UI Football Schedule Takes A Hit Big West Rival Quits The Sport, Leaving Idaho With Nine Games

As it stands, Idaho’s 1996 football schedule has three home games, nine total games and four open dates.

And no homecoming game.

Word came Tuesday afternoon that longtime Big West Conference member Pacific has dropped football for at least one year because of budget constraints.

The Tigers were to be Idaho’s homecoming opponent on Oct. 12 in the Kibbie Dome - in UI’s inaugural Big West Conference contest. UI officially joins the Division I-A Big West next year, severing its affiliation with the I-AA Big Sky.

“You don’t want it to happen, but things are going to change in all conferences,” Idaho athletic director Pete Liske said. “Things are going to change in the Big Sky, in the Big West, in the WAC. The only stable conference you can talk about in the west is the Pac-10.”

Liske didn’t seem overly concerned about UI’s scheduling predicament. The Vandals don’t have a home game until the sixth week of the season when Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo visits on Oct. 5.

But Liske believes that will change soon. Presently, UI opens at Wyoming and at San Diego State, followed by two consecutive open dates and a road game with Southwest Texas State. Liske hopes to fill one or both of the open spots with home games. Ideally, Liske would like to have five home and six road games, though a 4-7 ratio is possible.

Following Cal Poly-SLO, which might become Idaho’s homecoming game, the Vandals’ schedule, in order, looks like this: Open date (thanks to the spiking of Pacific’s program), home against Nevada, at Utah State, open, home versus New Mexico State, at North Texas and at Boise State.

Liske said UI’s game against Eastern Washington has been pushed back to 1997 because the 1996 game conflicted with one of Washington State’s home games. Incidentally, WSU and Pacific had a series scheduled to begin in 1997, but Cougars officials already had considered paying a penalty to buy out Pacific and pick up a different opponent.

“This is going to put everybody changing around,” Liske said.

Including Idaho. Liske talked with roughly 15 schools on Tuesday in regard to scheduling. He plans to chat with teams that were on Pacific’s schedule (which apparently included Fresno State, Cal, St. Mary’s, Oregon, Minnesota and San Jose State) because those schools now have open dates.

Also, Liske said the Big West and Mid-American Conference are toying with the idea of a home-and-home series. For example, a MAC school would visit Idaho and the Vandals would play at a MAC school.

Idaho football coach Chris Tormey, who inherited a 10-game schedule in his first season last year, was on the road recruiting and could not be reached for comment.

Liske said 1997 and 1998 schedules were coming together nicely - until Pacific’s announcement on Tuesday. Liske said a big-money game with Auburn has been moved from 1997 to 1999. He doesn’t sound too certain that the game will ever take place, particularly if he’s able to schedule an opponent closer to home.

Pacific’s departure leaves the Big West with six football schools - Nevada, New Mexico State, Utah State and 1996 newcomers Idaho, Boise State and North Texas. That means Big West members will have to schedule six non-conference games to reach the usual 11 games.

“With our remodeled look beginning next fall, the conference will still have six quality teams competing for our football championship and a Las Vegas Bowl berth,” Big West commissioner Dennis Farrell said in a statement issued on Tuesday. “We will continue to be open to other possible members in the future.”

Liske said he’s discussing games with numerous I-AA and I-A schools.

“We’ll just have to see what we can get,” he said. “At this stage, I’m not worried about (another 10-game schedule). It’ll work out - it’s just a matter of time.”

, DataTimes