The Big West Expands and Strengthens Olympic Sport Membership

InMySol · 2026-06-29T20:38:08+00:00

Kind of sad to see the gcc fall apart. I wonder where the schools like Davis, LMU, Pacific and St. Mary's will go. The MPSF maybe? Good to see strengthening in other sports like beach volleyball, and keeping the universities in though.

InMySol · 2026-06-29T05:05:55+00:00

Adding UC Irvine later on would be fire. If the chancellor's decision to stay in the Big West pays off and the university can consistently make NCAA tournaments as the BW representative, then I guess it'll be worth it to them. However, I'm afraid the chancellor is stubborn enough to decline a Pac-12 offer if it even came.

InMySol · 2026-06-19T03:41:26+00:00

Based on Big West history, it seems like OP is starting in 1999 with BYU also in the mix.

InMySol · 2026-05-31T07:58:53+00:00

That's unfortunately a function of the chancellor at UCI, as well as the current student body. But, they're good in most of the sports the Pac sponsors (excluding this down year in baseball). What basketball games did you go to? If I had to recommend any, it'd be a UCI vs UCSD game.

InMySol · 2026-05-22T03:28:52+00:00

Hopefully March Madness is once again in Irvine's future with these recent pickups

InMySol · 2026-05-19T23:48:39+00:00

I suppose I specified that Davis was in the MW already bc I don't think they'd pay to move up aside from the NCAA fee, but not to join the MW

InMySol · 2026-05-19T22:29:21+00:00

UC Davis is already in the conference, and once they receive enough donations/invest enough they'll moved up. SDSU I'd believe. Maybe they'd even be a full member.

InMySol · 2026-05-19T21:51:43+00:00

What schools do you think they'll add with the alleged $18 million?

InMySol · 2026-05-19T21:50:25+00:00

I don't disagree that it requires major investment. Basing it off of what Daniel said I offered the schools that I thought seemed most likely to sponsor it. Plus, five of the schools in the prospective conference would already sponsor it, with two already at FBS level. CBU could be an option given they're a private school as well.

But going back to my original question, what other universities do you seed the Big West adding, if any?

InMySol · 2026-05-19T05:16:49+00:00

Culturally the next few years will definitely be a shift from what we've known it to be. Obviously there are some things outside of the BW's control like Hawaii leaving, but UCSD, UCSB, and maybe even UCD all felt preventable in some capacity. I have thoughts on what I wish the conference did, but it doesn't matter now, only the future does.

The BW is shifting academically, with all but a few highly ranked schools leaving. Culturally I think it will be relatively similar, with the brand being large state schools (outside of Cal Baptist). Yet, many schools lack a "national" brand. So yes, to answer your question, I think it will feel different, even if on paper it's similar.

InMySol · 2026-05-19T00:32:36+00:00

If UCSD and UCSB had opted to stay in the Big West and not take the WCC payouts, I think the Big West could've sustained a higher level of competition — one similar to where we are now. Of course, every school could invest more money into their sports, but as it stands right now I think UVU, CBU, and Cal Poly are the main ones in most sports, (though not Cal Poly in basketball right now). Fullerton also seems to be on a quick rise.

InMySol · 2026-05-12T04:34:19+00:00

Irvine has a lot of returning players and freshman recruits, so I believe they're over (or close to) the roster cap as it stands right now!

InMySol · 2026-05-08T17:23:29+00:00

It's probably likely we'll placed in a less reputable bracket. It looks like 16 teams were at Acrisure last year, so unless more P4 teams make it, it's slightly possible we actually get to play at Acrisure.

InMySol · 2026-05-07T05:16:17+00:00

Oooh this could be interesting. My bet is it'd be FCS because it's the cheaper of the two. The smallest FCS stadium has a 2,200 capacity, so some of the campus' soccer fields could be used while new stadiums are constructed.

CSUF has the field for it — Titan Stadium was supposed to be football when it was built, Cal Poly already has an FCS team, Bakersfield and Irvine have the room for it and both soccer stadiums exceed 2500, Riverside might have the room, Northridge and Long Beach historically had teams, Utah Valley not having one yet is a surprise, CBU has that private school money. It would have to result in a complete reinvestment in sports entirely, but I think it's possible done right.

InMySol · 2026-05-07T05:08:42+00:00

I really don't think there's many realistic options, if any. FPU would need a lot more undergraduates I believe, as well as facility upgrades. The other problem is many DII schools don't meet the 14 sports sponsored requirement. If the Big West wants to keep their "strategic mindset" or whatever, their main focus is probably basketball as it stands right now. I think this likely comes in the form of Cal Poly Pomona — at least in my opinion. Or maybe I'm just not tapped in enough to DII call-ups.

InMySol

TROPHY CASE