The Big Sky Conference (BSC) released the schedule of the 2021 spring football season Wednesday. It features 12 teams that will compete in a six-game schedule over an eight week period.
BSC football enters its 58th season as games kickoff on Feb. 27 and end on April 10. There will be an open week for all schools from March 20 and April 17 to reschedule games if they are postponed due to COVID-19.
The University of Idaho football team opens up the season against Northern Colorado on Feb. 27 in the Kibbie Dome. The Vandals play against Portland State March 13 in Moscow and Montana April 3, with The Little Brown Stein up for grabs in the Kibbie Dome against the Grizzlies.
The Vandals away games include Idaho State, in the annual ICCU Battle of the Domes on March 6, Eastern Washington on March 27 and Southern Utah on April 10 to close out the season.
Each team will have three away games and three home games with no teams playing three consecutive away games.
Ticket sales of Vandal home games will be announced in the coming weeks. Kibbie Dome attendance will be determined by local and/or state health ordinances and government officials. Game times and broadcast clearances will be decided at a later date.
Travel by bus will be used to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as each team will play at least three opponents from their original Fall 2020 schedule.
Big Sky teams will not be allowed to participate in non-conference games in the spring and Sacramento State University announced on Oct. 15 they will not be competing this spring football season.
The NCAA Board of Directors approved 2020 NCAA Division I fall championships to be played in the spring as outlined by the Division I Council.
The FCS Playoffs will feature 16 teams with 11 automatic qualifiers and five at-large berths. The bracket will be announced April 18, with a champion being crowned in Frisco, Texas, on May 14, 15 or 16, according to a press release from the Big Sky.
“This spring football season certainly will be unique, and I am confident that all who care about our conference share in the sentiment that we cannot wait to watch our student-athletes and coaches compete for a Big Sky title and contend for the FCS championship,” Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill stated in a press release. “This schedule provides consistency by utilizing much of the original fall 2020 slate, flexibility by allowing space for games to be rescheduled, and sensibility by prioritizing regional matchups that minimize travel and expenses.”
Armin Mesinovic can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @arminmesinovic.