The UC Davis Aggies have added the San Diego Toreros to their 2027 football schedule, FBSchedules.com has learned. A copy of the football game contract was obtained from the University of California, Davis, via a state public records request.
UC Davis will host San Diego at UC Davis Health Stadium in Davis, Calif., on Saturday, September 4, 2027. The Aggies will pay the Toreros a $150,000 guarantee for the game, according to the copy of the contract.
UC Davis and San Diego have met 10 times previously on the gridiron in a series that began in 2006. The Aggies have won the last seven contests, including a 43-13 decision in the most recent matchup in 2022 in Davis.
The Aggies and Toreros also have two additional football games scheduled, which were previously announced. UC Davis will visit San Diego this fall on Sept. 5 before hosting the Toreros in Davis on Sept. 8, 2029. The 2029 game was recently moved up to Sept. 8 from its originally scheduled date of Sept. 15, according to a copy of an amendment obtained by FBSchedules.com.
The addition of San Diego gives UC Davis three non-conference opponents for the 2027 season, which tentatively completes its slate. The Aggies are scheduled to play road contests at UCLA on August 28 (Week Zero) and at Harvard on Sept. 18.
UC Davis is the third known opponent for San Diego’s 2027 football schedule. The Aggies are also slated to visit Sacramento State and Southern Utah on dates to be determined.
Football Schedules
I don’t think that Sacramento State game sticks. FBS teams rarely play pioneer league teams because they don’t have scholarships. It’s possible they keep it but it’s unlikely.
Probably. Sac State won’t complete my records request, it’s been over a year now.
Sacramento State and UC Davis are each others biggest rivals. Additionally, Sacramento State will be taking on a lot of travel playing in the MAC. They’ll want to keep the game where the bus ride is shorter than their ride to the airport for MAC away games- all 3 time zones away.
I don’t see the benefit in UC Davis and Cal Poly playing San Diego EVERY YEAR. I know that travel is a big thing for the teams out west, but this is the equivalent of USC, UCLA, Stanford or Cal playing San Jose State, every year. They should schedule Tarleton, SFA or something different rather than trying to establish a “rivalry” that just isn’t there.
and what is wrong with Cal,Stanford,UCLA and USC playing San Jose State? For the most part,SJSU has played these schools tough especially Stanford. Playing San Jose State, especially now makes sense in terms of cutting travel time and expenses and you help create stronger regional rivalries.
And as questioning “rivalries”,the California schools have passionate rivalries and I think moving forward you’ll see more games instate among them.
It’s not about establishing a rivalry. It’s about having no other geographically close non conference opponents. San Diego is the only FCS team west of the central time zone that is not in the Big Sky Conference.
A few years ago, Davis played a non conference series with Lehigh. They’ve also played at South Dakota State. A university in Davis, California would obviously find it more convenient and much more economical to send their football team to San Diego as compared to sending the team to Brookings, South Dakota or Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Both of you failed to read what I said.
To break it down, I am saying if a P4 team played an annual game against one G6 team, you all would be all over them for that move. You can’t have a rivalry where one team wins every game and as I said, I realize UC Davis is doing this because it is saving them on travel, but they don’t need to have this game annually. UC Davis is 1-9 in the last ten meetings against San Diego (27-37 all-time, which isn’t so relevant because most of that predates I-AA/FCS level games) with the one win for the Toreros coming in 2009. That’s not a rivalry when at the FCS level, the BSC is at a level like P4 for the FCS and San Diego not only non-scholarship, but the Pioneer League is annually one of the worst conferences in the FCS.
UCD doesn’t play them every year, but often enough. Cal Poly and San Diego are playing for the sixth straight year and since there are close to the bottom tier of Big Sky football lately, that 2-8 record in the last 10 played (including a win by San Diego in the FCS playoffs) it pretty well proves that San Diego is not at the level to be on the schedule of a BSC school as often as these two have them.
Again, if this were at the FBS level, you wouldn’t want to tolerate it. Play Abilene Christian or Lamar. It’s a more competitive level of play, but maybe that’s the point. They’re playing against D-II or D-II level competition and getting credit for an FCS win. It no different than EWA going to UNI this year, or Montana traveling to Indiana State recently, and the Griz have upcoming trips set for UIW and UTRGV.
JM, Jinzo2400, M,
I’m Not Assuming what Any of your positions would be “if this was a 105 paid player team playing a Private Non Grants-in-Aid awarding low level Pioneer League” team.
The 2 California based @BigSkyConf FB Teams are all geographically more than 200 miles from Each Other. Their Conference games are 4-5-6 × further away.
How does It Not make sense to play a California game 200-300 miles apart?
@Herrt They choose to be in the BSC for football only. If they want to branch off and go another direction, they are very welcomed to do so they aren’t an asset to the conference IMO. They would be welcome to take a few of the others like the Utah teams and that joke in Colorado with them.
I’m very tired of hearing how far they have to travel when NAU has to go to Cheney and Portland, just like they have to go to Flagstaff. Those teams don’t travel any farther. Montana and bozangeles are 200 miles apart. From Missoula to Moscow and Cheney is a little farther, and there really aren’t any other trips by bus beyond those. Travel is part of being in the west.
Again, if those teams in the northern tier of the BSC can travel to Texas and the mid-west, no one should shed a tear because the kids in the rich schools in California have to travel outside of their state to play two games in a span of three years in Montana.
I have heard of rumors of UC Davis thinking to move up to FCS just like Sac St did this year.
Too many issues preventing this move. Stadium is too small; they don’t have an average attendance to meet that requirement. The list of issues go on, but the stadium can be expanded and they could move up in a few years. They would be a much more attractive addition than Sac St to the MWC or possibly the PAC 12 though.
UCD is in the process of scaling up its athletics department, but Football is proposed for the next phase until they can secure more longer term revenue streams and donor interest with their initial capital projects to non football facilities and modest football stadium upgrades that would not be fit for FBS.
All things considered, the athletics department is not in a position to committ to both the entry fees to move up to FBS and upgrade the stadium.
Reverend Winton Dupree, Stan Lewis, Jinzo 2400, M, JM.
I agreeably Agree w/ Reverend Winton Dupree’s analysis, Jinzo 2400’s analysis, M’s analysis.
FB = an extra curricular hobby which is Not central to the California University’s curriculum of Davis Aggies. Veterinarians, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Medical Career Training, to name a few, are Central to the Mission of this State Taxpayer Resident Funded entity.
I agreeably disagree w u JM.
A Few Paying FB FANS have $$ & TIME to travel by auto from Davis to San Diego CAL: 516 Miles
Davis to San Luis Obispso: 285 M.
Davis to Flagstaff AZ: 772 M.
Davis to Portland (Hillsboro, OR Stadium): 581 M.
Davis to Cheney, WA: 795 M.
Davis to Saint George, UT: 650 M.
These distancecs For “the Closest” @BigSkyConf FB FANS traveling there & back are Fan Prohibitive.