Big West Conference#Creation of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association

{{short description|NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference in the western United States}}

{{redirect|Pacific Coast Athletic Association|the San Diego area community college athletic conference|Pacific Coast Athletic Conference}}

{{Infobox sports league

| name = Big West Conference

| color = #010101; {{box-shadow border|a|#A2AAAD|2px}}

| font_color = white

| title =

| logo = Big West Conference logo 2021.svg

| founded = {{Start date and age|1969|7|1}}

| association = NCAA

| division = Division I

| subdivision = Non–football

| teams = 11 (10 in 2026)

| sports = 19

| mens = 9

| womens = 10

| region = West Coast

| formerly = Pacific Coast Athletic Association (1969–1988)

| headquarters = Irvine, California

| commissioner = Dan Butterly

| since = July 1, 2020

| website = {{URL|www.bigwest.org}}

| map = Big West-USA-states.png

| map_size = 275

}}

The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), and in 1988 was renamed the Big West Conference. The conference stopped sponsoring college football after the 2000 season.

Among the conference's 11 member institutions, 10 are located in California (nine in Southern California alone), and one is located in Hawaii (though the Hawaii member is leaving for the Mountain West Conference, effective July 1, 2026). All of the current schools are public universities, with the California schools evenly split between the California State University and the University of California systems. In addition, one affiliate member plays two sports in the BWC not sponsored by its home conference.

History

{{Location map+

| USA California

| width=350

| caption=Big West Conference Members locations
10px – Full members
10px — Future member
10px – Associate members
10px – Departing members

| places=

{{Location map~ | California | label=CBU | position=bottom | mark=Green pog.svg | lat=33.93 | long=-117.427 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label=Cal Poly | position=left | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=35.3050 | long=-120.6625 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label=Bakersfield | position=top | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=35.3487 | long=-119.1033 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label=CSUF | position=top | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=33.8823 | long=-117.8851 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label=CSUN | position=top | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=34.2407 | long=-118.5300 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label={{No wrap|Long Beach State}} | position=left | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=33.7838 | long=-118.1141 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label=UC Davis | position=left | mark=Red pog.svg | lat=38.5382 | long=-121.7617 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label=UCI | position=bottom | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=33.6405 | long=-117.8443 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label={{No wrap|UCR}} | position=right | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=33.9737 | long=-117.3281 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label={{No wrap|UCSD}} | position=left | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=32.8801 | long=-117.2340 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label={{No wrap|UCSB}} | position=left | mark=Blue pog.svg | lat=34.4140 | long=-119.8489 }}

{{Location map~ | California | label=Sacramento State | position=right | mark=Orange pog.svg | lat=38.5585 | long=-121.4218 }}

}}

{{Location map+

| Hawaii

| width=200

| caption=Big West Conference Members locations
10px – Departing members (future affiliate)

| places=

{{Location map~ | Hawaii | label=Hawaii | position=right | mark=Red pog.svg | lat=21.3009 | long=-157.8173 }}

}}

=Pacific Coast Athletic Association=

The Big West Conference was formed in June 1968 as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.{{Cite news |date=June 11, 1968 |title=California Colleges Form New conference |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7688704/pacific_coast_athletic_association/ |newspaper=The San Bernardino Sun |location=San Bernardino, California |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=December 2, 2016}} {{Free access}} The five original charter members were Fresno State, San Jose State, UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, and Long Beach State. Two other schools, Cal State Los Angeles and the University of the Pacific, were also considered but they declined at that time to pursue membership.{{Cite news |last=Pickard |first=Don |date=June 18, 1968 |title=Cal State PCAA Entry Being Probed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7688936/pcaa_2/ |newspaper=The Independent |location=Pasadena, California |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=December 2, 2016}} {{Free access}} The newly formed conference had several meetings to set up its governance, which was confirmed in October 1968 on the campus of UC Santa Barbara.{{Cite news |date=October 18, 1968 |title=New league being formed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7689420 |newspaper=Redlands Daily Facts |location=Redlands, California |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=December 2, 2016}} {{Free access}} Before the league started play, Cal State Los Angeles joined as a full member and the University of the Pacific joined for football only, becoming a full member itself two years later.{{Cite news |last=Miles |first=Jerry |date=May 16, 1969 |title=Pacific Eight Gets New Rival |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/7689546 |newspaper=Progress Bulletin |location=Pomona, California |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=December 2, 2016}} {{Free access}}{{Cite news |last=Dhillon

|first=Jagdip |date=March 29, 2012 |title=Tigers back 'home' |url=http://www.recordnet.com/article/20120329/A_SPORTS/203290316 |newspaper=The Record |location=Stockton, California |access-date=December 2, 2016}} The conference itself lists July 1, 1969, as its founding date, with the seven institutions beginning conference play that fall.{{cite web |url=http://www.bigwest.org/history/ |title=About The Big West Conference |website=Big West Conference |access-date=December 2, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010810235116/http://www.bigwest.org/history/ |archive-date=August 10, 2001 }}{{Cite news |date=June 4, 1988 |title=PCAA to Change Name to Big West |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-04-sp-3898-story.html |agency=Associated Press|newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 2, 2016|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118134316/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-06-04/sports/sp-3898_1_big-west|archive-date=November 18, 2018}}

=Evolution=

Since its inception as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, the conference has seen many changes. Utah State was the first institution outside California to join the conference in 1978.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Na9fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xjIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5501%2C3984524 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Utah State joining PCAA |date=September 11, 1977 |page=8B}} This opened the floodgates for many other schools to affiliate with the PCAA; notable schools include UNLV, Nevada, Louisiana Tech, Boise State, and football-only members, such as Southwestern Louisiana and Arkansas State.

In 1983, the PCAA became the first western conference to introduce women's athletic programs, allowing female student-athletes to compete at the same level as their male counterparts. This proved vital for Hawaiʻi as their only participation in the conference was for their women's sports.

However, many universities left to join conferences that were perceived as more well-known, such as the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference, while others did not see the benefit of travel since historically many of the teams have been California-based.

From the departures of Idaho and Utah State in 2005 until the arrival of Hawaii in 2012, all members were based in California, reducing the cost and travel time between the universities. When Hawaii joined, it agreed to help defray a portion of travel costs to that state for the league's California members.

In 2011, San Diego State University had initially agreed to move all sports except football (Big East) to the Big West along with Hawai'i by 2013.{{Cite web |last=Schrotenboer |first=Brent |date=2011-12-09 |title=SDSU’s Big West move soon to be official |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2011/12/09/sdsus-big-west-move-soon-to-be-official/ |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}} However, when the Big East decided to no longer sponsor football for the 2013 season, SDSU backed out of their agreement with the Big West, electing to remain a member with the Mountain West instead.

Upon numerous conference shifts spurred from the announcement that UCLA and USC of the Pac-12 were to move to Big 10, a domino effect occurred, ultimately resulting in both Hawai'i and UC Davis announcing their move to the Mountain West effective the 2026 school year. This would leave the Big West with 9 teams, and with the member universities hoping to keep the conference at 11 teams, invited both California Baptist University and Utah Valley University to join the conference by the 2026 school year. Cal Baptist has announced their intention to join the conference, marking it the first time since 2013 that a private university will compete in the Big West, while Utah Valley's invite remains outstanding.

There have been no fewer than 25 full and associate members in the conference's history, while only two of the original seven charter members remain (Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara, with only Long Beach State's membership being continuous).

=The change to the Big West=

File:Big West Conference logo 2000.svg

Effective July 1, 1988, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association changed its name to the Big West Conference. With such schools as Utah State, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico State, and Hawaii now in the fold, the name change was more representative of its member institutions. In addition, the conference had signed a contract with ESPN to have its men's basketball games telecast as the third game of a triple header known as Big Monday - the other conferences being featured were the Big East and the Big Ten so the name Big West fit the theme.{{Cite news |last=Reid |first=Jason |date=February 19, 1996 |title=This Conference Now Little West |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-02-19-sp-37652-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 2, 2016}}

Member schools

=Current full members=

{{color box|#ffa0a0}} Members departing for the Mountain West Conference in 2026.

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
Institution ! Location ! Founded ! Joined ! Type ! Enrollment ! Endowment (millions)As of June 30, 2023. {{cite web \|url=https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2023-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-FINAL.xlsx \|title=U.S. and Canadian 2023 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2023 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY22 to FY23, and FY23 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student \|date=February 15, 2024 \|publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) \|access-date=August 9, 2024 \|format=XLSX \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523180252/https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2023-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-FINAL.xlsx \|archive-date=May 23, 2024 \|url-status=live }} ! Nickname ! class="unsortable"\|Colors
{{sort\|Cal Poly \|California Polytechnic State University}} (Cal Poly) \| San Luis Obispo, California \| 1901 \| 1996{{efn\|group=cfm\|Then Division II, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was an affiliate member of the Big West in women's volleyball from 1984–85 to 1989–90.}} \| Public {{small\|(CSU system)}} \| 22,287 \| $265.26 \| Mustangs \| {{college color boxes\|Cal Poly Mustangs}}
California State University, Bakersfield (Bakersfield){{cite web \|url=https://gorunners.com/documents/2023/9/11/Brand_Style_Guide.pdf \|title=Brand Guidelines \|publisher=Bakersfield Roadrunners \|date=September 11, 2023 \|access-date=November 28, 2023}} \| Bakersfield, California \| 1965 \| 2020{{cite web \|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/college/sd-sp-uc-san-diego-division-big-west-conference-20171127-story.htm \|title=UC San Diego makes it official: It's joining Div. I, Big West \|publisher=San Diego Union-Tribune \|date=November 27, 2017 \|access-date=June 18, 2018 }}{{Dead link\|date=July 2020 \|bot=InternetArchiveBot \|fix-attempted=yes }}{{efn\|group=cfm\|Before becoming a full member, Bakersfield had been a Big West affiliate in beach volleyball since the 2015–16 school year.}} \| Public {{small\|(CSU system)}} \| 9,261 \| $37.16 \| Roadrunners \| {{college color boxes\|Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners}}
California State University, Fullerton (Cal State Fullerton) \| Fullerton, California \| 1957 \| 1974 \| Public {{small\|(CSU system)}} \| 38,726 \| $135.85 \| Titans \| {{college color boxes\|Cal State Fullerton Titans}}
{{sort\|Long Beach\|California State University, Long Beach}} (Long Beach State) \| Long Beach, California \| 1949 \| 1969 \| Public {{small\|(CSU system)}} \| 39,360 \| $115.40 \| Beach{{efn\|group=cfm\|Long Beach State fully rebranded its athletic program as Beach effective in the 2020–21 school year, after transitioning from its former nickname of 49ers over several years. The baseball team continues to use the nickname Dirtbags, which it had adopted in the 49ers era.}} \| {{college color boxes\|Long Beach State 49ers}}
California State University, Northridge (Cal State Northridge) \| Los Angeles, California \| 1958 \| 2001 \| Public {{small\|(CSU system)}} \| 38,511 \| $205.19 \| Matadors \| {{college color boxes\|Cal State Northridge Matadors}}
bgcolor=#ffa0a0 \| University of California, Davis (UC Davis){{efn\|group=cfm\|UC Davis will leave the Big West to join the Mountain West Conference as a full member in 2026, though they will remain an affiliate member for football in the Big Sky Conference.{{cite web \|title=UC Davis To Join Mountain West Conference In 2026-27 \|url=https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2024/12/10/athletics-uc-davis-to-join-mountain-west-conference-in-2026-27.aspx \|publisher=UC Davis Athletics \|access-date=10 December 2024}}}} \| Yolo County, California \| 1905 \| 2007 \| Public {{small\|(UC system)}} \| 40,772 \| $678.04 \| Aggies \| {{college color boxes\|UC Davis Aggies}}
University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine) \| Irvine, California \| 1965 \| 1977 \| Public {{small\|(UC system)}} \| 37,243 \| $795.89 \| Anteaters \| {{college color boxes\|UC Irvine Anteaters}}
University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) \| Riverside, California \| 1954 \| 2001 \| Public {{small\|(UC system)}} \| 26,809 \| $249.87{{cite web \|url=https://www.ucop.edu/investment-office/investment-reports/annual-reports/annual-endwoment-report-fy-2022-2023.pdf \|title=University of California Annual Endowment Report Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023 \|date=November 13, 2023 \|website=Office of the President \|publisher=University of California \|access-date=August 9, 2024 }} \| Highlanders \| {{college color boxes\|UC Riverside Highlanders}}
University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) \| San Diego, California \| 1960 \| 2020{{efn\|group=cfm\|UC San Diego first joined the Big West as a men's volleyball affiliate in 2017. It added women's water polo to its BWC membership in 2019.}} \| Public {{small\|(UC system)}} \| 42,968 \| $1,360.84 \| Tritons \| {{college color boxes\|UC San Diego Tritons}}
University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara) \| Isla Vista, California \| 1891 \| 1969; 1976{{efn\|group=cfm\|UC Santa Barbara joined the Big West when it was founded in 1969, left to become an independent after the 1973–74 school year, then rejoined the conference effective the 1976–77 school year.}} \| Public {{small\|(UC system)}} \| 26,421 \| $578.76 \| Gauchos \| {{college color boxes\|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos}}
bgcolor=#ffa0a0 \| {{sort\|Hawaii\|University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa}} (Hawaiʻi){{efn\|group=cfm\|Hawaii will leave the Big West to join the Mountain West Conference as a full member in 2026, though they will remain an affiliate member for men's swimming and diving, men's volleyball, beach volleyball, and women's water polo. {{cite web \|title=Four UH sports to remain in Big West \|url=https://hawaiiathletics.com/news/2024/12/6/general-hawai-i-athletics-secures-big-west-membership-for-remaining-teams.aspx \|publisher=Hawaii Athletics \|access-date=6 December 2024}}}} \| Honolulu, Hawaii \| 1907 \| 2012{{efn\|group=cfm\|Hawaii was a full member of the Big West in women's sports from 1984–85 to 1995–96; while the men's sports were a full member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during that tenure.}} \| Public {{Small\|(U of H system)}} \| 19,074 \| $491.36 (system-wide) \| Rainbow Warriors & Rainbow Wahine{{efn\|group=cfm\|The Hawaii beach volleyball team is officially Rainbow Wahine, but more commonly uses the nickname BeachBows.}} \| {{college color boxes\|Hawaii Rainbow Warriors}}

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"

Institution

! Location

! Founded

! Joined

! Type

! Enrollment

! Endowment
(millions)As of June 30, 2023. {{cite web |url=https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2023-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-FINAL.xlsx |title=U.S. and Canadian 2023 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2023 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY22 to FY23, and FY23 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student |date=February 15, 2024 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) |access-date=August 9, 2024 |format=XLSX |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523180252/https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2023-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-FINAL.xlsx |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |url-status=live }}

! Nickname

! class="unsortable"|Colors

{{sort|Cal Poly |California Polytechnic State University}}
(Cal Poly)

| San Luis Obispo, California

| 1901

| 1996{{efn|group=cfm|Then Division II, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo was an affiliate member of the Big West in women's volleyball from 1984–85 to 1989–90.}}

| Public
{{small|(CSU system)}}

| 22,287

| $265.26

| Mustangs

| {{college color boxes|Cal Poly Mustangs}}

California State University, Bakersfield
(Bakersfield){{cite web |url=https://gorunners.com/documents/2023/9/11/Brand_Style_Guide.pdf |title=Brand Guidelines |publisher=Bakersfield Roadrunners |date=September 11, 2023 |access-date=November 28, 2023}}

| Bakersfield, California

| 1965

| 2020{{cite web |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/college/sd-sp-uc-san-diego-division-big-west-conference-20171127-story.htm |title=UC San Diego makes it official: It's joining Div. I, Big West |publisher=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=November 27, 2017 |access-date=June 18, 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{efn|group=cfm|Before becoming a full member, Bakersfield had been a Big West affiliate in beach volleyball since the 2015–16 school year.}}

| Public
{{small|(CSU system)}}

| 9,261

| $37.16

| Roadrunners

| {{college color boxes|Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners}}

California State University, Fullerton
(Cal State Fullerton)

| Fullerton, California

| 1957

| 1974

| Public
{{small|(CSU system)}}

| 38,726

| $135.85

| Titans

| {{college color boxes|Cal State Fullerton Titans}}

{{sort|Long Beach|California State University, Long Beach}}
(Long Beach State)

| Long Beach, California

| 1949

| 1969

| Public
{{small|(CSU system)}}

| 39,360

| $115.40

| Beach{{efn|group=cfm|Long Beach State fully rebranded its athletic program as Beach effective in the 2020–21 school year, after transitioning from its former nickname of 49ers over several years. The baseball team continues to use the nickname Dirtbags, which it had adopted in the 49ers era.}}

| {{college color boxes|Long Beach State 49ers}}

California State University, Northridge
(Cal State Northridge)

| Los Angeles, California

| 1958

| 2001

| Public
{{small|(CSU system)}}

| 38,511

| $205.19

| Matadors

| {{college color boxes|Cal State Northridge Matadors}}

bgcolor=#ffa0a0

| University of California, Davis
(UC Davis){{efn|group=cfm|UC Davis will leave the Big West to join the Mountain West Conference as a full member in 2026, though they will remain an affiliate member for football in the Big Sky Conference.{{cite web |title=UC Davis To Join Mountain West Conference In 2026-27 |url=https://ucdavisaggies.com/news/2024/12/10/athletics-uc-davis-to-join-mountain-west-conference-in-2026-27.aspx |publisher=UC Davis Athletics |access-date=10 December 2024}}}}

| Yolo County, California

| 1905

| 2007

| Public
{{small|(UC system)}}

| 40,772

| $678.04

| Aggies

| {{college color boxes|UC Davis Aggies}}

University of California, Irvine
(UC Irvine)

| Irvine, California

| 1965

| 1977

| Public
{{small|(UC system)}}

| 37,243

| $795.89

| Anteaters

| {{college color boxes|UC Irvine Anteaters}}

University of California, Riverside
(UC Riverside)

| Riverside, California

| 1954

| 2001

| Public
{{small|(UC system)}}

| 26,809

| $249.87{{cite web |url=https://www.ucop.edu/investment-office/investment-reports/annual-reports/annual-endwoment-report-fy-2022-2023.pdf |title=University of California Annual Endowment Report Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2023 |date=November 13, 2023 |website=Office of the President |publisher=University of California |access-date=August 9, 2024 }}

| Highlanders

| {{college color boxes|UC Riverside Highlanders}}

University of California, San Diego
(UC San Diego)

| San Diego, California

| 1960

| 2020{{efn|group=cfm|UC San Diego first joined the Big West as a men's volleyball affiliate in 2017. It added women's water polo to its BWC membership in 2019.}}

| Public
{{small|(UC system)}}

| 42,968

| $1,360.84

| Tritons

| {{college color boxes|UC San Diego Tritons}}

University of California, Santa Barbara
(UC Santa Barbara)

| Isla Vista, California

| 1891

| 1969;
1976{{efn|group=cfm|UC Santa Barbara joined the Big West when it was founded in 1969, left to become an independent after the 1973–74 school year, then rejoined the conference effective the 1976–77 school year.}}

| Public
{{small|(UC system)}}

| 26,421

| $578.76

| Gauchos

| {{college color boxes|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos}}

bgcolor=#ffa0a0

| {{sort|Hawaii|University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa}}
(Hawaiʻi){{efn|group=cfm|Hawaii will leave the Big West to join the Mountain West Conference as a full member in 2026, though they will remain an affiliate member for men's swimming and diving, men's volleyball, beach volleyball, and women's water polo. {{cite web |title=Four UH sports to remain in Big West |url=https://hawaiiathletics.com/news/2024/12/6/general-hawai-i-athletics-secures-big-west-membership-for-remaining-teams.aspx |publisher=Hawaii Athletics |access-date=6 December 2024}}}}

| Honolulu, Hawaii

| 1907

| 2012{{efn|group=cfm|Hawaii was a full member of the Big West in women's sports from 1984–85 to 1995–96; while the men's sports were a full member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during that tenure.}}

| Public
{{Small|(U of H system)}}

| 19,074

| $491.36
(system-wide)

| Rainbow Warriors
& Rainbow Wahine{{efn|group=cfm|The Hawaii beach volleyball team is officially Rainbow Wahine, but more commonly uses the nickname BeachBows.}}

| {{college color boxes|Hawaii Rainbow Warriors}}

;Notes:

= Future members =

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

!Institution

!Location

!Founded

!Joining

!Type

!Enrollment

!Endowment (2017)
(millions)As of June 30, 2023. {{cite report |url=https://www.nacubo.org/Research/2022/Public-NTSE-Tables |title=U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Endowment Market Value, and Change* in Endowment Market Value from FY21 to FY22 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA |date=February 15, 2024 |access-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://www.nacubo.org/Research/2023/Public-NCSE-Tables |url-status=live }}

!Nickname

! class="unsortable" |Colors

!Current conference

California Baptist University{{Cite web |last=Howe |first=Brendan |date=2025-03-05 |title=Cal Baptist joins Big West with $1.2 million fee as conference realignment shakes up G5 schools |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/college-basketball/news-cal-baptist-joins-big-west-1-2-million-fee-conference-realignment-shakes-g5-schools |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=www.sportskeeda.com |language=en-us}}{{Cite web|title=California Baptist University Joins The Big West |url=https://bigwest.org/news/2025/3/19/california-baptist-university-joins-the-big-west.aspx |date=2025-03-19 |accessdate=2025-03-20 |website=Big West Conference}}

| Riverside, California

| 1950

| 2026{{efn|group=fut|Cal Baptist will pay a $1.2 million exit fee to the WAC. The university will be the first private university to compete in the Big West since Pacific left in 2013.}}

| Private
{{small|(Baptist)}}

| {{nts|11491}}{{cite web |title=CBU Fall 2021 enrollment extends record-setting pattern |url=https://calbaptist.edu/news/cbu_fall_2021_enrollment_extends_record_setting_pattern |publisher=California Baptist University |access-date=September 27, 2021 |date=September 24, 2021}}

| $119.1

| Lancers

| {{college color boxes|California Baptist Lancers}}

| WAC

;Notes

=Affiliate members=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
Institution ! Nickname ! Location ! Founded ! Joined ! Type ! Enrollment ! Primary conference ! Big West sport(s)
{{sort\|Idaho\|University of Idaho}} \| Vandals \| Moscow, Idaho \| 1889 \| 2024–25 \| Public \| 11,849 \| rowspan=4 \| Big Sky \| {{sortname\|Men's\|golf\|nolink=y}}
rowspan=3 \| {{sort\|Sacramento State\|California State University, Sacramento}} (Sacramento State) \| rowspan=3 \| Hornets{{efn\|group=aff\|Sacramento State men's soccer joined the Big West Conference in the 2012 fall season (2012–13 school year) and beach volleyball followed for the 2016 spring season (2015–16 school year).{{cite web \|url=http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/msoc/2012-13/releases/2013041291x5wb \|title=MEN'S SOCCER JOINS BIG WEST CONFERENCE \|date=July 5, 2012 \|website=Sacramento State Hornets \|access-date=December 22, 2016}}{{cite web \|url=http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/sandvball/2014-15/releases/20150626tgnv5u \|title=Sand Volleyball to Join the Big West Conference \|date=June 26, 2015 \|website=Sacramento State Hornets \|access-date=December 22, 2016 \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223063217/http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/sandvball/2014-15/releases/20150626tgnv5u \|archive-date= Dec 23, 2016 }}}} \| rowspan=3 \| Sacramento, California \| rowspan=3 \| 1947 \| 2012–13 \| rowspan=3 \| Public {{Small\|(CSU system)}} \| rowspan=3 \| 30,670 \| {{sortname\|Men's\|soccer\|nolink=y}}
2015–16 \| Beach volleyball
2024–25 \| {{sortname\|Men's\|golf\|nolink=y}}

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"

Institution

! Nickname

! Location

! Founded

! Joined

! Type

! Enrollment

! Primary
conference

! Big West
sport(s)

| Vandals

| Moscow, Idaho

| 1889

| 2024–25

| Public

| 11,849

| rowspan=4 | Big Sky

| {{sortname|Men's|golf|nolink=y}}

rowspan=3 | {{sort|Sacramento State|California State University, Sacramento}}
(Sacramento State)

| rowspan=3 | Hornets{{efn|group=aff|Sacramento State men's soccer joined the Big West Conference in the 2012 fall season (2012–13 school year) and beach volleyball followed for the 2016 spring season (2015–16 school year).{{cite web |url=http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/msoc/2012-13/releases/2013041291x5wb |title=MEN'S SOCCER JOINS BIG WEST CONFERENCE |date=July 5, 2012 |website=Sacramento State Hornets |access-date=December 22, 2016}}{{cite web |url=http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/sandvball/2014-15/releases/20150626tgnv5u |title=Sand Volleyball to Join the Big West Conference |date=June 26, 2015 |website=Sacramento State Hornets |access-date=December 22, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223063217/http://www.hornetsports.com/sports/sandvball/2014-15/releases/20150626tgnv5u |archive-date= Dec 23, 2016 }}}}

| rowspan=3 | Sacramento, California

| rowspan=3 | 1947

| 2012–13

| rowspan=3 | Public
{{Small|(CSU system)}}

| rowspan=3 | 30,670

| {{sortname|Men's|soccer|nolink=y}}

2015–16

| Beach volleyball

2024–25

| {{sortname|Men's|golf|nolink=y}}

;Notes:

=Future affiliate members=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
Institution ! Nickname ! Location ! Founded ! Joining ! Type ! Enrollment ! Primary conference ! Big West sport(s)
rowspan="4" \| {{sort\|Hawaii\|University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa}} (Hawaiʻi) \| rowspan="4" \| Rainbow Warriors & Rainbow Wahine \| rowspan="4" \| Honolulu, Hawaii \| rowspan="4" \|1907 \| rowspan="4" \| 2026{{efn\|group=cfm\|While technically the school has been a Big West member in all sports since 2012, this will be their first year as an affiliate member.}} \| rowspan="4" \| Public {{Small\|(U of H system)}} \| rowspan="4" \| 19,074 \| rowspan="4" \| Big West {{small\|(MW in 2026)}} \| Beach volleyball
{{sortname\|Men's\|swimming and diving\|nolink=y}}
{{sortname\|Men's\|volleyball\|nolink=y}}
{{sortname\|Women's\|water polo\|nolink=y}}
Grand Canyon University \| Antelopes \| Phoenix, Arizona \| 1949 \| rowspan=3 \| 2025 \| Private For-Profit{{efn\|group=faff\|Grand Canyon's for-profit status is disputed (supposedly by some Christian conservative radicals). The U.S. Department of Education treats it as a for-profit institution, but the Internal Revenue Service, the NCAA, and the state of Arizona consider it a nonprofit. Institutions that abide by the US Constitution's separation of church and state clause categorize GCU as "for-profit."}} \| {{nts\|103427}}{{efn\|group=faff\|Includes online students. Current on-campus enrollment is about 25,300.}} \| WAC {{small\|(MW in 2026)}} \| {{sortname\|Men's and women's\|swimming & diving\|nolink=y}}
{{sort\|San Diego\|University of San Diego}} \| Toreros \| San Diego, California \| 1949 \| Private \| 7,548 \| WCC \| {{sortname\|Women's\|swimming & diving\|nolink=y}}
Seattle University \| Redhawks \| Seattle, Washington \| 1891 \| Private \| {{nts\|7755}} \| WAC {{small\|(WCC in 2025)}} \| {{sortname\|Men's and women's\|swimming & diving\|nolink=y}}

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"

Institution

! Nickname

! Location

! Founded

! Joining

! Type

! Enrollment

! Primary
conference

! Big West
sport(s)

rowspan="4" | {{sort|Hawaii|University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa}}
(Hawaiʻi)

| rowspan="4" | Rainbow Warriors & Rainbow Wahine

| rowspan="4" | Honolulu, Hawaii

| rowspan="4" |1907

| rowspan="4" | 2026{{efn|group=cfm|While technically the school has been a Big West member in all sports since 2012, this will be their first year as an affiliate member.}}

| rowspan="4" | Public
{{Small|(U of H system)}}

| rowspan="4" | 19,074

| rowspan="4" | Big West
{{small|(MW in 2026)}}

| Beach volleyball

Grand Canyon University

| Antelopes

| Phoenix, Arizona

| 1949

| rowspan=3 | 2025

| Private For-Profit{{efn|group=faff|Grand Canyon's for-profit status is disputed (supposedly by some Christian conservative radicals). The U.S. Department of Education treats it as a for-profit institution, but the Internal Revenue Service, the NCAA, and the state of Arizona consider it a nonprofit. Institutions that abide by the US Constitution's separation of church and state clause categorize GCU as "for-profit."}}

| {{nts|103427}}{{efn|group=faff|Includes online students. Current on-campus enrollment is about 25,300.}}

| WAC
{{small|(MW in 2026)}}

| {{sortname|Men's and women's|swimming & diving|nolink=y}}

| Toreros

| San Diego, California

| 1949

| Private

| 7,548

| WCC

| {{sortname|Women's|swimming & diving|nolink=y}}

Seattle University

| Redhawks

| Seattle, Washington

| 1891

| Private

| {{nts|7755}}

| WAC
{{small|(WCC in 2025)}}

| {{sortname|Men's and women's|swimming & diving|nolink=y}}

;Notes

=Former members=

Many of the former members of the Big West are now members of the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference. Of the nine schools that were in the WAC before its early-2010s realignment, only Hawaii had not spent some time in the Big West as a football participant – it was a Big West member only in women's sports. Of the former members, Cal State Los Angeles is the only team that reverted to Division II level.

School names and nicknames reflect those used by the institutions when they were Big West members. One school has changed its name (Southwestern Louisiana, now branded athletically as Louisiana and also known as Louisiana–Lafayette) and another its nickname (Arkansas State, from Indians to Red Wolves).

==Former full members==

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
Institution ! Nickname ! Location ! Founded ! Joined ! Left ! Type ! Enrollment ! Current primary conference
Boise State University \| Broncos \| Boise, Idaho \| 1932 \| 1996 \| 2001 \| Public \| 22,678 \| Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) \| Bulldogs \| Fresno, California \| 1911 \| 1969 \| 1992 \| Public \| 22,565 \| Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State L.A.) \| Golden Eagles \| Los Angeles, California \| 1947 \| 1969 \| 1974 \| Public \| 20,619 \| CCAA{{efn\|group=former\|name=D2\|Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.}}
{{sort\|Idaho\|University of Idaho}} \| Vandals \| Moscow, Idaho \| 1889 \| 1996 \| 2005 \| Public \| 11,180 \| Big Sky
{{sort\|UNLV\|University of Nevada, Las Vegas}} (UNLV) \| Rebels \| Las Vegas, Nevada{{efn\|group=ffm\|The UNLV campus lies outside the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated community of Paradise. The U.S. Postal Service considers all unincorporated areas in the Las Vegas Valley to have a Las Vegas address.}} \| 1957 \| 1982 \| 1996 \| Public \| 28,203 \| Mountain West
{{sort\|Nevada\|University of Nevada, Reno}} \| Wolf Pack \| Reno, Nevada \| 1874 \| 1992 \| 2000 \| Public \| 18,227 \| Mountain West
New Mexico State University \| Aggies \| Las Cruces, New Mexico \| 1888 \| 1983 \| 2000 \| Public \| 18,497 \| CUSA
{{sort\|North Texas\|University of North Texas}} \| Mean Green \| Denton, Texas \| 1890 \| 1996 \| 2000 \| Public \| 35,778 \| The American
San Diego State University \| Aztecs \| San Diego, California \| 1897 \| 1969 (men's sports); 1984 (women's sports) \| 1978 (men's sports); 1990 (women's sports) \| Public \| 28,789 \| Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
San Jose State University \| Spartans \| San Jose, California \| 1857 \| 1969 \| 1996 \| Public \| 32,697 \| Mountain West
{{sort\|Pacific\|University of the Pacific}} \| Tigers \| Stockton, California \| 1851 \| 1969 (football-only); 1971 (all sports) \| 2013 \| Private \| 6,296 \| West Coast
Utah State University \| Aggies \| Logan, Utah \| 1888 \| 1978 \| 2005 \| Public \| 28,796 \| Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"

Institution

! Nickname

! Location

! Founded

! Joined

! Left

! Type

! Enrollment

! Current
primary
conference

Boise State University

| Broncos

| Boise, Idaho

| 1932

| 1996

| 2001

| Public

| 22,678

| Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)

California State University, Fresno
(Fresno State)

| Bulldogs

| Fresno, California

| 1911

| 1969

| 1992

| Public

| 22,565

| Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)

California State University, Los Angeles
(Cal State L.A.)

| Golden Eagles

| Los Angeles, California

| 1947

| 1969

| 1974

| Public

| 20,619

| CCAA{{efn|group=former|name=D2|Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.}}

| Vandals

| Moscow, Idaho

| 1889

| 1996

| 2005

| Public

| 11,180

| Big Sky

{{sort|UNLV|University of Nevada, Las Vegas}}
(UNLV)

| Rebels

| Las Vegas, Nevada{{efn|group=ffm|The UNLV campus lies outside the Las Vegas city limits in the unincorporated community of Paradise. The U.S. Postal Service considers all unincorporated areas in the Las Vegas Valley to have a Las Vegas address.}}

| 1957

| 1982

| 1996

| Public

| 28,203

| Mountain West

| Wolf Pack

| Reno, Nevada

| 1874

| 1992

| 2000

| Public

| 18,227

| Mountain West

New Mexico State University

| Aggies

| Las Cruces, New Mexico

| 1888

| 1983

| 2000

| Public

| 18,497

| CUSA

| Mean Green

| Denton, Texas

| 1890

| 1996

| 2000

| Public

| 35,778

| The American

San Diego State University

| Aztecs

| San Diego, California

| 1897

| 1969 (men's sports);
1984 (women's sports)

| 1978 (men's sports);
1990 (women's sports)

| Public

| 28,789

| Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)

San Jose State University

| Spartans

| San Jose, California

| 1857

| 1969

| 1996

| Public

| 32,697

| Mountain West

| Tigers

| Stockton, California

| 1851

| 1969 (football-only);
1971 (all sports)

| 2013

| Private

| 6,296

| West Coast

Utah State University

| Aggies

| Logan, Utah

| 1888

| 1978

| 2005

| Public

| 28,796

| Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)

==Former affiliate members==

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
Institution ! Nickname ! Location (California) ! Founded ! Joined ! Left ! Type ! Enrollment ! Primary conference ! Big West sport(s)
{{sort\|Cal Poly\|California State Polytechnic University, Pomona}} (Cal Poly Pomona) \| Broncos \| Pomona \| 1938 \| 1984–85 \| 1989–90 \| Public \| 22,501 \| CCAA{{efn\|group=faff\|name=D2\|Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.}} \| softball
{{sort\|Sacramento State\|California State University, Sacramento}} (Sacramento State) \| Hornets \| Sacramento \| 1947 \| 1996–97 \| 2001–02 \| Public \| 24,388 \| Big Sky \| baseball
{{sort\|San Diego\|San Diego State University}} \| Aztecs \| San Diego \| 1897 \| 2012–13 \| 2012–13 \| Public \| 33,790 \| Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026) \| women's water polo

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"

Institution

! Nickname

! Location
(California)

! Founded

! Joined

! Left

! Type

! Enrollment

! Primary
conference

! Big West
sport(s)

{{sort|Cal Poly|California State Polytechnic University, Pomona}}
(Cal Poly Pomona)

| Broncos

| Pomona

| 1938

| 1984–85

| 1989–90

| Public

| 22,501

| CCAA{{efn|group=faff|name=D2|Currently an NCAA Division II athletic conference.}}

| softball

{{sort|Sacramento State|California State University, Sacramento}}
(Sacramento State)

| Hornets

| Sacramento

| 1947

| 1996–97

| 2001–02

| Public

| 24,388

| Big Sky

| baseball

| Aztecs

| San Diego

| 1897

| 2012–13

| Public

| 33,790

| Mountain West
(Pac-12 in 2026)

| women's water polo

==Former football-only members==

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
Institution ! Nickname ! Location ! Founded ! Joined ! Left ! Type ! Enrollment ! Primary conference at the time of joining Big West football ! Current conference
Arkansas State University \| Indians{{efn\|group=football\|Currently known as the Arkansas State Red Wolves.}} \| Jonesboro, Arkansas \| 1909 \| 1993–94, 1999–2000 \| 1995–96, 2000–01{{efn\|group=football\|Arkansas State joined the Big West for football in the 1993 fall season (1993–94 school year), left to become an independent after the 1995 fall season (–96 school year, then re-joined in 1999, only to leave again after the 2000 fall season (2000–01 school year).}} \| Public \| 13,438 \| colspan="2" \| Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech University \| Bulldogs \| Ruston, Louisiana \| 1894 \| 1993–94 \| 1995–96 \| Public \| 11,581 \| Sun Belt \| CUSA
Northern Illinois University \| Huskies \| DeKalb, Illinois \| 1895 \| 1993–94 \| 1995–96 \| Public \| 25,313 \| Mid-Continent{{efn\|group=football\|Currently known as the Summit League.}} \| MAC {{small\|(MW in 2026){{efn\|Northern Illinois will be a football-only MW member, with most other sports in the Horizon League.}}}}
University of Southwestern Louisiana{{efn\|group=football\|Currently known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and branded for sports purposes as "Louisiana".}} \| Ragin' Cajuns \| Lafayette, Louisiana \| 1898 \| 1993 \| 1996 \| Public \| 19,188 \| colspan="2" \| Sun Belt

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"

Institution

! Nickname

! Location

! Founded

! Joined

! Left

! Type

! Enrollment

! Primary
conference
at the time
of joining
Big West
football

! Current
conference

Arkansas State University

| Indians{{efn|group=football|Currently known as the Arkansas State Red Wolves.}}

| Jonesboro, Arkansas

| 1909

| 1993–94,
1999–2000

| 1995–96,
2000–01{{efn|group=football|Arkansas State joined the Big West for football in the 1993 fall season (1993–94 school year), left to become an independent after the 1995 fall season (–96 school year, then re-joined in 1999, only to leave again after the 2000 fall season (2000–01 school year).}}

| Public

| 13,438

| colspan="2" | Sun Belt

Louisiana Tech University

| Bulldogs

| Ruston, Louisiana

| 1894

| 1993–94

| 1995–96

| Public

| 11,581

| Sun Belt

| CUSA

Northern Illinois University

| Huskies

| DeKalb, Illinois

| 1895

| 1993–94

| 1995–96

| Public

| 25,313

| Mid-Continent{{efn|group=football|Currently known as the Summit League.}}

| MAC
{{small|(MW in 2026){{efn|Northern Illinois will be a football-only MW member, with most other sports in the Horizon League.}}}}

University of Southwestern Louisiana{{efn|group=football|Currently known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and branded for sports purposes as "Louisiana".}}

| Ragin' Cajuns

| Lafayette, Louisiana

| 1898

| 1993

| 1996

| Public

| 19,188

| colspan="2" | Sun Belt

;Notes

=Membership timeline=

ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#

DateFormat = yyyy

Period = from:1969 till:2032

Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7)

id:line value:black

id:bg value:white

id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports

id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football

id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only

id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote)

id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference

id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two

PlotData=

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:Full from:1969 till:1974 text:Cal State Los Angeles (1969–1974)

bar:1 shift:(100) color:OtherC1 from:1974 till:end text:CCAA

bar:2 color:Full from:1969 till:1976 text:San Diego State (1969–1978)

bar:2 color:FullxF from:1976 till:1978

bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:1978 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:2 color:OtherC2 from:1999 till:2026 text:Mountain West

bar:2 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:2013 text:(w. water polo, 2012-2013)

bar:2 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:3 color:Full from:1969 till:1992 text:Fresno State (1969–1992)

bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1992 till:2012 text:WAC

bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:2026 text:Mountain West

bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:4 color:Full from:1969 till:1996 text:San Jose State (1969–1996)

bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2013 text:WAC

bar:4 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:end text:Mountain West

bar:5 color:AssocF from:1969 till:1971 text:Pacific (1969–2013)

bar:5 color:Full from:1971 till:1996

bar:5 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2013

bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:end text:WCC

bar:6 color:Full from:1969 till:1974 text:UC Santa Barbara (1969–1974; 1976–present)

bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:1974 till:1976 text:

bar:6 color:FullxF from:1976 till:end text:

bar:7 color:Full from:1969 till:1992 text:Long Beach State (1969–present)

bar:7 color:FullxF from:1992 till:end

bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1974 text:CCAA

bar:8 color:Full from:1974 till:1992 text:Cal State Fullerton (1974–present)

bar:8 color:FullxF from:1992 till:end

bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1977 text:D-II Independent

bar:9 color:FullxF from:1977 till:end text:UC Irvine (1977–present)

bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1978 text:Independent

bar:10 color:Full from:1978 till:2001 text:Utah State (1978–2005)

bar:10 color:FullxF from:2001 till:2005

bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2013 text:WAC

bar:10 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2026 text:Mountain West

bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1975 text:WCAC

bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1975 till:1982 text:Independent

bar:11 color:Full from:1982 till:1996 text:UNLV (1982–1996)

bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:1999 text:WAC

bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1999 till:end text:Mountain West

bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1970 text:Ind.

bar:12 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:1970 till:1983 text:MVC

bar:12 color:FullxF from:1983 till:1984 text:New Mexico State (1983–2000)

bar:12 color:Full from:1984 till:2000

bar:12 color:AssocF from:2000 till:2001

bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2005 text:Sun Belt

bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:2005 till:2023 text:WAC

bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:C-USA

bar:13 color:AssocOS from:1984 till:1990 text:Cal Poly Pomona (softball, 1984–1990)

bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1979 text:Independent

bar:14 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:1984 text:WAC

bar:14 color:AssocOS from:1984 till:1996 text:(women's sports, 1984–1996)

bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:1996 till:2012 text:WAC

bar:14 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2026

bar:14 shift:(-325,-5) color:AssocOS from:2026 till:end text:Hawai'i (m. volleyball, beach volleyball, m. swimming and diving, w. water polo; 2026-future)

bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1979 text:WCAC

bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:1979 till:1992 text:Big Sky

bar:15 color:Full from:1992 till:2000 text:Nevada (1992–2000)

bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2000 till:2012 text:WAC

bar:15 color:OtherC2 from:2012 till:end text:Mountain West

bar:16 color:AssocF from:1993 till:1996 text:Louisiana Tech (1993–1995)

bar:17 color:AssocF from:1993 till:1996 text:Northern Illinois (1993–1995)

bar:18 color:AssocF from:1993 till:1996 text:SW Louisiana (1993–1995)

bar:19 color:AssocF from:1993 till:1996 text:Arkansas State (1993–1995, 1999-2001)

bar:19 color:AssocF from:1999 till:2001 text:

bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1975 text:MVC

bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:1975 till:1982 text:Independent

bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:1996 text:Southland

bar:20 color:Full from:1996 till:2000 text:North Texas (1996–2000)

bar:20 color:AssocF from:2000 till:2001

bar:20 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2013 text:Sun Belt

bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2023 text:C-USA

bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2023 till:end text:American

bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1970 text:Ind.

bar:21 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:1970 till:1996 text:Big Sky

bar:21 color:Full from:1996 till:2001 text:Boise State (1996–2001)

bar:21 shift:(50) color:OtherC1 from:2001 till:2011 text:WAC

bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:2011 till:end text:Mountain West

bar:21 color:OtherC1 from:2026 till:end text:Pac-12

bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1996 text:Big Sky

bar:22 color:Full from:1996 till:2001 text:Idaho (1996–2005)

bar:22 color:FullxF from:2001 till:2005

bar:22 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2014 text:WAC

bar:22 color:OtherC2 from:2014 till:2024 text:Big Sky

bar:22 color:AssocOS from:2024 till:end text:(m. golf, 2024–present)

bar:23 color:AssocOS from:1996 till:2002 text:Sacramento State (baseball, 1996–2002; m. soccer, 2012–present; beach v'ball, 2015–present; m. golf, 2024–present)

bar:23 color:AssocOS from:2012 till:end

bar:24 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1994 text:CCAC

bar:24 color:OtherC2 from:1994 till:1996 text:AWC

bar:24 color:FullxF from:1996 till:end text:Cal Poly (1996–present)

bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1990 text:CCAC

bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:1990 till:1994 text:Independent

bar:25 color:OtherC1 from:1994 till:1996 text:AWC

bar:25 color:OtherC2 from:1996 till:2001 text:Big Sky

bar:25 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end text:Cal State Northridge (2001–present)

bar:26 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:2000 text:CCAC

bar:26 shift:(-5) color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2001 text:Ind.

bar:26 color:FullxF from:2001 till:end text:UC Riverside (2001–present)

bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1982 text:FWC

bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:1982 till:1998 text:NCAC

bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:1998 till:2004 text:CCAC

bar:27 color:OtherC1 from:2004 till:2007 text:Indep.

bar:27 color:FullxF from:2007 till:2026 text:UC Davis (2007–2026)

bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:2026 till:end text:Mountain West

bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:1971 till:1972 text:Ind.

bar:28 shift:(10) color:OtherC2 from:1972 till:2007 text:CCAA

bar:28 color:OtherC1 from:2007 till:2013

bar:28 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2015

bar:28 shift:(-150,-5) color:AssocOS from:2015 till:end text:Bakersfield (beach volleyball, 2015–present; full member, 2020–present)

bar:28 color:FullXF from:2020 till:end

bar:29 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:2000 text:D-III Independent

bar:29 color:OtherC2 from:2000 till:2017

bar:29 shift:(-300,-5) color:AssocOS from:2017 till:2020 text:UC San Diego (m. volleyball, 2017–present; w. water polo, 2019–present; full member, 2020–present)

bar:29 color:FullXF from:2020 till:end

bar:30 shift:(-131,-5) color:AssocOS from:2025 till:end text:GCU (m. and w. swimming and diving; 2025-future)

bar:31 shift: (-140,-5) color:AssocOS from:2025 till:end text:Seattle (m. and w. swimming and diving; 2025-future)

bar:32 Shift:(-122,-5) color:AssocOS from:2025 till:end text:San Diego (w. swimming and diving; 2025-future)

bar:33 color:OtherC1 from:1969 till:1987 text:NAIA Ind.

bar:33 color:OtherC2 from:1987 till:2013 text:GSAC

bar:33 color:OtherC1 from:2013 till:2018 text:PacWest

bar:33 color:OtherC2 from:2018 till:2026 text:WAC

bar:33 shift: (-50,-5) color:FullXF from:2026 till:end text:Cal Baptist 2026-future

bar:N color:blue from:1969 till:1988 text:Pacific Collegiate Athletic Association (PCAA)

bar:N color:powderblue from:1988 till:end text:Big West Conference

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1970

TextData =

fontsize:M

textcolor:black

pos:(0,30) tabs:(400-center)

text:^"Big West Conference Membership History"

> If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options (use only the colors that are used in the graphic.) Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. {{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|Full members}} {{Font color||{{RGB|141|211|199}}|Full members (non-football)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|251|128|114}}|Assoc. members (football only)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|128|177|211}}|Assoc. member (list sports)}} {{Font color||{{RGB|255|255|179}}|Other Conference}} {{Font color||{{RGB|253|180|98}}|Other Conference}} <#

{{Font color||{{RGB|190|186|218}}|Full members }} {{Font color||{{RGB|141|211|199}}|Full members (non-football) }} {{Font color||{{RGB|251|128|114}}|Assoc. members (football only) }} {{Font color||{{RGB|128|177|211}}|Assoc. member (Other sports) }}

{{Font color||{{RGB|255|255|179}}|Other Conference }} {{Font color||{{RGB|253|180|98}}|Other Conference }}

Notes

San Diego State played football as an independent for the 1976 and 1977 seasons before leaving the Big West Conference in 1978.
UC Santa Barbara was an independent from 1974–75 to 1975–76.
Cal State Fullerton played football as an independent for the 1992 season and dropped football entirely the following year.
Louisiana Tech, Northern Illinois, Southwestern Louisiana, and Arkansas State joined the Big West for a short-lived football consortium from 1993 to 1995.
Arkansas State played football as an independent from 1996 to 1998 and later rejoined the Big West for football during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Sports

The Big West Conference currently sponsors 21 NCAA sports, with men's and women's swimming & diving the newest additions for the 2024–25 school year.{{cite web|url=https://bigwest.org/news/2023/6/8/general-big-west-board-of-directors-approves-new-initiatives-at-annual-spring-meeting.aspx|title=Big West Board of Directors Approves New Initiatives at Annual Spring Meeting|publisher=Big West Conference|date=June 9, 2023|access-date=September 3, 2024}}

In baseball, Cal State Fullerton has won four College World Series titles with national championships in 1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2017-06-14/college-world-series-everything-you-need-know-about-cal-state|title=College World Series: Everything you need to know about Cal State Fullerton|date=2017-06-14|work=NCAA.com|access-date=2017-08-04|language=en}} In addition, Long Beach State and UC Irvine have made multiple appearances in the College World Series. Fullerton also has a national championship in softball, winning in 1984. Long Beach State has won three NCAA women's volleyball titles, as a part of Big West Conference women's volleyball, with national championships in 1989, 1993, and 1998. Misty May-Treanor led the 49ers (now known as Beach) to a 36–0 record en route to the program's most recent title. UC Santa Barbara was the NCAA men's soccer runner-up in 2004, losing the national championship match to Indiana on penalty kicks. The Gauchos returned to the College Cup in 2006 and won the national championship.

Former Big West members UNLV and Pacific won national championships while part of the conference. The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team won the 1990 NCAA tournament championship after routing Duke 103-73 in the national title game. UNLV was undefeated during the 1991 NCAA men's basketball season before falling to Duke in the final four. The Runnin' Rebels during this era are widely considered one of the best college basketball teams of all time. The Pacific Tigers women's volleyball team won back-to-back national championships in 1985 and 1986.

The Big West did not sponsor men's volleyball or men's water polo, but it was the primary conference affiliation of several schools that compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for these sports, respectively. In NCAA men's volleyball, UC Irvine has established itself as one of the nation's most elite programs, winning four national championships in 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2013. Long Beach State also won men's national volleyball titles in 1991, 2018, and 2019. In NCAA men's water polo, UC Irvine won three national championships in 1970, 1982, and 1989. UC Santa Barbara also won a men's water polo title in 1979.

On May 31, 2016, the Big West announced the conference would sponsor men's volleyball as its 18th sport, with five Big West schools leaving the MPSF to establish the new men's volleyball league. Men's volleyball is the third of four sports in which the MPSF has recently seen a mass exodus of teams to join an existing conference in a newly sponsored sport, with men's soccer, men's water polo, and women's lacrosse as the others. The men's volleyball membership includes core Big West members Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, Hawaii, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. UC San Diego joined as an affiliate to bring the league to the NCAA minimum requirement of 6 teams to receive an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.

Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell explained that adding UC San Diego was not an indicator UC San Diego would be added to the Big West Conference as a full member. UC San Diego had recently passed a bill to move all their sports to Division I and was looking for an invite from the Big West Conference. UC San Diego has long competed at the Division I level in men's volleyball; the NCAA conducts a single national championship open to all Division I and II members, and scholarship limits in the sport are the same in both divisions. The Big West regular season for men's volleyball will be a double round-robin, with each team playing the others once at home and once on the road. The Big West Tournament will have all six teams participate in single-elimination rounds with the top two teams receiving semifinal byes.{{cite web |url=http://www.bigwest.org/ |title=Big West Announces 2012 Baseball Awards |access-date=2016-03-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232356/http://www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=15959 |archive-date=2016-03-03 }}/story.asp?story_id=19222

The Big West is the first Division I all-sports conference (defined as a league that sponsors men's and women's basketball) ever to sponsor men's volleyball, and the second NCAA all-sports conference overall to sponsor men's volleyball as a scholarship sport (the first was the Division II Conference Carolinas).

On November 26, 2017, the Big West announced that it would add UC San Diego along with Cal State Bakersfield as its 10th and 11th members starting on July 1, 2020. Cal State Bakersfield, which was already a full Division I member competing in the Western Athletic Conference, became a full member effective July 1, 2020. UC San Diego, which had failed to move up from Division II in failed bids to the Big West in 2011 and April 2017, has begun the four-year transition process to Division I and became a full member effective July 1, 2024. UC San Diego's men's volleyball joined the Big West in 2017, in advance of that sport's 2018 season, and women's water polo joined in 2019. Because the NCAA does not sponsor a Division II championship in either men's volleyball or women's water polo, UCSD was eligible for conference championships in both sports upon joining the Big West, and will remain eligible for such during the D-I transition.{{cite web |url=http://www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=20127 |title=CSU Bakersfield, UC San Diego to Join Big West Conference |access-date=2017-11-30}}

UC San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield, the latter now in the process of rebranding its athletic program as Bakersfield, officially joined the conference on July 1, 2020, and Dan Butterly became the new commissioner following the retirement of Dennis Farrell.

class="wikitable sortable" style= \|+ Big West Conference teams ! Sport	style="width:60px;"\| Men's	Women's
Baseball	{{center\|11}}	{{center\|–}}
Basketball	{{center\|11}}	{{center\|11}}
Beach volleyball	{{center\|–}}	{{center\|7}}
Cross Country	{{center\|9}}	{{center\|11}}
Golf	{{center\|12}}	{{center\|9}}
Soccer	{{center\|10}}	{{center\|11}}
Softball	{{center\|–}}	{{center\|10}}
Swimming & diving	{{center\|6}}	{{center\|6}}
\| Tennis	{{center\|7}}	{{center\|10}}
\| Track and Field (Outdoor)	{{center\|10}}	{{center\|11}}
Volleyball	{{center\|6}}	{{center\|11}}
Water polo	{{center\|6}}	{{center\|7}}

=Men's sponsored sports by school=

School	Baseball	Basket{{shy}}ball	Cross Country	style="width:55px;"\| Golf	Soccer	Swimming & diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volley{{shy}}ball	Water polo	Total Sports
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:90%"
Bakersfield	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	5
Cal Poly	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	8
Cal State Fullerton	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	7
Cal State Northridge	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	7
Hawaiʻi	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	6
{{nowrap\|Long Beach}} State	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	7
UC Davis	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	8
UC Irvine	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	9
UC Riverside	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	7
UC San Diego	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	10
UC Santa Barbara	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	10
colspan="12" \| Future Members
California Baptist	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	8
Totals \|\| 11 \|\| 11 \|\| 9 \|\| 10+2{{efn\|group=ms\|Affiliate members Idaho and Sacramento State.}} \|\| 9+1{{efn\|group=ms\|Affiliate member Sacramento State.}} \|\| 5 \|\| 7 \|\| 10 \|\| 6 \|\| 6 \|\| 84+3

class="wikitable sortable" \|+Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big West Conference which are played by Big West schools
style="text-align:center" ! School !! Fencing{{efn\|group=mns\|NCAA fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools fielding separate men's and women's squads and all bouts involving members of the same sex. The only Big West member that sponsors the sport, UC San Diego, fields both squads.}} !! Football{{efn\|group=mn\|Hawai'i competes at the FBS level, while Cal Poly and UC Davis compete at the FCS level.}} !! Rowing{{efn\|group=mns\|The only category of rowing sponsored by the NCAA is women's heavyweight rowing. Men's rowing and women's lightweight rowing are organized by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association.}} !! Track & Field (Indoor) !! Wrestling
style="text-align:center" \| Bakersfield	No	No	No	No	Pac-12
style="text-align:center" \| Cal Poly	No	Big Sky	No	Independent	Pac-12
style="text-align:center" \| Cal State Fullerton	No	No	No	MPSF	No
style="text-align:center" \| Cal State Northridge	No	No	No	MPSF	No
style="text-align:center" bgcolor=lightgray \| California Baptist	No	No	No	No	Big 12
style="text-align:center" \| Hawai'i	No	Mountain West	No	No	No
style="text-align:center" \| Long Beach State	No	No	ACRA	MPSF	No
style="text-align:center" \| UC Davis	No	Big Sky	ACRA	No	No
style="text-align:center" \| UC Irvine	No	No	ACRA	No	No
style="text-align:center" \| UC Riverside	No	No	No	Independent	No
style="text-align:center" \| UC San Diego	MPSF	No	MPSF	No	No
style="text-align:center" \| UC Santa Barbara	No	No	ACRA	Independent	No

=Women's sponsored sports by school=

School	Basket{{shy}}ball	Beach Volleyball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volley{{shy}}ball	Water polo	Total Sports
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:80%"
Bakersfield	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	9
Cal Poly	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	^{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	10
Cal State Fullerton	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	9
Cal State Northridge	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	10
Hawaiʻi	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	11
Long Beach State	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	10
UC Davis	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	11
UC Irvine	{{yes}}	{{no}}	^{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	8
UC Riverside	{{yes}}	{{no}}	^{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	8
UC San Diego	{{yes}}	{{no}}	^{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	9
UC Santa Barbara	{{yes}}	{{no}}	^{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	9
colspan="13" \| Future Members
California Baptist	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{no}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	{{yes}}	11
Totals \|\| 11\|\| 6+1{{efn\|group=ws\|Affiliate member Sacramento State.}} \|\| 11 \|\| 9\|\| 11 \|\| 10 \|\| 6 \|\| 10 \|\| 11 \|\| 11 \|\| 8 \|\| 104+1

class="wikitable sortable" \|+Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big West Conference which are played by Big West schools
style="text-align:center" ! School !! Fencing{{efn\|group=wns\|NCAA fencing is a coeducational sport, with schools fielding separate men's and women's squads and all bouts involving members of the same sex. The only Big West member that sponsors the sport, UC San Diego, fields both squads.}} !! Field Hockey !! Gymnastics !! Lacrosse !! Rowing !! Stunt{{efn\|group=wns\|Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.}} !! Track & Field (Indoor)
style="text-align:center" \| Bakersfield	No	No	No	No	No	No	Independent
style="text-align:center" \| Cal Poly	No	No	No	No	No	No	Independent
style="text-align:center" \| Cal State Fullerton	No	No	No	No	No	No	MPSF
style="text-align:center" \| Cal State Northridge	No	No	No	No	No	No	MPSF
style="text-align:center" bgcolor=lightgray \| California Baptist	No	No	No	No	No	Independent	No
style="text-align:center" \| Hawai'i	No	No	No	No	No	No	MPSF
style="text-align:center" \| Long Beach State	No	No	No	No	No	No	MPSF
style="text-align:center" \| UC Davis	No	America East	MPSF	Big 12	No	No	Independent
style="text-align:center" \| UC Irvine	No	No	No	No	No	No	MPSF
style="text-align:center" \| UC San Diego	MPSF	No	No	No	CAA	No	No
style="text-align:center" \| UC Santa Barbara	No	No	No	No	No	No	Independent

= Current conference champions =

The Big West Conference sponsors championship competition in 9 men's and 10 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Men's and women's swimming & diving were added in 2024–25.{{cite web |url=https://bigwest.org/sports/2016/12/22/GEN_1222161145.aspx |title=About The Big West |publisher=Big West Conference |access-date=February 15, 2024}}

Regular-season champions are indicated with "(RS)" and tournament champions with "(T)".

Season	Sport	Men's champion
class="wikitable" style = "text-align: center"
rowspan = 4 \| Fall 2024 \| Cross country	Cal Poly	Cal Poly
Soccer	Cal Poly (RS) UC Davis (T)	Hawai{{okina}}i (RS) UC Santa Barbara (T)
Water polo	UC Irvine (RS) Long Beach State (T) \|
Volleyball		Cal Poly (RS) Hawai{{okina}}i (T)
rowspan = 2 \| Winter 2024–25 \| Swimming & diving	UC Santa Barbara	UC Santa Barbara
Basketball	UC San Diego (RS & T)	Hawai{{okina}}i (RS) UC San Diego (T)
rowspan = 8 \| Spring 2025 \| Golf	Cal State Fullerton	TBD
Volleyball	Long Beach State (RS) Hawai{{okina}}i (T) \|
Beach volleyball		Cal Poly (RS) Long Beach State (T)
Tennis	UC Santa Barbara (RS) UC Irvine (T) \| UC Santa Barbara (RS & T)
Water polo		Hawai{{okina}}i (RS & T)
Track & field (outdoor)	TBD	TBD
Softball		TBD
Baseball	TBD

=Former sports=

==Football==

An asterisk denotes the participant in the bowls that invited the Big West champion:
Pasadena (1969–70), California (1981–91), Las Vegas (1992–96), and Humanitarian (1997–2000)[https://web.archive.org/web/20000817232655/http://www.bigwest.org/sports/football/releases/history.htm Big West Football]. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.

class="wikitable" \|+ Football Champions (1969–1984)
Year !University
1969 \|San Diego State*
1970 \|Long Beach State* & San Diego State
1971 \|Long Beach State
1972 \|San Diego State
1973 \|San Diego State
1974 \|San Diego State
1975 \|San Jose State
1976 \|San Jose State
1977 \|Fresno State
1978 \|San Jose State and Utah State
1979 \|Utah State
1980 \|Long Beach State
1981 \|San Jose State*
1982 \|Fresno State*
1983 \|Cal State Fullerton*
1984 \|Cal State Fullerton (UNLV* forfeited)

class="wikitable"

|+ Football Champions (1969–1984)

Year

!University

1969

|San Diego State*

1970

|Long Beach State* & San Diego State

1971

|Long Beach State

1972

|San Diego State

1973

|San Diego State

1974

|San Diego State

1975

|San Jose State

1976

|San Jose State

1977

|Fresno State

1978

|San Jose State and Utah State

1979

|Utah State

1980

|Long Beach State

1981

|San Jose State*

1982

|Fresno State*

1983

|Cal State Fullerton*

1984

|Cal State Fullerton (UNLV* forfeited)

class="wikitable" \|+ Football Champions (1985–2000)
Year !University
1985 \|Fresno State*
1986 \|San Jose State*
1987 \|San Jose State*
1988 \|Fresno State*
1989 \|Fresno State*
1990 \|San Jose State*
1991 \|Fresno State* & San Jose State
1992 \|Nevada*
1993 \|Utah State* & Southwestern La.
1994 \|UNLV*, Southwestern La., & Nevada
1995 \|Nevada*
1996 \|Nevada* & Utah State
1997 \|Utah State* & Nevada
1998 \|Idaho*
1999 \|Boise State*
2000 \|Boise State*

class="wikitable"

|+ Football Champions (1985–2000)

Year

!University

1985

|Fresno State*

1986

|San Jose State*

1987

|San Jose State*

1988

|Fresno State*

1989

|Fresno State*

1990

|San Jose State*

1991

|Fresno State* & San Jose State

1992

|Nevada*

1993

|Utah State* & Southwestern La.

1994

|UNLV*, Southwestern La., & Nevada

1995

|Nevada*

1996

|Nevada* & Utah State

1997

|Utah State* & Nevada

1998

|Idaho*

1999

|Boise State*

2000

|Boise State*

The Big West Conference discontinued football following the 2000 season.[https://web.archive.org/web/20010810235116/http://www.bigwest.org/history/ Big West Conference]. Web.archive.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.

Athletic department revenue by school

Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.

Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.

The following table shows institutional reporting to the United States Department of Education as shown on the DOE Equity in Athletics website for the 2023–24 academic year.{{Cite web |title=Equity in Athletics |url=https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/institution/search |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=ope.ed.gov}} Notably, no school is operating under a deficit, but most are even.

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
style="width:220px;"\| Institution ! style="width:150px;"\| 2023–24 Total Revenue from Athletics ! style="width:150px;"\| 2023–24 Total Expenses on Athletics
bgcolor=#ffa0a0 \| Hawai'i \| $53,867,030 \| $52,696,666
bgcolor=#ffa0a0 \| UC Davis \| $40,571,193 \| $40,571,193
bgcolor=lightgray \| California Baptist \| $35,409,150 \| $32,709,356
Cal Poly \| $31,249,116 \| $30,710,336
UC San Diego \| $26,830,048 \| $26,830,048
Long Beach \| $26,439,800 \| $26,439,800
UC Irvine \| $25,229,757 \| $25,229,757
UC Santa Barbara \| $25,071,244 \| $25,071,244
CSU Fullerton \| $21,899,172 \| $21,899,172
CSU Northridge \| $20,492,925 \| $19,829,463
CSU Bakersfield \| $18,317,243 \| $18,317,243
UC Riverside \| $16,185,070 \| $15,792,444

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"

style="width:220px;"| Institution

! style="width:150px;"| 2023–24 Total Revenue from Athletics

! style="width:150px;"| 2023–24 Total Expenses on Athletics

bgcolor=#ffa0a0

| Hawai'i

| $53,867,030

| $52,696,666

bgcolor=#ffa0a0

| UC Davis

| $40,571,193

bgcolor=lightgray

| California Baptist

| $35,409,150

| $32,709,356

Cal Poly

| $31,249,116

| $30,710,336

| $26,830,048

| $26,439,800

| $25,229,757

| $25,071,244

| $21,899,172

| $20,492,925

| $19,829,463

CSU Bakersfield

| $18,317,243

UC Riverside

| $16,185,070

| $15,792,444

Facilities

class="wikitable sortable"

{{CollegePrimaryHeader|border=2|team=Big West Conference | School | Basketball arena | Capacity | Baseball stadium | Capacity | Soccer stadium | Capacity }}

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners|color=#FFFFFF}}"| Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners

| Icardo Center

| 3,800

| Hardt Field

| 900

| Main Soccer Field

| 2,500

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Cal Poly Mustangs|color=#FFFFFF}}"| Cal Poly Mustangs

|Mott Athletics Center

|3,032

|Robin Baggett Stadium

|3,138

|Mustang Memorial Field{{Cite web |url=https://gopoly.com/news/2022/11/11/cal-polys-football-and-soccer-stadium-has-a-new-name.aspx |title=Cal Poly's Football and Soccer Stadium Has a New Field Name |date=November 11, 2022 |website=gopoly.com |access-date=November 14, 2022}}

|11,075

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Cal State Fullerton Titans|color=#FFFFFF}}"| Cal State Fullerton Titans

|Titan Gym

|4,000

|Goodwin Field

|3,500

|Titan Stadium

|10,000

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Cal State Northridge Matadors|color=#FFFFFF}}"| Cal State Northridge Matadors

|Premier America Credit Union Arena

|2,400

|Matador Field

|1,000

|Matador Soccer Field

|1,550

bgcolor=lightgray

| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|California Baptist Lancers|color=#FFFFFF}}"| California Baptist Lancers

|Fowler Events Center

|{{nts|5050}}

|James W. Totman Stadium

|{{nts|800}}

|CBU Soccer Stadium

|{{nts|500}}

bgcolor=#ffa0a0

| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Hawaii Rainbow Warriors|color=#FFFFFF}}"| Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine

|Stan Sheriff Center

|10,300

|Les Murakami Stadium

|4,312

|Waipiʻo Soccer Stadium

|4,500

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Long Beach State Beach|color=#FFFFFF}}"| Long Beach State Beach

|Walter Pyramid

|5,000{{cite web|title=The Mike and Arlene Walter Pyramid|url=http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students2/intouch/archives/2007-08/vol16_no2/backpage-pyramid.html|publisher=California State University, Long Beach|access-date=February 12, 2012|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129022252/http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students2/intouch/archives/2007-08/vol16_no2/backpage-pyramid.html|url-status=dead}}

|Blair Field

|3,238

|George Allen Field

|1,000

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Sacramento State Hornets|color=#FFFFFF}}"| Sacramento State Hornets

| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|Men's Soccer Member Only

|Hornet Soccer Field

|1,500

bgcolor=#ffa0a0

| style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|UC Davis Aggies|color=#FFFFFF}}"| UC Davis Aggies

|University Credit Union Center

|7,600

|Dobbins Stadium

|3,500

|Aggie Field

|1,000

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|UC Irvine Anteaters|color=#FFFFFF}}"| UC Irvine Anteaters

|Bren Events Center

|4,984

|Cicerone Field

|2,900

|Anteater Stadium

|2,500

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|UC Riverside Highlanders|color=#FFFFFF}}"| UC Riverside Highlanders

|Student Recreation Center

|3,168

|Riverside Sports Complex

|2,500

|UCR Soccer Stadium

|900

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|UC San Diego Tritons|color=#FFFFFF}}"| UC San Diego Tritons

| LionTree Arena

| 4,200

| Triton Ballpark

| 1,200

| Triton Soccer Stadium

| 1,750

style="text-align:center; {{CollegePrimaryStyle|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos|color=#FFFFFF}}"| UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|The Thunderdome

|5,600

|Caesar Uyesaka Stadium

|1,000

|Harder Stadium

|17,000

Commissioner's Cup

Starting during the Big West Conference's 1998–99 season, the Commissioner's Cup is awarded yearly to the most outstanding program throughout the season in the conference's sponsored sports.{{Cite news |date=May 28, 2014 |title=Area Notebook: Long Beach State captures fourth straight BWC Comissioner's [sic] Cup |url=http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/20140528/area-notebook-long-beach-state-captures-fourth-straight-bwc-comissioners-cup |newspaper=Press-Telegram |location=Long Beach, California |access-date=December 1, 2016}} The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the most successful team to date having won 10 total trophies.{{cite web |url=https://bigwest.org/sports/2019/12/12/commissioners-cup-history.aspx |title=Big West Commissioner's Cup History |website=Big West Conference |access-date=September 25, 2022}}

class="wikitable sortable"
Year !Institution !Champion{{shy}}ships competed !Total points !Average !Title #
1998–99 \|Pacific Tigers \|12 \|620 \|51.7 \|1
1999–00 \|Pacific Tigers \|12 \|600 \|50.0 \|2
2000–01 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|16 \|870 \|54.4 \|1
2001–02 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|16 \|2,020 \|126.3 \|2
2002–03 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|16 \|2,070 \|129.4 \|3
2003–04 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|16 \|2,210 \|138.1 \|4
2004–05 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|16 \|2,180 \|136.3 \|5
2005–06 \|Long Beach State 49ers \|13 \|1,640 \|126.2 \|1
2006–07 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|16 \|1,800 \|112.5 \|6
2007–08 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|16 \|2,046 \|127.9 \|7
2008–09 \|Long Beach State 49ers \|14 \|1,540 \|110.0 \|2
2009–10 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|17 \|1,970 \|115.9 \|8
2010–11 \|Long Beach State 49ers \|14 \|1,830 \|130.7 \|3
2011–12 \|Long Beach State 49ers \|14 \|1,960 \|140.0 \|4
2012–13 \|Long Beach State 49ers \|14 \|1,950 \|139.3 \|5
2013–14 \|Long Beach State 49ers \|14 \|1,740 \|124.3 \|6
2014–15 \|Long Beach State 49ers \|14 \|1,640 \|117.1 \|7
2015–16 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|15 \|2,006.7 \|133.8 \|9
2016–17 \|Long Beach State 49ers \|15 \|1,750 \|116.7 \|8
2017–18 \|Cal State Fullerton Titans \|14 \|1,635 \|116.8 \|1
2018–19 \|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|16 \|1,930 \|120.6 \|10
2019–20 \|align=center rowspan=2 colspan=5 \|Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020–21
2021–22 \|Long Beach State Beach \|16 \|2,260 \|141.3 \|9
2022–23 \|Long Beach State Beach \|16 \|2,360 \|147.5 \|10
2023–24 \|Cal Poly Mustangs \|16 \|2,390 \|149.4 \|1

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

!Institution

!Champion{{shy}}ships
competed

!Total points

!Average

!Title #

1998–99

|Pacific Tigers

|12

|620

|51.7

1999–00

|Pacific Tigers

|12

|600

|50.0

2000–01

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|16

|870

|54.4

2001–02

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|16

|2,020

|126.3

2002–03

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|16

|2,070

|129.4

2003–04

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|16

|2,210

|138.1

2004–05

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|16

|2,180

|136.3

2005–06

|Long Beach State 49ers

|13

|1,640

|126.2

2006–07

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|16

|1,800

|112.5

2007–08

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|16

|2,046

|127.9

2008–09

|Long Beach State 49ers

|14

|1,540

|110.0

2009–10

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|17

|1,970

|115.9

2010–11

|Long Beach State 49ers

|14

|1,830

|130.7

2011–12

|Long Beach State 49ers

|14

|1,960

|140.0

2012–13

|Long Beach State 49ers

|14

|1,950

|139.3

2013–14

|Long Beach State 49ers

|14

|1,740

|124.3

2014–15

|Long Beach State 49ers

|14

|1,640

|117.1

2015–16

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|15

|2,006.7

|133.8

2016–17

|Long Beach State 49ers

|15

|1,750

|116.7

2017–18

|Cal State Fullerton Titans

|14

|1,635

|116.8

2018–19

|UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|16

|1,930

|120.6

|10

2019–20

|align=center rowspan=2 colspan=5 |Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020–21

2021–22

|Long Beach State Beach

|16

|2,260

|141.3

2022–23

|Long Beach State Beach

|16

|2,360

|147.5

|10

2023–24

|Cal Poly Mustangs

|16

|2,390

|149.4

=Overall Commissioner's Cups Table=

class="wikitable sortable"
Institution !Commissioner's Cups
Long Beach State 49ers/Beach \|{{center\|10}}
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos \|{{center\|10}}
Pacific Tigers \|{{center\|2}}
Cal Poly Mustangs \|{{center\|1}}
Cal State Fullerton Titans \|{{center\|1}}

class="wikitable sortable"

Institution

!Commissioner's
Cups

Long Beach State 49ers/Beach

|{{center|10}}

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

|{{center|10}}

Pacific Tigers

|{{center|2}}

Cal Poly Mustangs

|{{center|1}}

Cal State Fullerton Titans

|{{center|1}}

Note 1: Bold indicates current members of the Big West Conference

Note 2: The Pacific Tigers moved to the West Coast Conference in 2013

SoCal Challenge

Starting in 2021, the Big West Conference served as host of the SoCal Challenge,{{cite web|title=Buckets & Beaches: Southern California's Premier NCAA D1 Men's College Basketball Tournament|url=https://www.socalchallenge.co|website=Southern California Challenge|access-date=November 23, 2022}} an eight-team men's basketball tournament held during Monday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week. One Big West team represented the conference in the field of each tournament. Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield participated in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. The final tournament was held in 2023.

References

External links

{{Official website}}

Category:Sports organizations established in 1969

Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines

Category:1969 establishments in the United States

class="wikitable sortable" style= \|+ Big West Conference teams ! Sport	style="width:60px;"\| Men's	Women's
Baseball	{{center\|11}}	{{center\|–}}
Basketball	{{center\|11}}	{{center\|11}}
Beach volleyball	{{center\|–}}	{{center\|7}}
Cross Country	{{center\|9}}	{{center\|11}}
Golf	{{center\|12}}	{{center\|9}}
Soccer	{{center\|10}}	{{center\|11}}
Softball	{{center\|–}}	{{center\|10}}
Swimming & diving	{{center\|6}}	{{center\|6}}
\| Tennis	{{center\|7}}	{{center\|10}}
\| Track and Field (Outdoor)	{{center\|10}}	{{center\|11}}
Volleyball	{{center\|6}}	{{center\|11}}
Water polo	{{center\|6}}	{{center\|7}}

Big West Conference#Creation of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association

History

=Pacific Coast Athletic Association=

=Evolution=

=The change to the Big West=

Member schools

=Current full members=

= Future members =

=Affiliate members=

=Future affiliate members=

=Former members=

==Former full members==

==Former affiliate members==

==Former football-only members==

=Membership timeline=

Sports

=Men's sponsored sports by school=

=Women's sponsored sports by school=

= Current conference champions =

=Former sports=

==Football==

Athletic department revenue by school

Facilities

Commissioner's Cup

=Overall Commissioner's Cups Table=

SoCal Challenge

See also

References

External links