Four schools officially join Big Sky Conference

Jul 1, 2012 - 9:18 PM Ogden, UT (Sports Network) - The larger Big Sky Conference became official Sunday when Southern Utah University and the University of North Dakota joined as full members, and Cal Poly and UC Davis as affiliate-football members.

The Big Sky Conference grew to 11 full institutions and 13 football members. The conference is the largest in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Each of the schools announced their intentions in 2010 and the moves have brought an end to the Great West Football Conference. That conference's other member, the University of South Dakota, joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

North Dakota competed in the Great West for most sports, while Southern Utah was affiliated with the Summit League. Cal Poly and UC Davis will continue membership in the Big West Conference for most sports.

The University of Northern Colorado was the last school to join the Big Sky on July 1, 2006.