Big Sky Divisions for 2017 with Idaho Returning

This also includes some alternative proposals:

The Vandals return to the Big Sky Conference next season.  Perhaps it is time to pick divisions.  In the FCS, divisions are for scheduling.  There is no prevision for a championship game.  The Big Sky conference has rarely been denied a second NCAA bid in the playoffs.  It would be nice to decide a champion on the field.  Perhaps the NCAA will change the rule and allow the two division champions to meet in Las Vegas to determine who will get the auto bid.  When the CAA or other conference that has had divisions, usually they are both awarded a championship unless the two division champions met in the regular season.  Then the winner of that game is awarded the championship.  The NCAA auto bid would go to the higher ranked of the two teams.

The division names, by my choice, are after the two most popular national parks in the west.

The Yellowstone Division

Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota
Portland State

The Grand Canyon Division

Cal Poly
UC Davis
Northern Arizona
Northern Colorado
Southern Utah
Sacramento State
Weber State

How the scheduling works

Each team will play 1 designated rival from the other division, plus one other game on a rotational basis.  That will give the conference teams 8 games.  The teams can play games against teams from the other division as non-conference games.  However, this proposal has a problem.  Weber State is one of the founders of the conference, and the other four founders: Idaho, Idaho State, Montana and Montana State will be together in the other division.  Weber State would likely be assigned Idaho State as a recognized rival, and then play the other four founders once every six years.  One way around this would be to switch with either Portland State or North Dakota, which would obviously present travel issues.

Alternative Proposal 1:

However, I have a solution to fix this that perhaps has not been discussed, or may it has.  Cal Poly and UC Davis are in the Big West Conference.  Is it possible, and I am not sure that it is, to resurrect the Big West Football Conference (Similar to the Missouri Valley Football Conference) and allow some schools to leave the Big Sky Conference for Football.  For Example:

Big Sky Conference:

Eastern Washington
Idaho
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
Southern Utah
Weber State

Big West Football Conference:

Cal Poly
UC Davis
Portland State
Sacramento State
San Diego

Alternate Proposal 2:  Keeping Idaho at the FBS level.

FBS Big Sky Conference (Primary Conference if not Big Sky)

Cal Poly (Big West)
Eastern Washington
Hawai'i (Big West)
Idaho
Montana
Montana State
North Dakota State (Summitt)
Portland State
Sacramento State

Grand Canyon Conference (FCS Big Sky...Probably must have a different name.)

UC Davis (Big West)
Idaho State
North Dakota
Northern Colorado
Northern Arizona
Southern Utah
San Diego (WCC)
Weber State