Cal Poly’s football schedule changes after schools drop out – but there’s a fun twist
Cal Poly saw its abbreviated football schedule shift Monday after several Big Sky Conference schools dropped out, but the season will go on — and with an entertaining wrinkle.
Cal Poly will play two games against rival UC Davis, starting with the opener on Feb. 27.
The conference had to shift gears after five Big Sky football teams opted not to play this spring, creating an unusual schedule for the Mustangs amid an atypical season drastically affected by COVID-19.
Cal Poly and seven other Big Sky teams have decided to continue and will play six games each in a modified schedule.
Montana, Montana State, Portland State and Northern Colorado joined Sacramento State to sit out this year’s season, which will be played in the spring instead of the fall.
Cal Poly had been scheduled to play at Montana and Portland State this spring.
Each of the eight teams also will now play one of its rival schools twice — both on the road and at home.
Cal Poly 2021 football schedule
Cal Poly opens its season at UC Davis on Feb. 27 and will host the Aggies on April 10, the final day of the regular season.
The season will begin without fans, which is subject to possible change later if the county moves into a less restrictive tier for public health COVID-19 guidelines, possibly the orange tier.
Cal Poly games will be streamed via video and audio, both home and away, on Pluto TV.
The Mustangs host Weber State on March 6 and play at home again versus Southern Utah on March 13.
Following a bye on March 20, Cal Poly will play back-to-back road games at Eastern Washington and Northern Arizona before returning home to close out the season against the Aggies, according to Cal Poly officials.
Another bye is scheduled for all teams on April 17, to be used for any makeup contests.
“I’m very excited about the work the Big Sky Conference is putting in to make this 2021 Spring Schedule a reality,” said first-year Cal Poly Coach Beau Baldwin. “We look forward to opening with a great opponent like UC Davis.
“This game, along with the rest of the schedule, will be a huge challenge for us, but one that we are embracing,” Baldwin added.
All Cal Poly home games will kick off at 1:05 p.m.
“The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs open April 24 with a field of 16 teams — 11 automatic qualifiers and five at-large squads,” Cal Poly said in a news release. “The four-week playoff wraps up with the national championship game on May 15 or 16 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.”
Embarking on a new season with a new head coach
The Mustangs open their preseason practice schedule Friday morning at Doerr Family Field. They’ll hold practices for three weeks before embarking on the season opener at UC Davis.
The Mustangs are coming off of a 3-8 record when they last played in fall 2019. After the season, Head Coach Tim Walsh announced his retirement.
Baldwin hasn’t coached a game at Cal Poly since he was hired in December 2019, with the fall season upended due to coronavirus.
He last served as offensive coordinator at UC Berkeley, joining that program in 2017.
Walsh was hired by Santa Margarita High School’s football team in January 2020, a program with alumni such as former NFL quarterback Carson Palmer and a host of other players who have made NFL rosters.
But he resigned from his Santa Margarita High position in August due to an undisclosed health issue, according to The Orange County Register.
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Cal Poly’s football schedule changes after schools drop out – but there’s a fun twist."
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