → |
The second straight Saturday without a conference game, and the last one of the season.
Week 4 — September 26
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Cal Poly at Eastern Washington | 7:00 | Pick → | |
| Idaho State at Southern Utah | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| Utah Tech at Northern Colorado | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| Portland State at Weber State | 8:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Montana at UC Davis | 10:00 | Scripps Sports | Pick → |
| Northern Arizona at Montana State | 10:30 | ESPN2 | Pick → |
Conference play resumes, and from here it barely stops.
Week 5 — October 2 and 3
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Montana State at Idaho | Fri Oct 2 | 10:30 | ESPN | Pick → |
| Northern Colorado at Montana | Sat Oct 3 | 4:00 | Scripps Sports | Pick → |
| Weber State at Cal Poly | Sat Oct 3 | 8:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Southern Utah at Utah Tech | Sat Oct 3 | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| Northern Arizona at Idaho State | Sat Oct 3 | 8:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Eastern Washington at UC Davis | Sat Oct 3 | 10:30 | Pick → |
Week 6 — October 10
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Idaho at Weber State | 3:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Utah Tech at Portland State | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Montana at Northern Arizona | 5:00 | Scripps Sports | Pick → |
| Cal Poly at Idaho State | 6:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Northern Colorado at Eastern Washington | 7:00 | Pick → |
Week 7 — October 17
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Idaho State at Weber State | 3:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Idaho at Montana | 3:00 | Scripps Sports | Pick → |
| Portland State at Northern Arizona | 7:00 | Pick → | |
| Montana State at Eastern Washington | 7:00 | Scripps / ESPN+ | Pick → |
| UC Davis at Southern Utah | 8:00 | Pick → | |
| Cal Poly at Northern Colorado | 8:00 | Pick → |
Six games, all conference, twelve of the thirteen teams in action.
Week 8 — October 24
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Weber State at Montana State | 3:00 | Scripps / ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Utah Tech at Cal Poly | 5:00 | Pick → | |
| Southern Utah at Idaho | 5:00 | Pick → | |
| Portland State at Idaho State | 6:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Northern Colorado at UC Davis | 7:00 | Pick → |
Week 9 — October 31
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| UC Davis at Weber State | 3:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Idaho State at Utah Tech | 3:00 | Pick → | |
| Cal Poly at Montana State | 3:00 | Scripps / ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Northern Arizona at Southern Utah | 3:00 | Pick → | |
| Montana at Eastern Washington | 4:00 | Scripps Sports | Pick → |
| Idaho at Portland State | 4:00 | Pick → |
Halloween, and all twelve playing teams are in conference games. Only Northern Colorado sits out.
Week 10 — November 7
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Northern Colorado at Southern Utah | 3:00 | Pick → | |
| Portland State at Montana | 3:00 | Scripps Sports | Pick → |
| Northern Arizona at Cal Poly | 5:00 | Pick → | |
| Eastern Washington at Idaho | 5:00 | Pick → | |
| Montana State at Idaho State | 6:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Utah Tech at UC Davis | 7:00 | Pick → |
Week 11 — November 13 and 14
| Matchup | Date | Time | TV | Pick |
| Southern Utah at Portland State | Fri Nov 13 | 10:00 | Pick → | |
| Montana State at Northern Colorado | Sat Nov 14 | 2:00 | Scripps / ESPN+ | Pick → |
| UC Davis at Idaho | Sat Nov 14 | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Weber State at Northern Arizona | Sat Nov 14 | 4:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Eastern Washington at Utah Tech | Sat Nov 14 | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Idaho State at Montana | Sat Nov 14 | 10:30 | ESPN Networks | Pick → |
Week 12 — November 21
| Matchup | Time | TV | Pick |
| Montana at Montana State | 2:00 | Scripps / ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Chicago State at Southern Utah | 2:00 | Pick → | |
| Utah Tech at Weber State | 3:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
| Cal Poly at UC Davis | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Portland State at Eastern Washington | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Northern Colorado at Northern Arizona | 4:00 | Pick → | |
| Idaho at Idaho State | 6:00 | ESPN+ | Pick → |
Montana at Montana State is the Brawl of the Wild, and it opens the final Saturday at noon in Bozeman. The two Idaho schools close it in Pocatello six hours later.
Dig deeper
- Make your picks — week by week, +20 points each
- See the whole league — the Big Sky hub has every school and every sport
- Compare two teams — the School Rivalry tool stacks any two side by side
- Track the race — the Heisman NIL Power Rankings score every contender on performance, NIL visibility, social power and fan demand
- Read the rest — the 2026 SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and American schedules
- Watch the movement — the Transfer Tracker
