Northwest Notes Oct. 28, 2026

Idaho, Eastern learn Big Sky football schedules for 2027

On Tuesday, the Big Sky Conference announced its finalized 2027 slates for all 13 member schools, putting together a large portion of the schedule for Idaho and Eastern Washington football going into the next year.

Idaho will enter the ninth season of the Vandals' second stint in the league, making their return in time for the 2018 season. 2027 will also mark the second year of the new-look Big Sky with the addition of Utah Tech and the return of Southern Utah. 

The addition of a ninth conference game and a 12th overall game to the FCS schedule will once again result in Big Sky teams kicking off their seasons against one another in Week 1 before beginning their non-conference portions. Thus, Idaho will open the 2027 season at home, hosting Northern Colorado on Saturday, Aug. 28, in the P1FCU Kibbie Dome.

Once the non-conference slate wraps up, the Vandals will return to league play at home or close to it for the next three weeks, taking on Eastern Washington in Cheney before a two-week homestand vs. Montana and Northern Arizona. 

Following the home slate, the Vandals will travel to Southern Utah before the bye week. The Vandals will alternate home and away contests for the last four weeks of the regular season, traveling to Bozeman to face Montana State, hosting Utah Tech, and heading out to California to take on UC Davis. The schedule closes at home vs. Idaho State.

Eastern plays five of its nine Big Sky games next season on the road, beginning at Cal Poly on Aug. 28.

The Eagles' 2027 home slate opens with the rivalry matchup against Idaho on Sept. 25. 

Continuing play at Roos Field, Eastern hosts Weber State on Oct. 9, with the Wildcats making the first trip to Cheney since 2023. 

Southern Utah returns to Roos Field on Oct. 23 for the first matchup between the two teams since the 2021 season. 

The home conference schedule concludes on Nov. 20 against UC Davis. 

The Eagles’ ‘27 road matchups included trips to Portland State (Oct. 2), Montana (Oct. 16), Northern Colorado (Oct. 30) and Idaho State (Nov. 13).