Offseason Big Sky '12 Discussion

[MTfan4life]

Four new teams. New rivalries. Schedule imbalance.
Will there ever be an undisputed champion in this format?
Who will emerge as the favorites this next season?
Who will be the doormats?
What will become the best new end of year rivalry? (PSU/EWU, NAU/SUU, UCD/SAC, or WSU/ISU) (not including the Brawl)
Will someone away from the recent Big 3 emerge as a conference and national championship contender?

These are just the start of questions heading into the newly expanded Big Sky competition. Discuss away!

[GoAgs72]

Montana and Montana State at the top, Idaho State and Northern Colorado at the bottom and a big middle group that will duke it out for dominance.

[swaghook]

Montana and Montana State at the top, Idaho State and Northern Colorado at the bottom and a big middle group that will duke it out for dominance.

I'll be surprised if the Whioux make the top half of the conference. They need a new head coach badly IMO.

[NoCoDanny]

Yeah I can tell you who the doormat is. xbawlingx

[darell1976]

The usual at the bottom...Idaho State and UNC. The middle will have SUU, UC Davis, NAU, Sac St. The upper middle will have WSU, EW, PSU, UND. Contenders for the BSC title will be Montana, MSU, and Cal Poly. But since its only January I will give my predictions with conference records before week 1...I don't even know who is going to be at QB for UND.

[alvinkayak6]

The usual at the bottom...Idaho State and UNC. The middle will have SUU, UC Davis, NAU, Sac St. The upper middle will have WSU, EW, PSU, UND. Contenders for the BSC title will be Montana, MSU, and Cal Poly. But since its only January I will give my predictions with conference records before week 1...I don't even know who is going to be at QB for UND.

Why would Cal Poly be placed with Montana and Montana State?

[darell1976]

Why would Cal Poly be placed with Montana and Montana State?

Why not?

[Ginsbach]

Yeah I can tell you who the doormat is. xbawlingx

Yeah - UND.

:D

[slostang]

Why would Cal Poly be placed with Montana and Montana State?

For one Cal Poly does not play Montana, Montana State or Eastern Washington in a conference game (play EWU in a non-conference game) in 2012.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

The usual at the bottom...Idaho State and UNC. The middle will have SUU, UC Davis, NAU, Sac St. The upper middle will have WSU, EW, PSU, UND. Contenders for the BSC title will be Montana, MSU, and Cal Poly. But since its only January I will give my predictions with conference records before week 1...I don't even know who is going to be at QB for UND.

ISU ain't gonna be a bottom feeder. Next year they will start chipping away the middle of the pack and probably wind up in there. If you are playing ISU this year and next watch for that defense to start making life miserable for you. Their offense is already a problem.

[GSU Eagle]

Is the Big Sky going to 2 6-team divisions or 1 12 team group?

[Silenoz]

1 13

[GoAgs72]

I still see Montana and Montana State at the top with one big middle group. There's not enough to distinguish the level of play between EWU, PSU, WSU, Sac State, SUU, UND, NAU, Cal Poly and UC Davis until they start playing each other every year or every other year. If ISU and UNC improve it could really be a big mess with everybody knocking off everybody else so only one or two teams make it into the playoffs.

[GSU Eagle]

With 1 13 team division I am assuming that means 8 conference games, so every year 4 teams will not be played. I wonder how the scheduling will be done with that set up?

[darell1976]

Here is the Big Sky schedule from 2012-2015. Since some teams don't play each other other teams can be scheduled as OOC games. UND plays Portland State in OOC play in 2012 and Montana in 2013 as OOC (from the back end of a home and home).

http://www.bigskyconf.com/documents/2011/4/28/Futurefootball2012.pdf?id=1619

[Grizzlies82]

With 1 13 team division I am assuming that means 8 conference games, so every year 4 teams will not be played. I wonder how the scheduling will be done with that set up?

Yes the schedules have been set. Yet the new conference structure (teams not playing each other annually) is going to create a mess as to whom is the conference champ. Unless things just fall into place this may become a perpetual problem.

As you might guess I am not a fan of the way the new expanded conference is set up. Each school is "married" to two other schools who are to be their annual conference opponents. As an example, each year Montana will play E. Washington & Montana State as conference opponents. While MT State will play Montana and No. Dakota each year. These pairing are set within the new structure. The remainder of the conference schedule in a given year will be done on a rotation basis until the schools eventually play each other.

Many years this format may result with UM, E. WA, MSU picking up one conference loss as they battle each other. Meanwhile, a middle tier Big Sky team can theoretically go undefeated in the conference if their schedule omits that year's top tier teams (whomever they happen to be). This may not happen often but it is certain to happen some years. As is years with two undefeated Big Sky teams. Who is champ? Winning the Big Sky will be determined by which schools played each other in a given year, rather than seeing it won on the field in a head to head competion.

[darell1976]

Yes the schedules have been set. Yet the new conference structure (teams not playing each other annually) is going to create a mess as to whom is the conference champ. Unless things just fall into place this may become a perpetual problem.

As you might guess I am not a fan of the way the new expanded conference is set up. Each school is "married" to two other schools who are to be their annual conference opponents. As an example, each year Montana will play E. Washington & Montana State as conference opponents. While MT State will play Montana and No. Dakota each year. These pairing are set within the new structure. The remainder of the conference schedule in a given year will be done on a rotation basis until the schools eventually play each other.

Many years this format may result with UM, E. WA, MSU picking up one conference loss as they battle each other. Meanwhile, a middle tier Big Sky team can theoretically go undefeated in the conference if their schedule omits that year's top tier teams (whomever they happen to be). This may not happen often but it is certain to happen some years. As is years with two undefeated Big Sky teams. Who is champ? Winning the Big Sky will be determined by which schools played each other in a given year, rather than seeing it won on the field in a head to head competion.

Maybe they needed to set it up like the Big 10 with 2 divisions and a conference title game.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Maybe they needed to set it up like the Big 10 with 2 divisions and a conference title game.

That can't happen in FCS. There are no conference title games unless you don't want to be part of the playoffs.

[SDFS]

Big Sky/Great West (GPI 2011 Final Rankings)
5. Montana (5.57)
8. Montana St (8.29)
22. Cal Poly (22.00)
23. Southern Utah (22.57)**
25. E Washington (25.00)

30. North Dakota (28.14)
34. Portland St (30.43)
35. Weber St (32.00)
48. Sacramento St (42.71)
51. UC Davis (44.00)
53T. Northern Arizona (44.86)

93. Idaho St (74.43)
105. N Colorado (81.71)

Here is a list of the rivals for each team:

Montana - 33.29
Eastern Washington - 25.00
Montana State - 8.29

Montana State - 33.71
Montana - 5.57
North Dakota - 28.14

Eastern Washington - 36.00
Montana - 5.57
Portland State - 30.43

Idaho State - 62.43
Portland State - 30.43
Weber State - 32.00

UC Davis - 64.71
Cal Poly - 22.00
Sacramento State -42.71

Sacramento State - 66.00
Cal Poly - 22.00
UC Davis - 44.00

Northern Colorado - 73.00
North Dakota - 28.14
Northern Arizona - 44.86

Southern Utah - 76.86
Northern Arizona - 44.86
Weber State - 32.00

Cal Poly - 86.71
UC Davis - 44.00
Sacramento State - 42.71

North Dakota - 90.00
Montana State - 8.29
Northern Colorado - 81.71

Weber State - 97.00
Idaho State - 74.43
Southern Utah - 22.57

Portland State - 99.43
Eastern Washington - 25.00
Idaho State - 74.43

Northern Arizona - 104.28
Southern Utah - 22.57
Northern Colorado - 81.71

[SDFS]

UNC, Cal Poly and SUU are the only teams to not play one of the top 5 schools as a rival.

[SDFS]

UND get all 5 of the top schools next year.

UM
@MSU
Cal Poly
SUU
@EWU
Portland St
@ Sac St
NAU
@UNC

[darell1976]

UND get all 5 of the top schools next year.

UM
@MSU
Cal Poly
SUU
@EWU
Portland St
@ Sac St
NAU
@UNC

Plus 2 more home OOC games and UND has 7 home games for 2013. That could be a great year for UND football!!

[frozennorth]

Plus 2 more home OOC games and UND has 7 home games for 2013. That could be a great year for UND football!!

i didn't realize that schedule was that rough. we're gonna get hammered.

[darell1976]

i didn't realize that schedule was that rough. we're gonna get hammered.

xconfusedx

[slostang]

UND get all 5 of the top schools next year.

UM
@MSU
Cal Poly
SUU
@EWU
Portland St
@ Sac St
NAU
@UNC

That was last year, you never know what 2012 will bring.

[darell1976]

That was last year, you never know what 2012 will bring.

So true. Its so easy to pick especially when you have nothing to go on but what happened a couple months ago.

[SDFS]

That was last year, you never know what 2012 will bring.

I agree, but I don't see Poly, Montana or Montana St going to the middle of the pack next year. They will have tough teams every year. Who challenges them will change from year to year. I am looking forward to Big Sky football next year. It should be a fun year.

[Keeper]

That can't happen in FCS. There are no conference title games unless you don't want to be part of the playoffs.

or...if there are co-champions who did not meet, perhaps the BSC and NCAA could agree to a 2nd round playoff matchup and defacto conference championship game Hmmmmm ?

[Hambone]

I'm not sure what to expect for UND in their first season of Big Sky play. I'm very excited to see how it plays out! UND has been lacking in QB and DB play recently, so hopefully that can get turned around. DL and LB play was solid last year, as was OL and RB. WR had a lot of drops, but they also were dealing with what seemed to me to be a vanilla offensive scheme and poor execution at the QB position (which improved a little at the end of the year). Hopefully the North Carolina transfer can provide some stability at the QB position, and some young DB's are ready to step up. I think this will be a little bit of a rough year for UND (probably around 5-6 or 6-5 for the year), but 2013 is where I see this team starting to make a little more noise.

Can't wait for signing day and then for the start of next season!

[bojeta]

ISU ain't gonna be a bottom feeder. Next year they will start chipping away the middle of the pack and probably wind up in there. If you are playing ISU this year and next watch for that defense to start making life miserable for you. Their offense is already a problem.

I was thinking the same thing. ISU looks poised for a revival.

[bojeta]

Yes the schedules have been set. Yet the new conference structure (teams not playing each other annually) is going to create a mess as to whom is the conference champ. Unless things just fall into place this may become a perpetual problem.

As you might guess I am not a fan of the way the new expanded conference is set up. Each school is "married" to two other schools who are to be their annual conference opponents. As an example, each year Montana will play E. Washington & Montana State as conference opponents. While MT State will play Montana and No. Dakota each year. These pairing are set within the new structure. The remainder of the conference schedule in a given year will be done on a rotation basis until the schools eventually play each other.

Many years this format may result with UM, E. WA, MSU picking up one conference loss as they battle each other. Meanwhile, a middle tier Big Sky team can theoretically go undefeated in the conference if their schedule omits that year's top tier teams (whomever they happen to be). This may not happen often but it is certain to happen some years. As is years with two undefeated Big Sky teams. Who is champ? Winning the Big Sky will be determined by which schools played each other in a given year, rather than seeing it won on the field in a head to head competion.

I don't disagree with you. That is a definite possibility. I'm hoping that scheduling teams from within the BSC as OOC games each year will help reduce the likelihood of this. I'm pretty sure that if.. say, Cal Poly wins all games except EW and EW wins their division, in spite of the OOC status of the game, the title would be easy to determine.

[bojeta]

I agree, but I don't see Poly, Montana or Montana St going to the middle of the pack next year. They will have tough teams every year. Who challenges them will change from year to year. I am looking forward to Big Sky football next year. It should be a fun year.

+1

[Screamin_Eagle174]

I still see Montana and Montana State at the top with one big middle group. There's not enough to distinguish the level of play between EWU, PSU, WSU, Sac State, SUU, UND, NAU, Cal Poly and UC Davis until they start playing each other every year or every other year. If ISU and UNC improve it could really be a big mess with everybody knocking off everybody else so only one or two teams make it into the playoffs.

Disagree.

Last 8 years EWU is...
3-2 vs. CP
2-0 vs. UCD
6-2 vs. Sac
7-1 vs. ISU
7-1 vs. NAU
2-0 vs. SUU
5-3 vs. WSU
0-0 vs. UND

2-6 vs. UM
6-2 vs. MSU

Guess that would put EWU in the top 2 of the new conference. xcoffeex

[darell1976]

Disagree.

Last 8 years EWU is...
3-2 vs. CP
2-0 vs. UCD
6-2 vs. Sac
7-1 vs. ISU
7-1 vs. NAU
2-0 vs. SUU
5-3 vs. WSU
0-0 vs. UND

2-6 vs. UM
6-2 vs. MSU

Guess that would put EWU in the top 2 of the new conference. xcoffeex

Soon to be 0-1 vs UND xsmiley_wix

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Soon to be 0-1 vs UND xsmiley_wix

xlolx, keep dreamin'.

[darell1976]

Since UND moved up to DI in 2008 we are 5-9 vs BSC teams:

0-1 vs Montana (2010)
1-0 vs ISU (2008)
1-0 vs UNC (2011)
1-3 vs UCD
1-2 vs CP
1-3 vs SUU

We haven't played others since the 80's or earlier than that. In time we will see where we stack up in the Big Sky.

[MTfan4life]

Disagree.

Last 8 years EWU is...
3-2 vs. CP
2-0 vs. UCD
6-2 vs. Sac
7-1 vs. ISU
7-1 vs. NAU
2-0 vs. SUU
5-3 vs. WSU
0-0 vs. UND

2-6 vs. UM
6-2 vs. MSU

Guess that would put EWU in the top 2 of the new conference. xcoffeex

I don't know how many players on the 2012 EWU squad played in all 8 of those years. I don't think that stat really applies to anything other than history and/or recent tradition. You just need to hope that the same thing doesnt happen as it did the last time EWU had a former Payton winner graduate... (2006, 3-8, 3-5, loss to DII Central Washington) Also a stat that doesn't apply to anything. Just showing they can go both ways.