 | |
| Formerly | Pacific Coast Athletic Association (1969–1988) |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Founded | July 1, 1969; 56 years ago (1969-07-01) |
| Commissioner | Dan Butterly (since July 1, 2020) |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division I |
| Subdivision | Non–football |
| No. of teams | 11 (12 in 2026, 11 in 2027) |
| Headquarters | Irvine, California |
| Region | West Coast |
| Broadcasters | ESPN Spectrum SportsNet |
| Official website | www |
| Locations | |
 | |
TheBig West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiateathletic conference whose member institutions participate in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association'sDivision I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as thePacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA), and in 1988 was renamed the Big West Conference. The conference stopped sponsoringcollege football after the 2000 season.
Among the conference's 11 member institutions, 10 are located in California (nine inSouthern California alone), and one is located in Hawaii (though the Hawaii member is leaving for theMountain West Conference, effective July 1, 2026). All of the current schools are public universities, with the California schools evenly split between theCalifornia State University and theUniversity of California systems. In addition, one affiliate member plays two sports in the BWC not sponsored by its home conference.
– Full members
– Future member
– Current Associate and Future full member
– Departing membersThe Big West Conference was formed in June 1968 as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.[1] The five original charter members wereFresno State,San Jose State,UC Santa Barbara,San Diego State, andLong Beach State.[1] Two other schools,Cal State Los Angeles and theUniversity of the Pacific, were also considered but they declined at that time to pursue membership.[2] The newly formed conference had several meetings to set up its governance, which was confirmed in October 1968 on the campus of UC Santa Barbara.[3] Before the league started play, Cal State Los Angeles joined as a full member and the University of the Pacific joined for football only, becoming a full member itself two years later.[4][5] The conference itself lists July 1, 1969, as its founding date, with the seven institutions beginning conference play that fall.[6][7]
Since its inception as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, the conference has seen many changes.Utah State was the first institution outside California to join the conference in 1978.[8] This opened the floodgates for many other schools to affiliate with the PCAA; notable schools includeUNLV,Nevada,Louisiana Tech,Boise State, and football-only members, such asSouthwestern Louisiana andArkansas State.
In 1983, the PCAA became the first western conference to introduce women's athletic programs, allowing female student-athletes to compete at the same level as their male counterparts. This proved vital forHawaiʻi as their only participation in the conference was fortheir women's sports.
However, many universities left to join conferences that were perceived as more well-known, such as theWestern Athletic Conference or theMountain West Conference, while others did not see the benefit of travel since historically many of the teams have been California-based.
From the departures ofIdaho and Utah State in 2005 until the arrival of Hawaiʻi in 2012, all members were based in California, reducing the cost and travel time between the universities. When Hawaiʻi joined, it agreed to help defray a portion of travel costs to that state for the league's California members.
In 2011, San Diego State University and Boise State University had initially agreed to move all sports except football to the Big West by 2013.[9] However, when theBig East decided to no longer sponsor football for the 2013 season, both San Diego and Boise backed out of their agreement with the Big West, electing to remain members of the Mountain West instead.
Upon numerous conference shifts spurred from the announcement thatUCLA andUSC of thePac-12 were to move toBig 10, a domino effect occurred, ultimately resulting in both Hawaiʻi andUC Davis announcing their move to the Mountain West effective the 2026 school year.
This would leave the Big West with 9 teams, and with the remaining member universities hoping to keep the conference at at least 11 teams, the Big West invited bothCalifornia Baptist University andUtah Valley University to join the conference by the 2026 school year. Both institutions have since announced their respective intentions to join the conference, marking it the first time since 2013 that a private university will compete in the Big West, and the first time since 2005 that the Big West will have a member in the continental U.S. outside of California. Later in June,Sacramento State announced its intention to join the Big West in all sports except football, effective by the 2026 school year, when they will join alongside California Baptist and Utah Valley.
On September 3, 2025,UC San Diego formally accepted an invite to theWest Coast Conference for the 2027–28 season after Gonzaga announced their departure to the rebuilt Pac-12 for the 2026–27 season earlier that year.[10]
There have been no more than 35 full and associate members in the conference's history, while only two of the original seven charter members remain (Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara, with only Long Beach State's membership being continuous).
Effective July 1, 1988, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association changed its name to the Big West Conference.[7] With such schools as Utah State, UNLV, Nevada, New Mexico State, and Hawaiʻi now in the fold, the name change was more representative of its member institutions.[7] In addition, the conference had signed a contract with ESPN to have its men's basketball games telecast as the third game of a triple header known asBig Monday - the other conferences being featured were theBig East and theBig Ten so the name Big West fit the theme.[12]
Member departing for theMountain West Conference in 2026.
Members departing for theWest Coast Conference in 2027.
| Institution | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Endowment (millions –FY24) | Nickname | Colors | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Baptist University[20][21] | Riverside, California | 1950 | 2026[a] | Private (Baptist) | 11,491[22] | $162.7[23] | Lancers | WAC | |
| California State University, Sacramento[24] | Sacramento, California | 1947 | 2026[b] | Public (CSU system) | 31,181 | $86.42[13] | Hornets | Big Sky | |
| Utah Valley University[25] | Orem, Utah | 1941 | 2026 | Public | 41,728 | $109.94[26] | Wolverines | WAC |
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Joined | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference | Big West sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) | Hornets[a] | Sacramento, California | 1947 | 2012–13 | Public (CSU system) | 30,670 | Big Sky | Men's soccer |
| 2015–16 | Beach volleyball | |||||||
| Grand Canyon University | Antelopes | Phoenix, Arizona | 1949 | 2025–26 | Private For-Profit[b] | 103,427[c] | Mountain West | Men's swimming & diving[d] |
| University of San Diego | Toreros | San Diego, California | 1949 | 2025–26 | Private | 7,548 | WCC | Women's swimming & diving |
| Seattle University | Redhawks | Seattle, Washington | 1891 | 7,755 | Men's swimming & diving | |||
| Women's swimming & diving |
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Joining | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference | Big West sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi) | Rainbow Warriors & Rainbow Wahine | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1907 | 2026[a] | Public (U of H system) | 19,074 | Big West (MW in 2026) | Beach volleyball |
| Men's volleyball | ||||||||
| Women's water polo |
Many of the former members of the Big West are now members of theWestern Athletic Conference or theMountain West Conference. Of the nine schools that were in the WAC before itsearly-2010s realignment, only Hawaiʻi had not spent some time in the Big West as a football participant – it was a Big West member only in women's sports. Of the former members, Cal State Los Angeles is the only team that reverted toDivision II level.
School names and nicknames reflect those used by the institutions when they were Big West members. One school has changed its name (Southwestern Louisiana, now branded athletically as Louisiana and also known as Louisiana–Lafayette) and another its nickname (Arkansas State, from Indians to Red Wolves).
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference | Big West sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) | Broncos | Pomona,California | 1938 | 1984–85 | 1989–90 | Public | 22,501 | CCAA[a] | softball |
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi) | Rainbow Warriors &Rainbow Wahine[b] | Honolulu, Hawaii | 1907 | 1995–96 | 19,074 | Big West | women's sports | ||
| University of Idaho (Idaho) | Vandals | Moscow,Idaho | 1889 | 2024–25 | 11,849 | Big Sky | men's golf | ||
| California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) | Hornets | Sacramento | 1947 | 1996–97 | 2001–02 | 24,388 | baseball | ||
| 2024–25 | men's golf | ||||||||
| San Diego State University | Aztecs | San Diego | 1897 | 1984–85 | 1989–90 | 33,790 | Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026) | women's sports | |
| 2012–13 | women's water polo | ||||||||
| Institution | Nickname | Location | Founded | Joined | Left | Type | Enrollment | Primary conference at the time of joining Big West football | Current conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State University | Indians[a] | Jonesboro, Arkansas | 1909 | 1993–94 | 1995–96 | Public | 13,438 | Sun Belt | |
| 1999–00 | 2000–01[b] | ||||||||
| Louisiana Tech University | Bulldogs | Ruston, Louisiana | 1894 | 1993–94 | 1995–96 | 11,581 | Sun Belt | CUSA | |
| Northern Illinois University | Huskies | DeKalb, Illinois | 1895 | 25,313 | Mid-Continent[c] | MAC (MW in 2026)[d] | |||
| University of Southwestern Louisiana[e] | Ragin' Cajuns | Lafayette, Louisiana | 1898 | 19,188 | Sun Belt | ||||
| University of the Pacific | Tigers | Stockton, California | 1851 | 1969 | 1971[f] | Private | 6,296 | West Coast | |
Full members Full members (non-football) Assoc. members (football only) Assoc. member (Other sports) Other Conference Other Conference
Notes
The Big West Conference currently sponsors 21 NCAA sports, with men's and women's swimming & diving the newest additions for the 2024–25 school year.[30] The Big West is considered amid-major conference, the term itself coined in 1977.
In baseball, Cal State Fullerton has won four College World Series titles with national championships in 1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004.[31] In addition, Long Beach State and UC Irvine have made multiple appearances in the College World Series. The Big West is the only existing mid-major conference to have multiple teams make the College World Series in the same year, with Cal State Fullerton and Fresno State both making it in1988, Long Beach State and Fresno in1991, and Fullerton and UC Irvine in2007. Fullerton also has a national championship in softball, winning in 1986. Hawaiʻi joined the conference in women's sports only between 1984 and 1996, and won the1987 NCAA women's volleyball title. Long Beach State has won three NCAA women's volleyball titles as a part ofBig West Conference women's volleyball, with national championships in 1989, 1993, and 1998.Misty May-Treanor led the 49ers (now known as Beach) to a 36–0 record en route to the program's most recent title. UC Santa Barbara was the NCAA men's soccer runner-up in 2004, losing the national championship match to Indiana on penalty kicks. The Gauchos returned to the College Cup in 2006 and won the national championship.
Former Big West members UNLV and Pacific won national championships while part of the conference. The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team won the 1990 NCAA tournament championship after routing Duke 103–73 in the national title game. UNLV was undefeated during the 1991 NCAA men's basketball season before falling to Duke in the final four. The Runnin' Rebels during this era are widely considered one of the best college basketball teams of all time. The Pacific Tigers women's volleyball team won back-to-back national championships in 1985 and 1986.
The Big West did not sponsor men's volleyball or men's water polo, but it was the primary conference affiliation of several schools that compete in theMountain Pacific Sports Federation for these sports, respectively. In NCAA men's volleyball, UC Irvine has established itself as one of the nation's most elite programs, winning four national championships in 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2013. Long Beach State also won men's national volleyball titles in 1991, 2018, 2019, and 2025, three while in the Big West. Hawaiʻi also won men's national volleyball titles in 2021 and 2022. In NCAA men's water polo, UC Irvine won three national championships in 1970, 1982, and 1989. UC Santa Barbara also won a men's water polo title in 1979.
On May 31, 2016, the Big West announced the conference would sponsor men's volleyball as its 18th sport, with five Big West schools leaving the MPSF to establish the new men's volleyball league. Men's volleyball is the third of four sports in which the MPSF has recently seen a mass exodus of teams to join an existing conference in a newly sponsored sport, with men's soccer, men's water polo, and women's lacrosse as the others. The men's volleyball membership includes core Big West members Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State, Hawaiʻi, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. UC San Diego joined as an affiliate to bring the league to the NCAA minimum requirement of 6 teams to receive an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.
Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell explained that adding UC San Diego was not an indicator UC San Diego would be added to the Big West Conference as a full member. UC San Diego had recently passed a bill to move all their sports to Division I and was looking for an invite from the Big West Conference. UC San Diego has long competed at the Division I level in men's volleyball; the NCAA conducts a single national championship open to all Division I and II members, and scholarship limits in the sport are the same in both divisions. The Big West regular season for men's volleyball will be a double round-robin, with each team playing the others once at home and once on the road. The Big West Tournament will have all six teams participate in single-elimination rounds with the top two teams receiving semifinal byes.[32]
The Big West is the first Division I all-sports conference (defined as a league that sponsors men's and women's basketball) ever to sponsor men's volleyball, and the second NCAA all-sports conference overall to sponsor men's volleyball as a scholarship sport (the first was theDivision IIConference Carolinas).
On November 26, 2017, the Big West announced that it would add UC San Diego along with Cal State Bakersfield as its 10th and 11th members starting on July 1, 2020. Cal State Bakersfield, which was already a full Division I member competing in theWestern Athletic Conference, became a full member effective July 1, 2020. UC San Diego, which had failed to move up from Division II in failed bids to the Big West in 2011 and April 2017, has begun the four-year transition process to Division I and became a full member effective July 1, 2024. UC San Diego's men's volleyball joined the Big West in 2017, in advance of that sport's 2018 season, and women's water polo joined in 2019. Because the NCAA does not sponsor a Division II championship in either men's volleyball or women's water polo, UCSD was eligible for conference championships in both sports upon joining the Big West, and remained eligible for such during the D-I transition.[33]
UC San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield, the latter now in the process of rebranding its athletic program as Bakersfield, officially joined the conference on July 1, 2020, and Dan Butterly became the new commissioner following the retirement of Dennis Farrell. UC San Diego officially joined Division I ranks on July 1, 2024, and thus could compete in conference championships and NCAA playoffs from then on.
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 11 | – |
| Basketball | 11 | 11 |
| Beach volleyball | – | 7 |
| Cross Country | 9 | 11 |
| Golf | 12 | 9 |
| Soccer | 10 | 11 |
| Softball | – | 10 |
| Swimming &diving | 6 | 6 |
| Tennis | 7 | 10 |
| Track and Field (Outdoor) | 10 | 11 |
| Volleyball | 6 | 11 |
| Water polo | 6 | 7 |
| School | Baseball | Basketball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Swimming & diving | Tennis | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Volleyball | Water polo | Total Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | 5 |
| Cal Poly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | 8 |
| Cal State Fullerton | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | 7 |
| Cal State Northridge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | 7 |
| Hawaiʻi | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | 6 |
| Long Beach State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 7 |
| UC Davis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | 8 |
| UC Irvine | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| UC Riverside | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | 7 |
| UC San Diego | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| UC Santa Barbara | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Future Members | |||||||||||
| California Baptist | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | 6 |
| Sacramento State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | 7 |
| Utah Valley | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | 6 |
| Totals | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9+1[a] | 5+2[b] | 7 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 84+3 |
| School | Fencing[a] | Football[b] | Rowing[c] | Track & Field (Indoor) | Wrestling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | No | No | No | No | Pac-12 |
| Cal Poly | No | Big Sky | No | Independent | Pac-12 |
| Cal State Fullerton | No | No | No | MPSF | No |
| Cal State Northridge | No | No | No | MPSF | No |
| Hawaiʻi | No | Mountain West | No | No | No |
| Long Beach State | No | No | ACRA | MPSF | No |
| Sacramento State | No | Independent | No | Big Sky[d] | No |
| UC Davis | No | Big Sky | ACRA | No | No |
| UC Irvine | No | No | ACRA | No | No |
| UC Riverside | No | No | No | MPSF | No |
| UC San Diego | MPSF | No | MPSF | No | No |
| UC Santa Barbara | No | No | ACRA | Independent | No |
| Utah Valley | No | No | No | WAC[e] | Big 12 |
| School | Basketball | Beach Volleyball | Cross Country | Golf | Soccer | Softball | Swimming & diving | Tennis | Track & Field (Outdoor) | Volleyball | Water polo | Total Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | 9 |
| Cal Poly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 10 |
| Cal State Fullerton | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Cal State Northridge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| Hawaiʻi | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| Long Beach State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 10 |
| UC Davis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 11 |
| UC Irvine | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 8 |
| UC Riverside | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 8 |
| UC San Diego | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| UC Santa Barbara | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Future Members | ||||||||||||
| California Baptist | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | 9 |
| Sacramento State | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | 9 |
| Utah Valley | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | 7 |
| Totals | 11 | 6+1[a] | 11 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 6+2[b] | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 104+3 |
| School | Fencing[a] | Field hockey | Gymnastics | Lacrosse | Rowing | Stunt[b] | Track & Field (Indoor) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | No | No | No | No | No | No | Independent |
| Cal Poly | No | No | No | No | No | Independent | Independent |
| Cal State Fullerton | No | No | No | No | No | No | MPSF |
| Cal State Northridge | No | No | No | No | No | No | MPSF |
| California Baptist | No | No | No | No | No | Independent | No |
| Hawaiʻi | No | No | No | No | No | No | MPSF |
| Long Beach State | No | No | No | No | No | No | MPSF |
| Sacramento State | No | No | MPSF | No | WCC | No | Big Sky[c] |
| UC Davis | No | MPSF | MPSF | Big 12 | No | No | Independent |
| UC Irvine | No | No | No | No | No | No | MPSF |
| UC San Diego | MPSF | No | No | No | CAA | No | No |
| UC Santa Barbara | No | No | No | No | No | No | Independent |
| Utah Valley | No | No | No | No | No | No | WAC[d] |
The Big West Conference sponsors championship competition in 9 men's and 10 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. Men's and women's swimming & diving were added in 2024–25.[34]
Regular-season champions are indicated with "(RS)" and tournament champions with "(T)".
| Season | Sport | Men's champion | Women's champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Cross country | Cal Poly | Cal Poly |
| Soccer | UC Santa Barbara,Cal Poly (RS) UC Irvine (RS & T) | CSUN (RS) Cal Poly (T) | |
| Water polo | Long Beach State (RS) UC Davis (T) | ||
| Volleyball | UC Davis (RS) Cal Poly (T) | ||
| Winter 2025–26 | Swimming & diving | TBD | TBD |
| Basketball | TBD | TBD | |
| Spring 2026 | Golf | TBD | TBD |
| Volleyball | TBD | ||
| Beach volleyball | TBD | ||
| Tennis | TBD | TBD | |
| Water polo | TBD | ||
| Track & field (outdoor) | TBD | TBD | |
| Softball | TBD | ||
| Baseball | TBD |
An asterisk denotes the participant in the bowls that invited the Big West champion:
Pasadena (1969–70),California (1981–91),Las Vegas (1992–96), andHumanitarian (1997–2000)[35]
|
|
The Big West Conference discontinued football following the 2000 season.[36]
The following table shows National University rank byU.S. News & World Report as of 2026, as well as the Regional Western University rank as denoted by an asterisk, and theForbes ranking for 2024-25.[37][38][39]
Also indicated is membership in theAssociation of American Universities.[40]
| Institution | US News & World Report | Forbes | AAU Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC San Diego | 29 | 20 | Yes |
| UC Davis | 32 | 44 | Yes |
| UC Irvine | 32 | 31 | Yes |
| UC Santa Barbara | 40 | 42 | Yes |
| UC Riverside | 75 | 77 | Yes |
| Long Beach State | 127 | 97 | No |
| Cal State Fullerton | 139 | 118 | No |
| Hawaiʻi | 169 | 219 | No |
| Cal Poly | 1* | 55 | No |
| Cal State Northridge | 20* | 271 | No |
| Sacramento State | 22* | 280 | No |
| Cal State Bakersfield | 31* | 295 | No |
| Cal Baptist | 33* | – | No |
| Utah Valley | 93* | – | No |
Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights and licensing, student fees, school funds and all other sources including TV income, camp income, concessions, and novelties.
Total expenses includes coach and staff salaries, scholarships, buildings and grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance.
The following table shows institutional reporting to theKnight Commission for the 2023–24 academic year.[41][42]
| Institution | 2023-24 Total Expenses on Athletics | 2023-24 Total Revenue from Athletics |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaiʻi | $59,858,162 | $57,738,309 |
| UC Davis | $55,067,037 | $50,059,304 |
| Cal Poly | $46,657,496 | $43,594,326 |
| Sacramento State | $43,895,764 | $43,065,314 |
| California Baptist[a] | $34,879,391 | $36,994,975 |
| UC San Diego | $33,236,553 | $32,471,959 |
| UC Santa Barbara | $33,207,582 | $28,115,031 |
| UC Irvine | $31,027,866 | $28,488,633 |
| Long Beach State | $29,648,226 | $28,941,062 |
| CSU Fullerton | $26,329,053 | $26,329,053 |
| CSU Northridge | $22,818,177 | $23,425,818 |
| UC Riverside | $20,939,408 | $21,347,393 |
| Utah Valley | $19,489,061 | $18,435,237 |
| CSU Bakersfield | $18,667,097 | $17,995,313 |
The following table shows revenue specifically from NCAA / Conference Distributions, Media Rights, and Post-Season Football reported by theKnight Commission for the 2023-24 academic year.
Through June 30, 2025[47]
Starting during the Big West Conference's 1998–99 season, the Commissioner's Cup is awarded yearly to the most outstanding program throughout the season in the conference's sponsored sports.[48] TheUC Santa Barbara Gauchos are the most successful team to date having won 10 total trophies.[49]
| Year | Institution | Championships competed | Total points | Average | Title # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Pacific Tigers | 12 | 620 | 51.7 | 1 |
| 1999–00 | Pacific Tigers | 12 | 600 | 50.0 | 2 |
| 2000–01 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 16 | 870 | 54.4 | 1 |
| 2001–02 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 16 | 2,020 | 126.3 | 2 |
| 2002–03 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 16 | 2,070 | 129.4 | 3 |
| 2003–04 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 16 | 2,210 | 138.1 | 4 |
| 2004–05 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 16 | 2,180 | 136.3 | 5 |
| 2005–06 | Long Beach State 49ers | 13 | 1,640 | 126.2 | 1 |
| 2006–07 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 16 | 1,800 | 112.5 | 6 |
| 2007–08 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 16 | 2,046 | 127.9 | 7 |
| 2008–09 | Long Beach State 49ers | 14 | 1,540 | 110.0 | 2 |
| 2009–10 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 17 | 1,970 | 115.9 | 8 |
| 2010–11 | Long Beach State 49ers | 14 | 1,830 | 130.7 | 3 |
| 2011–12 | Long Beach State 49ers | 14 | 1,960 | 140.0 | 4 |
| 2012–13 | Long Beach State 49ers | 14 | 1,950 | 139.3 | 5 |
| 2013–14 | Long Beach State 49ers | 14 | 1,740 | 124.3 | 6 |
| 2014–15 | Long Beach State 49ers | 14 | 1,640 | 117.1 | 7 |
| 2015–16 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 15 | 2,006.7 | 133.8 | 9 |
| 2016–17 | Long Beach State 49ers | 15 | 1,750 | 116.7 | 8 |
| 2017–18 | Cal State Fullerton Titans | 14 | 1,635 | 116.8 | 1 |
| 2018–19 | UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 16 | 1,930 | 120.6 | 10 |
| 2019–20 | Not awarded due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. | ||||
| 2020–21 | |||||
| 2021–22 | Long Beach State Beach | 16 | 2,260 | 141.3 | 9 |
| 2022–23 | Long Beach State Beach | 16 | 2,360 | 147.5 | 10 |
| 2023–24 | Cal Poly Mustangs | 16 | 2,390 | 149.4 | 1 |
| 2024–25 | UC Irvine Anteaters | 17 | 2,530 | 148.8 | 1 |
| Institution | Commissioner's Cups |
|---|---|
| Long Beach State 49ers/Beach | 10 |
| UC Santa Barbara Gauchos | 10 |
| Pacific Tigers | 2 |
| Cal Poly Mustangs | 1 |
| Cal State Fullerton Titans | 1 |
| UC Irvine Anteaters | 1 |
Note 1:Bold indicates current members of the Big West Conference
Note 2: ThePacific Tigers moved to theWest Coast Conference in 2013
Starting in 2021, the Big West Conference served as host of theSoCal Challenge,[50] an eight-team men's basketball tournament held during Monday and Wednesday ofThanksgiving week. One Big West team represented the conference in the field of each tournament.Cal Poly,Cal State Northridge andCal State Bakersfield participated in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. The final tournament was held in 2023.
