Big West Conference facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

"Pacific Coast Athletic Association" redirects here. For the San Diego area community college athletic conference, see Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.

Quick facts for kids
Big West Conference
Locations

Formerly	Pacific Coast Athletic Association (1969–1988)
Association	NCAA
Founded	July 1, 1969; 56 years ago (1969-07-01)
Commissioner	Dan Butterly (since July 1, 2020)
Sports fielded	21 men's: 10 women's: 11
Division	Division I
Subdivision	Non–football
No. of teams	11 (12 in 2026)
Headquarters	Irvine, California
Region	West Coast

The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American group of colleges that compete in sports. These colleges are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) top level, called Division I. The conference started on July 1, 1969, and was first known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). In 1988, it changed its name to the Big West Conference. The conference stopped having college football teams after the 2000 season.

Most of the 11 schools in the conference are in California, with one in Hawaii. All the current schools are public universities. The California schools are split between the California State University and University of California systems. Some schools also join the Big West just for certain sports.

History of the Conference

The Big West Conference has a long and interesting history, with many changes over the years.

How the Big West Started

The Big West Conference began in June 1968 as the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA). Five schools were the first members: Fresno State, San Jose State, UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, and Long Beach State.

Later, Cal State Los Angeles joined as a full member. The University of the Pacific joined for football first, then became a full member two years later. The conference officially started playing games on July 1, 1969, with seven schools.

Changes Over Time

Since it began, the conference has seen many schools join and leave. Utah State was the first school from outside California to join in 1978. This led to other schools like UNLV, Nevada, and Boise State also joining.

In 1983, the PCAA was the first conference in the western U.S. to add women's sports programs. This meant female athletes could compete at the same high level as male athletes. This was especially important for Hawaiʻi, as they only competed in women's sports in the conference at that time.

Over the years, some universities left to join other conferences that were seen as more famous. Others left because traveling long distances for games didn't seem worth it, especially since most teams were in California.

From 2005 to 2012, all the conference members were in California, which helped reduce travel costs and time. When Hawaii joined in 2012, they agreed to help pay for some of the travel costs for the California teams visiting them.

In 2011, San Diego State University planned to move most of its sports to the Big West. However, they decided to stay in the Mountain West Conference instead.

Recently, some big changes happened in college sports. Because of these changes, both Hawaiʻi and UC Davis announced they will move to the Mountain West Conference starting in the 2026 school year. This would leave the Big West with only nine teams. To keep the conference strong, the Big West invited California Baptist University and Utah Valley University to join by the 2026 school year. Both schools have accepted. This means a private university will be in the Big West for the first time since 2013. Also, it will be the first time since 2005 that the Big West has a member outside California. In June, Sacramento State also announced it plans to join the Big West for most sports (except football) by the 2026 school year.

Out of the original seven schools that started the conference, only Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara are still members. Long Beach State has been a continuous member since the beginning.

The Name Change to Big West

On July 1, 1988, the Pacific Coast Athletic Association officially changed its name to the Big West Conference. With schools like Utah State, UNLV, Nevada, and Hawaii now part of the group, the new name better showed where its members were located. The conference also signed a deal with ESPN to show its men's basketball games. These games were part of a special night called Big Monday, which also featured the Big East and Big Ten conferences. So, the name Big West fit right in with that theme.

Member Schools

The Big West Conference has a mix of schools that are full members and some that are affiliate members (meaning they play only certain sports in the conference).

Current Full Members

These are the schools that are currently full members of the Big West Conference. Members departing for the Mountain West Conference in 2026.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Nickname
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)	San Luis Obispo, California	1901	1996	Public (CSU system)	Mustangs
California State University, Bakersfield (Bakersfield)	Bakersfield, California	1965	2020	Public (CSU system)	Roadrunners
California State University, Fullerton (Cal State Fullerton)	Fullerton, California	1957	1974	Public (CSU system)	Titans
California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State)	Long Beach, California	1949	1969	Public (CSU system)	Beach
California State University, Northridge (Cal State Northridge)	Los Angeles, California	1958	2001	Public (CSU system)	Matadors
University of California, Davis (UC Davis)	Yolo County, California	1905	2007	Public (UC system)	Aggies
University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine)	Irvine, California	1965	1977	Public (UC system)	Anteaters
University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside)	Riverside, California	1954	2001	Public (UC system)	Highlanders
University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego)	San Diego, California	1960	2020	Public (UC system)	Tritons
University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara)	Isla Vista, California	1891	1969; 1976	Public (UC system)	Gauchos
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi)	Honolulu, Hawaii	1907	2012	Public (U of H system)	Rainbow Warriors & Rainbow Wahine

Future Members

These schools are set to join the Big West Conference in the future.

Institution	Location	Founded	Joining	Type	Nickname	Current conference
California Baptist University	Riverside, California	1950	2026	Private (Baptist)	Lancers	WAC
California State University, Sacramento	Sacramento, California	1947	2026	Public (CSU system)	Hornets	Big Sky
Utah Valley University	Orem, Utah	1941	2026	Public	Wolverines	WAC

Affiliate Members

These schools are members of other conferences but compete in specific sports within the Big West.

Institution	Nickname	Location	Founded	Joined	Type	Primary conference	Big West sport(s)
California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State)	Hornets	Sacramento, California	1947	2012–13	Public (CSU system)	Big Sky	soccer, Men'sMen's soccer
	Hornets	Sacramento, California	1947	2015–16	Public (CSU system)	Big Sky	Beach volleyball
Grand Canyon University	Antelopes	Phoenix, Arizona	1949	2025-26	Private For-Profit	Mountain West	swimming & diving, Men'sMen's swimming & diving
University of San Diego	Toreros	San Diego, California	1949		Private	WCC	swimming & diving, Women'sWomen's swimming & diving
Seattle University	Redhawks	Seattle, Washington	1891		Private	WCC	swimming & diving, Men'sMen's swimming & diving swimming & diving, Women'sWomen's swimming & diving

Future Affiliate Member

This school will become an affiliate member in the future.

Institution	Nickname	Location	Founded	Joining	Type	Primary conference	Big West sport(s)
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi)	Rainbow Warriors & Rainbow Wahine	Honolulu, Hawaii	1907	2026	Public (U of H system)	Big West (MW in 2026)	Beach volleyball
							swimming and diving, Men'sMen's swimming and diving
							volleyball, Men'sMen's volleyball
							water polo, Women'sWomen's water polo

Former Members

Many schools have been part of the Big West Conference in the past. Some of them are now in the Western Athletic Conference or the Mountain West Conference. Only two of the original seven founding schools are still in the Big West.

Former Full Members

Institution	Nickname	Location	Joined	Left	Type	Current primary conference
Boise State University	Broncos	Boise, Idaho	1996	2001	Public	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
California State University, Fresno (Fresno State)	Bulldogs	Fresno, California	1969	1992	Public	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State L.A.)	Golden Eagles	Los Angeles, California	1969	1974	Public	CCAA
University of Idaho	Vandals	Moscow, Idaho	1996	2005	Public	Big Sky
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)	Rebels	Las Vegas, Nevada	1982	1996	Public	Mountain West
University of Nevada, Reno	Wolf Pack	Reno, Nevada	1992	2000	Public	Mountain West
New Mexico State University	Aggies	Las Cruces, New Mexico	1983	2000	Public	CUSA
University of North Texas	Mean Green	Denton, Texas	1996	2000	Public	The American
San Diego State University	Aztecs	San Diego, California	1969 (men's); 1984 (women's)	1978 (men's); 1990 (women's)	Public	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)
San Jose State University	Spartans	San Jose, California	1969	1996	Public	Mountain West
University of the Pacific	Tigers	Stockton, California	1969 (football-only); 1971 (all sports)	2013	Private	West Coast
Utah State University	Aggies	Logan, Utah	1978	2005	Public	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)

Former Affiliate Members

Institution	Nickname	Location (California)	Joined	Left	Type	Primary conference	Big West sport(s)
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona)	Broncos	Pomona	1984–85	1989–90	Public	CCAA	softball
California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State)	Hornets	Sacramento	1996–97	2001–02	Public	Big Sky	baseball
San Diego State University	Aztecs	San Diego	2012–13	2012–13	Public	Mountain West (Pac-12 in 2026)	women's water polo

Former Football-Only Members

These schools were only part of the Big West for football.

Institution	Nickname	Location	Joined	Left	Type	Current conference
Arkansas State University	Indians	Jonesboro, Arkansas	1993–94, 1999–2000	1995–96, 2000–01	Public	Sun Belt
Louisiana Tech University	Bulldogs	Ruston, Louisiana	1993–94	1995–96	Public	CUSA
Northern Illinois University	Huskies	DeKalb, Illinois	1993–94	1995–96	Public	MAC (MW in 2026)
University of Southwestern Louisiana	Ragin' Cajuns	Lafayette, Louisiana	1993	1996	Public	Sun Belt

Membership Timeline

Full members Full members (non-football) Assoc. members (football only) Assoc. member (Other sports) Other Conference Other Conference

Notes

San Diego State played football on its own from 1976 to 1977 before leaving the Big West in 1978.
UC Santa Barbara was an independent school from 1974–75 to 1975–76.
Cal State Fullerton played football on its own in 1992 and then stopped having a football team the next year.
Louisiana Tech, Northern Illinois, Southwestern Louisiana, and Arkansas State joined the Big West for a short football group from 1993 to 1995.
Arkansas State played football on its own from 1996 to 1998. It then rejoined the Big West for football in 1999 and 2000.

Sports in the Big West

The Big West Conference currently supports 21 different NCAA sports. Men's and women's swimming & diving were the newest sports added for the 2024–25 school year.

Championship Wins

Many Big West teams have won national championships in various sports.

In baseball, Cal State Fullerton has won the College World Series four times (1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004). Long Beach State and UC Irvine have also played in the College World Series many times.
Fullerton also won a national championship in softball in 1984.
Long Beach State has won three NCAA women's volleyball titles (1989, 1993, and 1998). Famous player Misty May-Treanor led the team to a perfect 36–0 record for their most recent title.
UC Santa Barbara's men's soccer team was second in the nation in 2004. They returned in 2006 and won the national championship.

Some former Big West members also won national championships while they were in the conference:

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team won the 1990 NCAA tournament. They beat Duke 103–73 in the final game. Many people think the Runnin' Rebels from this time were one of the best college basketball teams ever.
The Pacific Tigers women's volleyball team won national championships in 1985 and 1986.

The Big West did not sponsor men's volleyball or men's water polo for a long time. However, many Big West schools played these sports in another group called the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

In men's volleyball, UC Irvine has won four national championships (2007, 2009, 2012, and 2013).
Long Beach State also won men's national volleyball titles in 1991, 2018, 2019, and 2025. Three of these wins happened while they were in the Big West.
Hawaiʻi won men's national volleyball titles in 2021 and 2022.
In men's water polo, UC Irvine won three national championships (1970, 1982, and 1989). UC Santa Barbara won a men's water polo title in 1979.

On May 31, 2016, the Big West announced it would start sponsoring men's volleyball as its 18th sport. Five Big West schools left the MPSF to create this new men's volleyball league. UC San Diego joined as an affiliate member to make sure the league had enough teams (six) to get a spot in the NCAA tournament.

On November 26, 2017, the Big West announced that UC San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield would become its 10th and 11th full members starting on July 1, 2020. Cal State Bakersfield was already a Division I school. UC San Diego had been trying to move up from Division II for a while. UC San Diego's men's volleyball team joined the Big West in 2017, and their women's water polo team joined in 2019.

UC San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield officially joined the conference on July 1, 2020. Dan Butterly became the new commissioner. UC San Diego officially became a full Division I member on July 1, 2024. This means they can now compete in conference championships and NCAA playoffs.

Sports Teams by School

Here's a look at the sports offered by each school in the Big West.

Men's Sports

School	Baseball	Basketball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Swimming & diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Water polo	Total Sports
Bakersfield	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	5
Cal Poly	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	8
Cal State Fullerton	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	7
Cal State Northridge	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	7
Hawaiʻi	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	6
Long Beach State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	7
UC Davis	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	8
UC Irvine	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
UC Riverside	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	7
UC San Diego	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
UC Santa Barbara	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Future Members
California Baptist	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	8
Sacramento State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	7
Utah Valley	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	6
Totals	11	11	9	10	9+1	5+2	7	10	6	6	84+3

Women's Sports

School	Basketball	Beach Volleyball	Cross Country	Golf	Soccer	Softball	Swimming & diving	Tennis	Track & Field (Outdoor)	Volleyball	Water polo	Total Sports
Bakersfield	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	9
Cal Poly	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	10
Cal State Fullerton	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Cal State Northridge	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
Hawaiʻi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	11
Long Beach State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	10
UC Davis	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	11
UC Irvine	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	8
UC Riverside	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	8
UC San Diego	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
UC Santa Barbara	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Future Members
California Baptist	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
Sacramento State	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	9
Utah Valley	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	7
Totals	11	6+1	11	9	11	10	6+2	10	11	11	8	104+3

Current Conference Champions

The Big West Conference holds championships in 9 men's and 10 women's NCAA sports. Men's and women's swimming & diving were added in 2024–25.

Season	Sport	Men's champion	Women's champion
Fall 2024	Cross country	Cal Poly	Cal Poly
	Soccer	Cal Poly (RS) UC Davis (T)	Hawaiʻi (RS) UC Santa Barbara (T)
	Water polo	UC Irvine (RS) Long Beach State (T)
	Volleyball		Cal Poly (RS) Hawaiʻi (T)
Winter 2024–25	Swimming & diving	UC Santa Barbara	UC Santa Barbara
Winter 2024–25	Basketball	UC San Diego (RS & T)	Hawaiʻi (RS) UC San Diego (T)
Spring 2025	Golf	Long Beach State	Cal State Fullerton
	Volleyball	Long Beach State (RS) Hawaiʻi (T)
	Beach volleyball		Cal Poly (RS) Long Beach State (T)
	Tennis	UC Santa Barbara (RS) UC Irvine (T)	UC Santa Barbara (RS & T)
	Water polo		Hawaiʻi (RS & T)
	Track & field (outdoor)	Cal Poly	UC Irvine
	Softball		Cal State Fullerton (RS) UC Santa Barbara (T)
	Baseball	UC Irvine (RS) Cal Poly (T)

Former Sports

Football Champions

The Big West Conference used to have football. Here are the champions from 1969 to 2000.

**Football Champions (1969–1984)**
Year	University
1969	San Diego State*
1970	Long Beach State* & San Diego State
1971	Long Beach State
1972	San Diego State
1973	San Diego State
1974	San Diego State
1975	San Jose State
1976	San Jose State
1977	Fresno State
1978	San Jose State and Utah State
1979	Utah State
1980	Long Beach State
1981	San Jose State*
1982	Fresno State*
1983	Cal State Fullerton*
1984	Cal State Fullerton (UNLV* forfeited)

**Football Champions (1985–2000)**
Year	University
1985	Fresno State*
1986	San Jose State*
1987	San Jose State*
1988	Fresno State*
1989	Fresno State*
1990	San Jose State*
1991	Fresno State* & San Jose State
1992	Nevada*
1993	Utah State* & Southwestern La.
1994	UNLV*, Southwestern La., & Nevada
1995	Nevada*
1996	Nevada* & Utah State
1997	Utah State* & Nevada
1998	Idaho*
1999	Boise State*
2000	Boise State*

The Big West Conference stopped sponsoring football after the 2000 season.

Academics of Member Schools

The schools in the Big West Conference are also known for their strong academics. Here's how some of them rank nationally.

National University Rankings

This table shows how schools are ranked by U.S. News & World Report as of 2024.

Institution	National University Rank	AAU Member
UC San Diego	29	Yes
UC Davis	33	Yes
UC Irvine	33	Yes
UC Santa Barbara	39	Yes
UC Riverside	76	Yes
Long Beach State	109	No
Cal State Fullerton	136	No
Hawai'i	171	No

Regional University Rankings

This table shows how schools are ranked regionally in the Western U.S. by U.S. News & World Report as of 2024.

Institution	Regional University Rank
Cal Poly	1
Cal State Northridge	18
Sacramento State	27
Cal Baptist	30
Bakersfield	30
Utah Valley	96

Athletic Department Money

This section looks at how much money each school's sports department brings in and spends.

Revenue and Expenses (2024-25)

This table shows the total money (revenue) and spending (expenses) for each school's athletic department for the 2024–25 school year.

Institution	2024-25 Total Revenue from Athletics	2024-25 Total Expenses on Athletics
Hawai'i	$53,350,682	$53,350,682
UC Davis	$46,626,686	$46,626,686
California Baptist	$36,994,975	$34,879,391
Cal Poly	$35,298,634	$35,298,634
Sacramento State	$33,323,561	$33,323,561
UC San Diego	$30,251,874	$30,251,874
UC Irvine	$29,611,950	$29,611,950
UC Santa Barbara	$28,864,183	$28,864,183
Long Beach	$27,086,185	$27,086,185
CSU Fullerton	$24,240,924	$24,240,924
CSU Northridge	$22,181,380	$21,703,752
Utah Valley	$17,929,384	$17,929,384
CSU Bakersfield	$17,837,609	$17,837,609
UC Riverside	$17,148,019	$16,771,144

Sports Facilities

Each school has special places where their teams play and practice.

School	Basketball arena	Capacity	Baseball stadium	Capacity	Soccer stadium	Capacity
Cal State Bakersfield	Icardo Center	3,800	Hardt Field	900	Main Soccer Field	2,500
Cal Poly	Mott Athletics Center	3,032	Robin Baggett Stadium	3,138	Mustang Memorial Field	11,075
Cal State Fullerton	Titan Gym	4,000	Goodwin Field	3,500	Titan Stadium	10,000
Cal State Northridge	Premier America Credit Union Arena	2,400	Matador Field	1,000	Matador Soccer Field	1,550
California Baptist	Fowler Events Center	&&&&&&&&&&&05050.&&&&&05,050	James W. Totman Stadium	&&&&&&&&&&&&0800.&&&&&0800	CBU Soccer Stadium	&&&&&&&&&&&&0500.&&&&&0500
Hawaiʻi	Stan Sheriff Center	10,300	Les Murakami Stadium	4,312	Waipiʻo Soccer Stadium	4,500
Long Beach State	Walter Pyramid	5,000	Blair Field	3,238	George Allen Field	1,000
Sacramento State	Hornets Nest	1,012	John Smith Field	1,200	Hornet Soccer Field	1,500
UC Davis	University Credit Union Center	7,600	Dobbins Stadium	3,500	Aggie Field	1,000
UC Irvine	Bren Events Center	5,000	Cicerone Field	3,408	Anteater Stadium	2,500
UC Riverside	Student Recreation Center	3,168	Riverside Sports Complex	2,500	UCR Soccer Stadium	900
UC San Diego	LionTree Arena	4,200	Triton Ballpark	1,200	Triton Soccer Stadium	1,750
UC Santa Barbara	The Thunderdome	5,600	Caesar Uyesaka Stadium	1,000	Harder Stadium	17,000
Utah Valley	UCCU Center	8,500	UCCU Ballpark	5,000	Clyde Field	1,000

NCAA Team Championships Won

This table shows how many NCAA team championships each school has won through June 30, 2025.

School	Total NCAA	NCAA Men's	NCAA Women's	NCAA Individual	Nickname
California Baptist University	0	0	0	0	Lancers
California Polytechnic State University	12	0	0	12	Mustangs
California State University, Bakersfield	9	0	0	9	Roadrunners
California State University, Fullerton	8	4	1	3	Titans
California State University, Long Beach	23	4	3	16	Beach
California State University, Northridge	6	0	0	6	Matadors
California State University, Sacramento	3	0	0	3	Hornets
University of California, Davis	2	0	0	2	Aggies
University of California, Irvine	10	7	0	3	Anteaters
University of California, Riverside	1	0	0	1	Highlanders
University of California, San Diego	0	0	0	0	Tritons
University of California, Santa Barbara	3	2	0	1	Gauchos
University of Hawaii	16	2	3	11	Rainbows
Utah Valley University	1	0	0	1	Wolverines

Commissioner's Cup

The Commissioner's Cup is an award given each year to the best overall sports program in the Big West Conference. It started in the 1998–99 season. The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos have won this award the most times, with 10 trophies.

Commissioner's Cup Winners

Year	Institution	Championships competed	Total points	Average	Title #
1998–99	Pacific Tigers	12	620	51.7	1
1999–00	Pacific Tigers	12	600	50.0	2
2000–01	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	16	870	54.4	1
2001–02	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	16	2,020	126.3	2
2002–03	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	16	2,070	129.4	3
2003–04	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	16	2,210	138.1	4
2004–05	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	16	2,180	136.3	5
2005–06	Long Beach State 49ers	13	1,640	126.2	1
2006–07	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	16	1,800	112.5	6
2007–08	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	16	2,046	127.9	7
2008–09	Long Beach State 49ers	14	1,540	110.0	2
2009–10	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	17	1,970	115.9	8
2010–11	Long Beach State 49ers	14	1,830	130.7	3
2011–12	Long Beach State 49ers	14	1,960	140.0	4
2012–13	Long Beach State 49ers	14	1,950	139.3	5
2013–14	Long Beach State 49ers	14	1,740	124.3	6
2014–15	Long Beach State 49ers	14	1,640	117.1	7
2015–16	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	15	2,006.7	133.8	9
2016–17	Long Beach State 49ers	15	1,750	116.7	8
2017–18	Cal State Fullerton Titans	14	1,635	116.8	1
2018–19	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	16	1,930	120.6	10
2019–20	Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020–21	Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021–22	Long Beach State Beach	16	2,260	141.3	9
2022–23	Long Beach State Beach	16	2,360	147.5	10
2023–24	Cal Poly Mustangs	16	2,390	149.4	1
2024-25	UC Irvine Anteaters	17	2,530	148.8	1

Overall Commissioner's Cups Table

Institution	Commissioner's Cups
Long Beach State 49ers/Beach	10
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	10
Pacific Tigers	2
Cal Poly Mustangs	1
Cal State Fullerton Titans	1
UC Irvine Anteaters	1

Note 1: Bold indicates current members of the Big West Conference
Note 2: The Pacific Tigers moved to the West Coast Conference in 2013

SoCal Challenge Basketball Tournament

From 2021 to 2023, the Big West Conference hosted the SoCal Challenge. This was an eight-team men's basketball tournament held during Thanksgiving week. One Big West team played in the tournament each year. Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, and Cal State Bakersfield all took part in different years. The last tournament was held in 2023.