Following the announcement that California State University, Sacramento, will be leaving the Big Sky Conference to join the Big West Conference in 2026, the Big Sky Conference announced that Southern Utah University and Utah Tech University will be joining them starting in the 2026-27 athletic season.
In 2020, the Utah Tech Trailblazers, previously known as Dixie State University, transitioned from Division II to Division I and afterward joined the Western Athletic Conference, which reintroduced football in 2021 after an eight-year break.
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds, on the other hand, were members of the Summit League from 1996 to 2012, when they joined the Big Sky Conference. During this time, the Thunderbirds and the Weber State University Wildcats reignited their football rivalry, known as “The Beehive Bowl.”
During the Thunderbirds’ stay in the Big Sky, the Beehive Bowl was played 11 times, with the Wildcats winning seven of those games, including a 62–0 win in their last meeting in 2021.
Following the 2021 season, SUU moved to the WAC, joining their neighbors at Utah Tech.
Before the 2023 season, it was announced that the WAC would combine with the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) in football to form the United Athletic Conference (UAC).
However, during the 2024-25 athletic season, Grand Canyon University announced that it would join the Mountain West Conference in 2026. Later, Utah Valley University and California Baptist University announced that they would join the Big West Conference in 2026.
These departures and Sacramento State’s announcement to join the Big West led to the two southern Utah schools joining the Big Sky.
Since Southern Utah’s departure from the Big Sky, the Wildcats and Thunderbirds have not played each other very often in any sport, but the Wildcats and Trailblazers have seen their fair share of games against one another.
