“The addition of these two outstanding universities will further strengthen the Big West’s position as the preeminent NCAA Division I public university conference for the states of California and Hawai‘i,” said Farrell. “The 2018-19 academic year marks the 50th anniversary of the Big West Conference and this membership development positions the conference to continue growing and thriving for the next 50 years.”
Expansion gives the Big West Conference institutions in the following nationally ranked television markets (Designated Market Areas):
No. 2 Los Angeles/Orange County/Inland Empire
No. 20 Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto
No. 28 San Diego
No. 65 Honolulu
No. 124 Santa Barbara/Santa Maria/San Luis Obispo
No. 126 Bakersfield
With the addition of CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego, the total student enrollment of Big West member institutions will top 375,000, which ranks among the top five conferences in NCAA Division I. The total alumni of the 11 institutions will top 1,675,000. More than 10,000 alumni of the current Big West members live in Kern County, CA (home of CSU Bakersfield) and more than 60,000 alums live in San Diego County.
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