Cal Poly will open its 2026 season and Big Sky Conference schedule at home against Idaho on Friday, Aug. 28 at 7:05 p.m., in a game that gives the Mustangs several firsts at once. It will be Tim Skipper’s sideline debut as Cal Poly’s 19th head coach, the first game at Mustang Memorial Field and the start of a stretch that has the Mustangs at home for four of their first six contests.
The matchup also launches the 2026 Big Sky slate for both teams. The opening week of conference play includes 12 of the Big Sky Conference’s 13 programs, so Idaho vs Cal Poly arrives as part of a full league reset rather than a standalone nonconference showcase.
A meaningful home opener for Cal Poly
There is plenty of context built into the night. The game will inaugurate the new John Madden Football Center, and the Mustang Athletics Department will retire John Madden’s No. 74 jersey at halftime. Madden played at Cal Poly from 1957-1958 and graduated in 1959, so the opener ties the current program to one of its most famous names.
The return of Idaho also gives Cal Poly a chance to measure itself against a familiar conference opponent. The Vandals defeated the Mustangs 34-29 on Oct. 19, 2024, and Cal Poly has lost five straight FCS matchups to Idaho since moving to Division I ahead of the 1994 season.
What comes next in the Big Sky
After the opener, Cal Poly’s conference road continues quickly. The Mustangs resume Big Sky action at Easton Washington on Sept. 26, then visit Montana State on Oct. 31. Cal Poly returns home to face Northern Arizona on Nov. 7 before closing the regular season at UC Davis on Nov. 21.
For Skipper, the timing makes the debut even more notable. He was hired on Dec. 3, 2025, after serving as UCLA’s interim head coach at the close of the 2025 season. Now his first game at Cal Poly doubles as a national TV showcase, a conference opener and a ceremonial night for one of the program’s defining figures.
