So for Weber State and everyone else, that means August season openers will be standard as FCS schools start playing on what has been called “Week 0” nationally.

In the immediate future, that means most Big Sky schools are playing conference games to begin the 2026 season. That’s because with the regular-season expansion and growing from 12 to 13 teams, the league voted to expand the conference schedule to nine games.

Since FCS added a week to the schedule, Big Sky teams needed to add a game late in the process, so the easiest solution was to put the ninth conference contest at the front.

So, Eric Kjar opens his tenure with a 2026 schedule that looks nearly opposite of last season with a game Aug. 28 at Northern Colorado.

WSU begins with three straight road games just like in 2025, but those trips go to Greeley, Colorado, Cedar City, Utah, and Boulder, Colorado — much different than opening with trips to Virginia, Arizona and Louisiana.

And whereas last year, WSU was the only team in either Division I subdivision to play its first four road games in each of the continental United States’ four time zones, the 2026 Wildcats play just one game outside the geographical Mountain Time Zone (a midseason trip to Cal Poly).

Last year also saw the Wildcats play two FBS opponents, while 2026 has one.

Last year’s team played both Montana and Montana State in consecutive weeks, losing by a combined tally of 104-31, which led to the dismissal of third-year head coach Mickey Mental. WSU does trip to defending national champion Montana State again this year, but the Griz are not on the league schedule.

If Kjar and company can be more disciplined and capable on both sides of the ball, even smaller improvements could be magnified by a much more favorable schedule.

Here’s a look at each of WSU’s opponents for the 2025 season.

AUG. 28: at NORTHERN COLORADO

2025 record: 4-8 (2-6 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 10th/11th

All-time: WSU 11-2

Last: NoCo 21-17 (2024)

Weber State football’s recent decline can mostly be measured against Northern Colorado.

In the midst of a NoCo two-year losing streak, the Wildcats escaped a horrifying road loss in 2023 only because future NFL linebacker Winston Reid cashed in a late pick-six to help save the ordeal. In 2024, the Wildcats lost just three turnovers in six games and outgunned Montana on the road for a historic win, only to return home and commit five turnovers and allow the Bears their first win in ages.

While the Wildcats had the Bears off the schedule last year, NoCo looked a lot better. The Greeley-based squad went 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the Big Sky, just like WSU, but that included a four-point loss at Colorado State, an overtime loss at ranked South Dakota, and a 40-35 loss at Sacramento State in which the Hornets rallied in the final moments.

Former SUU head coach and BYU associate HC Ed Lamb now enters his fourth season leading the Bears. He’ll welcome former high school legend Eric Kjar to town on a familiar Friday night; Northern Colorado moved the game up a day so the school can debut its new lights at Nottingham Field.

Northern Colorado returns zero quarterbacks who took snaps in 2025. Among several new senior transfers, mostly from junior college, it’s Colorado native Keegan Patterson who has an apparent upper hand as the starter at Indiana State last year. Three of the team’s top four rushers from last year are back, but its top three receivers are gone. The team lists four FBS transfer receivers on the roster.

SEPT. 5: at SOUTHERN UTAH

2025 record: 7-5 (6-2 WAC/UAC)

Predicted conference finish: 6th/7th

All-time: WSU 21-8

Last: WSU 62-0 (2021)

While Southern Utah has returned to the Big Sky, this game is still a nonconference affair because the two schools had a six-year series slated to begin in 2026, and the aforementioned schedule changes on short notice meant keeping this as a nonconference game was the most viable option for both schools.

But the rivalry is renewed, and the Thunderbirds enter expected to compete in the middle third of the league. Fifth-year head coach DeLane Fitzgerald said at the Big Sky Kickoff that he’s never been to Montana, Washington or Oregon, but fans and boosters are beyond excited to be back in the conference.

On the field, Fitzgerald has produced the nation’s best FCS running back in two straight seasons — Targhee Lambson’s 160.1 yards per game in 2024 and Joshua Dye’s 152.7 in 2025 (Dye is gone, however, transferred to Mississippi) — and SUU was just a few points from making the playoffs last season.

Former WSU quarterback Bronson Barron finished his college career last year at SUU; Will Burns, the backup QB, had the team’s second-most rushing yards and is the only QB to return. The T-Birds brought in UTSA transfer Noah Lugo, and Utah freshmen Jackson Rasmussen (Union) and Jackson Stevens (Skyridge and Davis) to compete for the job.

SUU has 30 Utahns listed on its roster, including former Davis High players Stevens and David Spjut, Syracuse’s Wyatt Humphrey and Northridge’s Joshua Acord.

SEPT. 12: at COLORADO

2025 record: 3-9 (1-8 Big 12)

Predicted conf. finish: 15th (unofficial media poll)

All-time: First meeting

Will Isaac Wilson, Eric Kjar’s former quarterback, win the starting job and be playing against the Wildcats?

While Deion Sanders could be coaching for his job, he’s brought in Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion, who bailed on the Hornets’ FBS transition, to run Colorado’s offense.

What else to know about this matchup:

Colorado is not expected to be good this year, at least by Power 4 FBS standards. And, Colorado is paying Weber State $700,000 for this game.

If this were, say, the 2019 or 2022 Weber State teams, maybe we’d be talking about a prime upset opportunity. There’s just so much not known about the Wildcats this year, though, that such talk would be premature. No matter how bad a power team is expected to be in the context of its own conference, the caliber of athlete and the amount of money flowing through the program make such upsets unlikely.

SEPT. 19: NORTHWESTERN STATE

2025 record: 1-11 (0-8 Southland)

Predicted conf. finish: 10th (unofficial media poll)

All-time: WSU 1-0

Last: WSU 39-0 (2024)

The first shot at a home game comes in the fourth game with a night contest against the Demons of Northwestern State, returning WSU’s trip to Louisiana from 2024.

Northwestern State is 1-29 in the last three seasons, grabbing a season-opening win against Alcorn State last year as the only victory. Third-year head coach Blaine McCorkle is still trying to get a program off the ground, one he inherited after the university canceled the 2023 season six games in due to the shooting death of safety Ronnie Caldwell and resignation of head coach Brad Laird.

The Demons have 18 FBS transfers and five more FCS transfers on the roster in the next attempt to turn things around. Starting quarterback Abram Johnston (102.5 ypg, 7 TD, 9 INT) returns as a sophomore, likely competing with Charlotte fifth-year transfer Zack Wilke. Leading rusher and fifth-year senior Myion Hicks (311 yards) also returns.

SEPT. 26: PORTLAND STATE

2025 record: 1-11 (1-7 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 12th

All-time: WSU 25-15

Last: WSU 43-27 (2025)

A program starved for some momentum couldn’t do better than to open the home schedule with two teams that went a combined 2-22 last year.

But Portland State wants better things, too, and the cash-strapped school playing at a city park made the decision to end the Bruce Barnum era and brought in Chris Fisk to head the Vikings. He went 48-22 in seven seasons leading Division II Central Washington, who went 9-0 in conference play last season.

He’ll have his top two quarterbacks returning in third-year John-Keawe Sagapolutele (147.5 ypg, 4 TD, 16 INT) and second-year Tyrese Smith (46 ypg, 33.8 rushing ypg), plus leading running back in junior Delon Thompson (60 ypg) and leading receiver in senior Terence Loville (51.7 ypg).

They’ll have to lead PSU in scoring more than 16 points per game this go-around for the Vikings to look better.

OCT. 3: at CAL POLY

2025 record: 4-8 (2-6 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 9th/11th

All-time: WSU 12-6

Last: WSU 28-17 (2024)

A second straight game against another team with a new head coach takes WSU to beautiful San Luis Obispo to face Cal Poly, a team the Wildcats have defeated seven straight times.

The Mustangs were competitive almost every week last year but it still markedx the end of Paul Wulff’s three seasons. Long gone are the days of the Tim Walsh option attack, and next up is Tim Skipper who was functionally a sitting Power 4 head coach. UCLA fired former head coach DeShaun Foster after an 0-3 start and Skipper was appointed interim leader, getting the Bruins to 3-6 the rest of the way.

A linebackers coach by trade, Skipper was also interim head coach at Fresno State in 2024, going 6-7. The former Florida State linebacker was Sacramento State’s defensive coordinator from 2003-05.

Cal Poly had four quarterbacks throw at least 42 passes last season; two are back in fifth-year seniors Bo Kelly (706 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT) and Anthony Grigsby Jr. (774 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT).

The Mustangs open the season with four of six games at home, capped with WSU’s visit.

OCT. 10: IDAHO

2025 record: 4-8 (2-6 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 6th/7th

All-time: Idaho 19-15

Last: Idaho 31-24 (2024)

Idaho’s perpetual expectations of possibly winning the conference appear to be over after being one of the many Big Sky teams to go 4-8 overall and 2-6 in league play.

After his first disappointing season at the helm (the Vandals lost at home by two touchdowns to Northern Colorado, for example), Thomas Ford Jr. changed both coordinators.

Ian Shoemaker, former OC at Eastern Washington, is now running the offense; he was also a former Central Washington head coach and was Mickey Mental’s offensive coordinator in 2006 when Mental was a senior at Baldwin Wallace. Lee Stalker is the new defensive coordinator after spending three years as an assistant position coach at Iowa State.

Ford, Shoemaker and company get back senior quarterback Joshua Wood, who led Idaho in passing (189.9 ypg, 14 TD, 5 INT) and rushing (58.9 ypg, 7 TD).

OCT. 17: IDAHO STATE

2025 record: 6-6 (5-3 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 4th/5th

All-time: WSU 49-17

Last: ISU 31-3 (2025)

For the first time since 1984, Idaho State holds a two-game win streak in this longstanding rivalry series. WSU took interim head coach Brent Myers to Pocatello but lost expected starter Kingston Tisdell during warmups, and couldn’t muster much as a result.

So, since the rebirth of the Train Bell Trophy, the Bengals are 2-0. Not only that, but a 6-6 season was enough to extend head coach Cody Hawkins through 2031 and have both coaches and media vote ISU as a playoff contender.

A lot of that has to do with fifth-year senior quarterback Jordan Cooke returning (277.5 ypg, 16 TD, 9 INT), though both of his top targets from last season are gone.

Former WSU coach Grant Duff leads ISU’s defense for the second year. He’ll again have Weber State transfer brothers Bronson and Jagger Childs, but also has former WSU cornerback Tre Parks-Vinson in the fold. Joining Weber High alum and preseason All-American Stryker Rashid on the offensive line is WSU transfer Zoom Esplin.

OCT. 24: at MONTANA STATE

2025 record: 14-2 (8-0 Big Sky), national champions

Predicted conf. finish: 1st

All-time: MSU 35-23-1

Last: MSU 66-14 (2025)

While Weber State was going 4-8 in the last two seasons, Montana State went 29-3 and went to the national championship game twice, winning in 2025. MSU put an end to WSU’s Mickey Mental era last year in a 66-14 decision, the fifth-most points Weber State has ever allowed against an FCS opponent, and the worst loss to an FCS opponent since 1993 (the fourth-largest margin of defeat against an FCS opponent).

A return trip to Bozeman in consecutive years is a tough draw for a rebuilding team like WSU. But off the Wildcats must go.

Montana State returns 2025 defensive player of the year in defensive back Caden Dowler (91 tackles, 6.5 for loss, 6 INT, 2 forced fumbles) and has the 2026 preseason offensive MVP in quarterback Justin Lamson (198.3 ypg, 26 TD, 3 INT with 734 rushing ypg and 16 TD) along with running back stalwart Adam Jones (1,093 rushing yards, 15 TD).

OCT. 31: UC DAVIS

2025 record: 9-4 (6-2 Big Sky), FCS quarterfinals

Predicted conf. finish: 3rd

All-time: WSU 7-5

Last: UCD 34-12 (2025)

Weber State’s schedule is favorable, or at least much more so than last season, in many ways. Playing 10 straight weeks before a bye, and capping that stretch with playoff locks MSU and UC Davis, is not one of them.

This Halloween matinee brings third-year UC Davis head coach Tim Plough to Ogden for the first time. He’s 20-7 in his two seasons with two top-five finishes and consecutive trips to the FCS quarterfinals.

Fifth-year senior safety Rex Connors, from Pleasant Grove, is back on a medical hardship waiver after his 2025 season ended in a Week 4 win over Weber State. His 313 total career tackles and 74 solo tackles in 2024 are both school records.

Freshman phenom quarterback Caden Pinnick (267 ypg, 32 TD, 10 INT) is gone, however, transferred to Washington State.

NOV. 14: at NORTHERN ARIZONA

2025 record: 7-5 (4-4 Big Sky)

Predicted conf. finish: 4th/5th

All-time: Tied 29-29

Last: WSU 48-28 (2025)

Weber State denied NAU a playoff berth in the 2025 season finale, a stellar sendoff for the Jay Hill-era veteran coaches, including interim head coach Brent Myers, and senior players in a blowout win at Stewart Stadium.

That continued the back-and-forth in one of the nation’s best rivalries in terms of on-field competition, evening the all-time series that’s been played almost yearly since 1964 — and it helped WSU get back its other rivalry trophy, the Red Rock Rivalry mini obelisk. So that’s up for grabs in this late-season meet-up inside the Walkup Skydome, where wacky things can be expected.

Brian Wright is back for his third year as head coach, with the services of now-senior quarterback Ty Pennington (259.7 ypg, 19 TD, 4 INT) but without his top two targets (Kolbe Katsis, Isaiah Eastman) or leading rusher Seth Cromwell.

NOV. 21: UTAH TECH

2025 record: 2-10 (1-7 WAC/UAC)

Predicted conf. finish: 13th

All-time: WSU 3-0

Last: WSU 44-14 (2022)

A possibly budding rivalry caps the 2026 campaign when Utah Tech returns to Ogden as a conference game. WSU faithful might hope it’s a good ease-up from the MSU-UCD-NAU stretch that precedes it, but the Trailblazers won’t be keen to stay down long.

Among 32 Utahns listed on the roster are four Northern Utahns in offensive lineman Cade Draper (Roy), tight end Kaden Eggett (Davis), kicker Dax Iverson (Fremont) and receiver Zay Morris (Roy). WSU had 32 Utahns rostered last year but enter 2026 with 57.

Former Morgan High and Fremont High head coach legend Blaine Monkres, a Clearfield native and Weber State graduate, is Utah Tech’s running backs coach.

Ace Chatman returns as last year’s leading rusher (536 yards, 5 TD).