KC Smurthwaite is a consultant for Athletics Admin, specializing in revenue generation, licensing, marketing, and higher education. He has almost two decades of experience in collegiate athletics and the sports and entertainment industry. Smurthwaite is a fractional employee of several athletic departments across the country. He also teaches sports management and journalism as an adjunct professor. Follow him on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn. Smurthwaite can also be reached at [email protected].
If you caught my last article on the subject, you likely noticed the questions swirling around Sacramento State and the Big Sky.
TL;DR? If you don’t play football in the Big Sky, it’s time to leave the nest.
After follow-up conversations through my daily contract and consulting work, it’s now confirmed: Sacramento State Athletics will need a new conference home for its non-football sports starting in 2026 when the Hornets go on their football independent adventure. (This is usually standard in most conferences, see NIU needing a new home after football left for the Mountain West. Although William & Mary is remaining in the CAA despite its football team departing for the Patriot League.)
There is still a slight chance that the FBS dreams fall apart beforehand, but the current trajectory shows otherwise.
So, where do the other Hornet teams land? Right now, the frontrunner seems to be the Big West Conference, with the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) buzzing just behind for them. Initially, when the independence talks began, it was assumed that the WAC would be the landing spot, but since then, the WAC has gone through a little identity crisis of its own. That said, there’s still a faint light at the end of that tunnel—dim, but not out.
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And what about the Big Sky? Will they expand?
Short answer: no.
The Big Sky is still the top FCS conference west of the Rockies—some would argue even in the entire country. With a proud history, actual regional cohesion (a rarity in realignment bingo), and strong brands, they don’t have to rush. They can sit back, strengthen their core, and pick their moments. Their recent move to increase the exit fee to $1 million? That’s not just business—that’s a statement: if you want to leave the league, it’ll cost you. I think that number could and should go higher in the future for a lateral move.
Just because realignment is sizzling doesn’t mean the Big Sky needs to toss another log on the fire. If the right domino falls and the timing aligns, expansion might happen—but this is a conference known more for methodical moves than knee-jerk reactions. Not to mention, they’ve been the former home of schools like Boise State, Gonzaga, and Nevada. That legacy doesn’t hurt.
Current Big Sky members include: Cal Poly (football only), Eastern Washington, Idaho, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, UC Davis (for now), Sacramento State (for now), and Weber State.
There are rumblings—nothing confirmed, but the tea leaves suggest—that UC Davis could join the Mountain West as a full member by the decade’s end. Maybe then, Big Sky expansion becomes a serious conversation.
As for recent interest: Utah Tech and Southern Utah have both made overtures to the Big Sky—multiple times, in fact. In March, they got the polite “thanks, but no thanks.” I’m told Utah Tech’s pitch generated more discussion than Southern Utah’s.
From Tech’s side, there’s a historical connection. Their AD, Ken Beazer, was SUU’s AD when the Thunderbirds joined the Big Sky in 2012. But Utah Tech is still battling “growing pains” in its D1 transition. That said, St. George is booming, and so is the money. Just ask the PGA, LPGA, or the companies that’ve recently relocated there.
Southern Utah’s exit in 2022 may serve as a cautionary tale for Sacramento State. There are still hard feelings in the Big Sky about how that departure was handled. One industry source summed up their reentry chances with, “when the Angels win the pennant.”
Interpret that however you like.
Utah Valley University continues to be at the center of western realignment chatter. Tarleton State has made its intentions known, and if the Summit League does expand, insiders suggest it would likely begin with Texas schools before considering more in Utah (except, of course, for Utah Valley).
For Sacramento State, the top priority is stability—whether that comes from the Big West, WAC, West Coast Conference, or even the Summit League remains to be seen.
At the end of the day, there’s still plenty of movement on the horizon—and not just for the Hornets.
