Big Sky officially cancels fall football season, FCS tournament in serious doubt

The Big Sky Conference officially delayed the fall football season, according to a Friday morning news release.

“This is the right decision for our member institutions, even though we realize how disappointing it will be for all who represent and care about Big Sky football,” Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said in the release. “We will now shift our attention to doing everything within our power to provide our football student-athletes and coaches with a conference schedule and a championship opportunity in the spring. We already have begun actively engaging our fellow FCS conferences and the NCAA to join us then for what will be a unique opportunity to return to competition and compete for an FCS championship.”

The announcement comes after it was reported Thursday by Stadium Network’s Brett McMurphy that the fall season would be canceled. School presidents voted yesterday in the afternoon; athletic directors met earlier on Thursday to discuss the possibility and reportedly voted in favor of moving football to the spring. The conference might allow schools to play nonconference games this fall if they choose. The conference is still discussing that plan.

The move affects both UC Davis, which only plays football in the conference, and Sacramento State, which was conference co-champions last season with Weber State.

Big Sky schools will be able to “continue with permissible athletics activities at their discretion while abiding by NCAA legislation, campus policies, and local and state regulations. Other Big Sky sports that compete in the fall will continue to be reviewed with a final determination made at a later date,” the conference said.

With the Big Sky canceling the fall season, the FCS championships are in serious jeopardy. The Pioneer League also canceled its season Friday morning, making it more than likely less than 50% of FCS-level teams will play. The NCAA said earlier this year 50% of teams would have to play in order for their to be a championship tournament in any sport.

Dating back to 1978, it would be the first time the NCAA won’t sanction the FCS championship. Before 2006, it referred to as the NCAA Division I-AA championship.

The move is among many in response to the unprecedented effects of the coronavirus, which has infected more than 5 million people in the United States.

A football season in the spring at the FCS level is still a possibility. The conference as of right now is targeting an eight-game conference only schedule in the spring.

“A lot has to change (for there to be a spring season,” Big Sky commissioner Tom Wistrcill said on a conference call. “Obviously we have to get control of this virus in this country and we have to make sure we can have contact sports in a safe way. A lot will be determined on what happens this fall on campuses. Once all students come back to campus, how will we manage the spread of the virus at each of our locations?

“There definitely has to be some changes. If we are at the same place come March that we are in right now, there won’t be any college sports going on.”

There has been talks about teams playing nonconference games in the fall. Wistrcill said on the conference call the presidents’ committee plans to meet next week to make a final decision about non-conference play.

This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 9:15 AM.