Utah Valley Joins Big West Conference for 2026-27 Season
OREM, Utah (AP) — Utah Valley University will become a member of the Big West Conference starting in the 2026-27 athletic year, marking the league’s return to Utah after a 27-year absence. The conference announced on Wednesday that Utah Valley, alongside California Baptist, will officially join on July 1, 2026, although the league may remain at 11 schools at that time.
The Big West, which does not sponsor football, will see the departures of Hawaii and UC Davis to the Mountain West Conference in the same season. Hawaii has been a football-only member of the Mountain West since 2012, while UC Davis transitions from the Big Sky Conference.
Utah Valley is departing from the Western Athletic Conference and will compete in 13 sports within the Big West, including men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, and softball. With an enrollment of 47,000 students, Utah Valley will be the largest institution in the conference. Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly expressed enthusiasm about expanding the conference’s reach into Utah and enhancing competitive standards across all sports.
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