The conference is affiliated with the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).
The conference contains nine of the largest high schools across Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
In 2021, the league announced the departure of Traverse City Central and Traverse City West high schools' football programs, and those schools becoming associate members of the Saginaw Valley League.
[1] However, other sports offered by those schools will continue to participate in the Big North Conference.
In 2023, it was announced that three high schools, Escanaba, Marquette, and Sault Area, would be joining the BNC as football-only members.