Big Sky Conference - Power Ranking and Predictions - Week 4

[dystopiamembrane]

1. Cal Poly
2. Eastern Washington
3. Montana State
4. Montana
5. North Dakota
6. Southern Utah
7. Northern Arizona
8. Sacramento State
9. Portland State
10. UC Davis
11. Weber State
12. Northern Colorado
13. Idaho State

UC Davis 14-30 Cal Poly
North Dakota 34-31 Sacramento State
Eastern Washington 31-21 Weber State
Idaho State 7-49 Nebraska
Northern Arizona 21-31 Montana
Northern Colorado 14-35 Montana State
Southern Utah 35-34 Portland State

[darell1976]

1. Cal Poly
2. Eastern Washington
3. Montana State
4. Montana
5. North Dakota
6. Southern Utah
7. Northern Arizona
8. Sacramento State
9. Portland State
10. UC Davis
11. Weber State
12. Northern Colorado
13. Idaho State

UC Davis 14-30 Cal Poly
North Dakota 34-31 Sacramento State
Eastern Washington 31-21 Weber State
Idaho State 7-49 Nebraska
Northern Arizona 21-31 Montana
Northern Colorado 14-35 Montana State
Southern Utah 35-34 Portland State

I agree with all those picks.

[Griz_are_Beta_AF]

I'm new around here, so I have a clarification question. With those top teams, those are the rankings you have in the Big Sky? Meaning you have Cal Poly as the best team in the Big Sky?

[Grizalltheway]

No way in hell MSU is better than UM right now.

[bojeta]

1. Cal Poly
2. Eastern Washington
3. Montana State
4. Montana
5. North Dakota
6. Southern Utah
7. Northern Arizona
8. Sacramento State
9. Portland State
10. UC Davis
11. Weber State
12. Northern Colorado
13. Idaho State

UC Davis 14-30 Cal Poly
North Dakota 34-31 Sacramento State
Eastern Washington 31-21 Weber State
Idaho State 7-49 Nebraska
Northern Arizona 21-31 Montana
Northern Colorado 14-35 Montana State
Southern Utah 35-34 Portland State

Obviously I'm biased toward Cal Poly so take that part as a given. Only change I'd make to your list would be to move North Dakota ahead of Montana. Sorry Griz... I'm a fan, but that's how I see right now. I know the Griz have a way of turning things around and there are 9 more regular season games. Things are likely to change to say the least.

[F'N Hawks]

Obviously I'm biased toward Cal Poly so take that part as a given. Only change I'd make to your list would be to move North Dakota ahead of Montana. Sorry Griz... I'm a fan, but that's how I see right now. I know the Griz have a way of turning things around and there are 9 more regular season games. Things are likely to change to say the least.
Ummm...no. UND needs to mix in some D before I agree with that.

[Grizalltheway]

Obviously I'm biased toward Cal Poly so take that part as a given. Only change I'd make to your list would be to move North Dakota ahead of Montana. Sorry Griz... I'm a fan, but that's how I see right now. I know the Griz have a way of turning things around and there are 9 more regular season games. Things are likely to change to say the least.

WTF? The Griz are apparently the only team in the country that can be perceived as struggling at 2-1 and averaging 230 yds rushing per game.

[bobcathpdevil56]

No way in hell MSU is better than UM right now.

Why because you guys lost to a team that gave up 600 yds of offense the next week and got spanked at home. That loss makes the Griz 2-1, Cats are 3-0. That is probably why

[swaghook]

UC Davis vs Cal Poly
North Dakota vs Sacramento State
Eastern Washington vs Weber State
Idaho State vs Nebraska
Northern Arizona vs Montana
Northern Colorado vs Montana State
Southern Utah vs Portland State

[bojeta]

WTF? The Griz are apparently the only team in the country that can be perceived as struggling at 2-1 and averaging 230 yds rushing per game.

Ya, I know the Griz are still a great team, and like I said, the next nine weeks will see some changes, but the loss to App, followed by App's destruction at the hands of Citadel...., combined with all their internal problems, has to make them a bit suspect currently. History shows this will likely change, but I need to see solid wins against solid teams.

[bojeta]

WTF? The Griz are apparently the only team in the country that can be perceived as struggling at 2-1 and averaging 230 yds rushing per game.

Ya, I know the Griz are still a great team, and like I said, the next nine weeks will see some changes, but the loss to App, followed by App's destruction at the hands of Citadel...., combined with all their internal problems, has to make them a bit suspect currently. History shows this will likely change, but I need to see solid wins against solid teams.

[WeAreNorthDakota]

Not sure I'd put UND in the top 5 quite yet. If they get a road Big Sky win next weekend and the defense gets some stops then I'll start believing they can contend. I'm excited that conference play is finally getting started. I've had enough of this arguing over the quality of uncommon opponents. It's time to prove it on the field!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Having seen Montana with my own eyes I can easily say they are good. I don't think they're elite or legit title contenders though. They need a little more speed and experience at key positions imo. Ewu
will prove to be the best team. Msu, Cal Poly and UM very similar. UND a step behind.

From a phoneg

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Having seen Montana with my own eyes I can easily say they are good. I don't think they're elite or legit title contenders though. They need a little more speed and experience at key positions imo. Ewu
will prove to be the best team. Msu, Cal Poly and UM very similar. UND a step behind.

1. EWU
2. Montana
3. Cal Poly
4. MSU
5. UND


From a phone

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Double post

[coover]

1. Cal Poly
2. Eastern Washington
3. Montana State
4. Montana
5. North Dakota
6. Southern Utah
7. Northern Arizona
8. Sacramento State
9. Portland State
10. UC Davis
11. Weber State
12. Northern Colorado
13. Idaho State

UC Davis 14-30 Cal Poly
North Dakota 34-31 Sacramento State
Eastern Washington 31-21 Weber State
Idaho State 7-49 Nebraska
Northern Arizona 21-31 Montana
Northern Colorado 14-35 Montana State
Southern Utah 35-34 Portland State
Eastern Washington deserves to be #1

Cal Poly is probably there between Montana State and Montana.

North Dakota needs to be ranked higher. While their defense is suspect, NOBODY is going to stop their offense.

The UC Davis - Cal Poly game will be closer. This is an emotional game in which the team that is more emotionally prepared will do the best. Frequently the poorer team will beat the better team. Cal Poly is just coming off a big, big win and, while elated, may not be prepared to play their best game. UC Davis will be prepared to play their best game. I think Poly will win ... barely.

North Dakota's offense will win this game going away. I'll guess North Dakota 56 - Sacramento State 34

Eastern Washington will crush Weber State by 3 TDs or more

Unless Nebraska is using their 4th team by the end of the 2nd Quarter, Idaho State will lose by at least 50 points.

I think you have the Montana and Montana State games just about right.

Southern Utah will beat Portland State by 10 rather than 1.

[frozennorth]

Having seen Montana with my own eyes I can easily say they are good. I don't think they're elite or legit title contenders though. They need a little more speed and experience at key positions imo. Ewu
will prove to be the best team. Msu, Cal Poly and UM very similar. UND a step behind.

1. EWU
2. Montana
3. Cal Poly
4. MSU
5. UND


From a phone
100% agreed with this post.

UND's defense is awful, the only way they are going to win is via a shootout.

[Griz_are_Beta_AF]

Why do you have Northern Arizona over UM? I mean, yeah I obviously hate UM, but they barely beat UNLV..

[wapiti]

1. Cal Poly
2. Eastern Washington
3. Montana State
4. Montana
5. North Dakota
6. Southern Utah
7. Northern Arizona
8. Sacramento State
9. Portland State
10. UC Davis
11. Weber State
12. Northern Colorado
13. Idaho State


The amazing part of your rankings is that the 8th ranked team within the BSC beat an FBS team that is in a BCS conference.
Which show that the BSC is tough this year.

[dbackjon]

Why do you have Northern Arizona over UM? I mean, yeah I obviously hate UM, but they barely beat UNLV..


So barely beating a FBS team is a BAD thing?

[wapiti]

Here are my rankings.

1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana
3. Montana State
4. Cal Poly
5. North Dakota
T6. Northern Arizona
T6. Sacramento State
8. Southern Utah
9. Portland State
10. UC Davis
11. Weber State
12. Idaho State
13. Northern Colorado

The top 7 or 8 teams have shown they are strong this year. It should be exciting to watch the BSC shake out.
There probably will be playoff quality BSC teams being left out this year.
(I should note that I do not use a formula or system to figure out my rankings. I look at game results, what they were ranked last time, and then make a determination )

[ALPHAGRIZ1]

1. Cal Poly
2. Northern Arizona
3. Montana
4. Montana St
5. Eastern Washington
6. Southern Utah
7. Sac St
8. North Dakota
9. Portland St
10. Idaho St
11. UC Davis
12. Weber St
13. No Colorado

[GtFllsGriz]

Here are my rankings.

1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana
3. Montana State
4. Cal Poly
5. North Dakota
T6. Northern Arizona
T6. Sacramento State
8. Southern Utah
9. Portland State
10. UC Davis
11. Weber State
12. Idaho State
13. Northern Colorado

The top 7 or 8 teams have shown they are strong this year. It should be exciting to watch the BSC shake out.
There probably will be playoff quality BSC teams being left out this year.
(I should note that I do not use a formula or system to figure out my rankings. I look at game results, what they were ranked last time, and then make a determination )

I pretty much agree with this assessment. I have watched all the Griz games and DVR'd two Cat games.

Defferent matchups are going to generate different results, obviously. Apps loss, although a blow out was surprising, a loss was not. They are still a solid team that is going to win some games this year.

Back to the BSC. I think EWU is the top team right now and it is going to be very difficult for the Griz to get a "W" because their offensive plays right into the Griz weakness....that being pass defense. It will be hard for a run first team to beat the Griz if they don't have a decent, to good, passing game. I have not seen NAU so I suspect a tough game but it should be a Griz win. It is going to take some time for the Griz youth to make this team a title contender but they certainly have the talent to win some big games when it all comes together.

I think MSU is vulnerable and possibly a little overated right now. And I am not a Cat hater, just the way I see it.

Cal Poly has to be given respect with their wins but the BSC schedule is certainly going to make their life easier.

I think UND is a good team that could be a contender if their "D" improves. Time will tell.

The rest of the BSC are going to provide some tough challenges. I don't think anyone should be overlooked. This is a tough conference this year and the additions are all very respectable teams and only enhance the overall strength of the conference.

[tingly]

Since the top 4 aren't that far apart, has anyone seen the new automatic berth tiebreaker rule? All I could find was that one was approved.

[darell1976]

1. Cal Poly
2. Montana State
3. Montana
4. EW
5. UND
6. NAU
7. Sac St
8. SUU
9. PSU
10. UC Davis
11. WSU
12. ISU
13. UNC

[JALMOND]

This week I'll give you all first shot at these. Glad to see there's others willing to share their rankings,etc, in regards to the Big Sky. Great discussions going on. Here are my power rankings for the conference for this week. (Last week's rankings in parenthesis). Great games last week, congrats to Cal Poly for the big win. As usual, all are my opinion on these. Have at them...

1. Montana State (1)---Bending but not breaking for the Bobcats so far, including a come from behind win over Top 25 Stephen F Austin to go with a road win at Drake. This week, conference season begins with a home game against Northern Colorado.

2. Eastern Washington (2)---After opening with the 2 FBS teams from just south of the Eagles campus in the Palouse, the Eagles took a week off to nurse their wounds (or bask in the glory of coming out 1-1 from them). Now conference season begins on the road at Weber State.

3. Cal Poly (4)---Some people actually had this picked, but it was still somewhat of a surprise when the Mustangs knocked off FBS Wyoming last week. Great way to establish momentum for the conference season as they stay home to play UC-Davis.

4. Montana (3)---More drama coming from the offseason crap, yet the Grizzlies were able to put all that behind them and get the home win over Liberty. They may have to deal with that all year, yet they can still play football. This week they get the upstart Northern Arizona at home.

5. Northern Arizona (5)---The Lumberjacks followed up their FBS win with a good pounding of DII Fort Lewis last week. Now they must get focused on the conference season as they have to play at Montana this weekend, a place that has been very unkind to them in many years.

6. North Dakota (7)---One thing that has become evident from this early part of the season is that the former Sioux can definitely score as they put up 41 last week against FBS San Diego State. The only drawback was they gave up 49, but still quite the performance. This week, they open up conference play at Sacramento State.

7. Sacramento State (6)---The Hornets had one of those games last week. After a big win over the Pac-12 (once again) they had to withstand a pretty game Northern Colorado squad, escaping with a win at the end. This week, they officially begin conference play against North Dakota.

8. Southern Utah (8)---What was not surprising was that the Thunderbirds were able to get a win over DII New Mexico Highlands last week. What was surprising was the seemingly difficult time they had in getting the win. Obviously a need to play better is in the cards as they start conference play this week at Portland State.

9. Idaho State (11)---OK, yes the Bengals were off last week and they have a long history of not doing much. But what is clear so far is that they have a strong passing attack. How far that gets them remains to be seen, especially this week as they head to Nebraska.

10. Weber State (10)---The Wildcats are still trying to find themselves and still are struggling without a win this season, including last week at home against McNeese State. Conference play may be a bit easier for them as they start off at home this week against Eastern Washington.

11. Portland State (9)---A truly ugly performance last week by the Vikings made a bit easier to swallow as the opponent was the Pac-12's Washington team coming off an equally ugly game at LSU. The Vikings only win has been against the NAIA and they will need to step up at home against Southern Utah.

12. UC-Davis (12)---First thing positive is that the Aggies have a strong defense and will rely on that to keep them in games. The bad thing is even giving up 12 points as they did last week against South Dakota State, they still can't generate an offense to win the game. This week they will need offense as they head down to Cal Poly.

13. Northern Colorado (13)---The Bears are improving overall and looked impressive for a bit last week at Sacramento State, but still ended up on the short end. They will take another shot at getting a conference win this week as they go on the road to Montana State.

[wapiti]

and now for some predictions for this week.

UC Davis 17 Cal Poly 32 Cal Poly is looking strong and UC Davis seems to look better than last year, but still has improving to do to catch up to CP.

North Dakota 23 Sacramento State 24 This game should be a close tough fought battle. I went with home field advantage for Sac State.

Eastern Washington 28 Weber State 16 Each team score 4 times, but TD's are worth more than FG's. EWU is also playing at a higher level.

Idaho State 13 Nebraska 48 ISU taking on a big FBS makes for an easy pick here.

Northern Arizona 24 Montana 26 NAU showed they can play by beating an FBS. But UM would most likely have beat UNLV also. This game is going to be closer than the griz fans would like.

Northern Colorado 24 Montana State 31 At first glance MSU should be an easy pick here, but MSU has a past of losing what appears to be an easy pick. I still pick MSU.

Southern Utah 20 Portland State 18 Sorenson has a big game and carries SUU to the W.

[moosbah]

Ummm...no. UND needs to mix in some D before I agree with that.

I second this.

[crossfire07]

I don't know how y'all in the Big Sky feel about Weber State people but I had nothing but a good experiance with them outside and inside the stadium.Met nothing but good football loving fans.

[bojeta]

I sat right in front of a large contingent of Weber fans that traveled to Cal Poly in 2008. They were great people. Cal Poly people are great as well, but we just happened to have this one idiot right in front of me. Eventually, some Cal Poly people, I believe, had the police escort the jerk out. All you need are a couple pinheads to make a team's fans look bad. In general, I would say FCS fans everywhere I've been have been class acts!

[Squealofthepig]

I don't know how y'all in the Big Sky feel about Weber State people but I had nothing but a good experiance with them outside and inside the stadium.Met nothing but good football loving fans.

No complaints here, love Ogden - the fan support wasn't huge for the one game I happened to catch there a few years ago (vs. UNC), but it was vocal and energetic.

I'm pretty much with Wapiti on this week's picks; Nebraska is probably the only blowout (but then, I didn't see The Cit hanging 50+ on ASU at The Rock, so what do I know?)

[I Bleed Purple]

We suck.

But we're still better than the spudheads. :D

Gawd, that JLS hire was terrible. I don't know why our fans were lauding it at the time. I was against the guy from the start. I missed my prediction, though. I predicted he'd be fired in 2 years. Turns out he'll be fired in less than one, from a different school.

[coover]

I sat right in front of a large contingent of Weber fans that traveled to Cal Poly in 2008. They were great people. Cal Poly people are great as well, but we just happened to have this one idiot right in front of me. Eventually, some Cal Poly people, I believe, had the police escort the jerk out. All you need are a couple pinheads to make a team's fans look bad. In general, I would say FCS fans everywhere I've been have been class acts!I was at the same game, but, evidently not in the same section as you were in as I saw no problems with any fans, Cal Poly or Weber State. Actually, my wife and I were surrounded with folks wearing purple. It turned out that they had come up from the Los Angeles area to root for the 2nd or 3rd team Weber State QB. There must of been 15 of them, mother, father, brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents. They were great people who tolerated me loudly rooting for Cal Poly (as I tolerated their loud rooting for Weber State). The game was a blow out. I seem to remember Poly scoring 49 points and had a sizeable lead at the end. Unfortunately for them, their relative never entered the game, and, by the start of the 4th quarter, even I was yelling for the Weber State coach to put the boy in the game, it was already a rout and wouldn't have made any difference.

[I Bleed Purple]

I was at the same game, but, evidently not in the same section as you were in as I saw no problems with any fans, Cal Poly or Weber State. Actually, my wife and I were surrounded with folks wearing purple. It turned out that they had come up from the Los Angeles area to root for the 2nd or 3rd team Weber State QB. There must of been 15 of them, mother, father, brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents. They were great people who tolerated me loudly rooting for Cal Poly (as I tolerated their loud rooting for Weber State). The game was a blow out. I seem to remember Poly scoring 49 points and had a sizeable lead at the end. Unfortunately for them, their relative never entered the game, and, by the start of the 4th quarter, even I was yelling for the Weber State coach to put the boy in the game, it was already a rout and wouldn't have made any difference.

Memory is the first thing to go...

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=283340013

[I Bleed Purple]

Memory is the first thing to go...

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=283340013

Must have been 2007.

http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=272580013

[JALMOND]

I'm currently at 30-4 so far with conference play around the corner for most teams. Need a perfect weekend. Seven games this week, but everyone plays. Here is my attempt at perfection. My opinion only so have at it.

EWU at WSU---The Eagles had the week off to prepare for the conference season. The Wildcats gave McNeese State a tussle at home, which should prepare them for this home opener. Can the Wildcats do it?...EWU 31, WSU 17.

ISU at Nebraska---The Bengals had last week off, but while everyone else opens conference play, they head off to Big 10's Big Nasty Nebraska. The Bengals will surely pass, can it keep them in the game?...Nebraska 52, ISU 21.

UND at Sac State---The former Sioux showed they have quite a potent offense against San Diego State, while the Hornets responded to their win at Colorado with a rather uninspired performance at home against Northern Colorado. If they play like that here, it could be trouble...UND 35, Sac State 28.

NAU at UM---The Lumberjacks have not beaten the Grizzlies anywhere in hte last 13 tries, but after destroying Fort Lewis, some fans are thinking this is their year, even at Missoula. The Grizzlies, however, are playing some good football at the moment...UM 28, NAU 24.

UNC at MSU---The Bears have shown improvement this year and came relatively close to a win last weekend at Sacramento State. The Bobcats may have struggled in their first three games but they have been able to garner the wins. This game could get interesting, but in the end...MSU 31, UNC 21.

SUU at PSU---The Thunderbirds struggled at putting away DII's New Mexico Highlands last week while the Vikings didn't really show up at the Pac-12 Washington. Two strong offenses, two struggling defenses, this has shootout all over it...SUU 42, PSU 35.

UCD at CP---With the Mustangs win last week at FBS Wyoming, people are wondering if they are really that good. With the Aggies defensive performance last week, people are wondering if they are really that good, because the offense isn't...CP 24, UCD 14.

[moose]

There's quite a bit of love for UND in this thread. But, I don't know why exactly.

I know they hung in there with San Diego State, but did you guys watch that game?? SDSU's defense might as well have been tackling dummies with jerseys on, even though they did shut down the run game I guess. But it's easy to do that when the other team is playing from a couple of scores behind for most of the game.

I did not see any of UND's previous 2 games but, I think it'd be safe to say that UND has yet to see an average defense, at best. I mean, you've got the South Dakota School of Mines, and Portland State. I would hope that Sac State has a slightly better defense than San Diego State, since Sac State did beat Colorado earlier this season.

Having said all of that, I would probably agree with a 5th or 6th spot in the Big Sky power rankings. I just don't think there's that much of a difference after you get past EWU, Montana State, Cal Poly, and Montana.

[Squealofthepig]

There's quite a bit of love for UND in this thread. But, I don't know why exactly.

A large part of it is that they're really an unknown quantity - last year's really wacky schedule/results really didn't tell us anything, and this year we still don't know much, yet, about The Team Formerly Known as Sioux. I haven't seen enough yet to determine that they're a lower-tier BSC team - but I haven't seen enough yet to determine that they're top-tier, either.

[Twentysix]

A large part of it is that they're really an unknown quantity - last year's really wacky schedule/results really didn't tell us anything, and this year we still don't know much, yet, about The Team Formerly Known as Sioux. I haven't seen enough yet to determine that they're a lower-tier BSC team - but I haven't seen enough yet to determine that they're top-tier, either.

They will eventually become top teir in the BSC, might be a few seasons. They have the resources to pump up their football program. They will probably be more like an Eastern Washington than the Montana's however.

I enjoy each season UND sucks. But, I find it hard to believe that they will never be a contender in the BSC.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Hey UND, can you please kick your douchebag brother-in-law out of the party? They weren't invited. xcoffeex


NAU 24 @ Montana 27

UNC 13 @ MSU 31

SUU 35 @ PSU 24

UND 41 @ Sac State 35

EWU 35 @ WSU 17

UCD 10 @ Cal Poly 21

ISU 14 @ Nebraska 42

So far I'm at 29-5 on the year, but not gonna catch Jalmond this week as we have the same picks.

[eiu1999]

UC Davis vs Cal Poly
North Dakota vs Sacramento State
Eastern Washington vs Weber State
Idaho State vs Nebraska
Northern Arizona vs Montana
Northern Colorado vs Montana State
Southern Utah vs Portland State

[F'N Hawks]

There's quite a bit of love for UND in this thread. But, I don't know why exactly.

I know they hung in there with San Diego State, but did you guys watch that game?? SDSU's defense might as well have been tackling dummies with jerseys on, even though they did shut down the run game I guess. But it's easy to do that when the other team is playing from a couple of scores behind for most of the game.

I did not see any of UND's previous 2 games but, I think it'd be safe to say that UND has yet to see an average defense, at best. I mean, you've got the South Dakota School of Mines, and Portland State. I would hope that Sac State has a slightly better defense than San Diego State, since Sac State did beat Colorado earlier this season.

Having said all of that, I would probably agree with a 5th or 6th spot in the Big Sky power rankings. I just don't think there's that much of a difference after you get past EWU, Montana State, Cal Poly, and Montana.

Well, the FCS experts from Fargo have all chimed in. Case closed, shut down the topic.

[darell1976]

A large part of it is that they're really an unknown quantity - last year's really wacky schedule/results really didn't tell us anything, and this year we still don't know much, yet, about The Team Formerly Known as Sioux. I haven't seen enough yet to determine that they're a lower-tier BSC team - but I haven't seen enough yet to determine that they're top-tier, either.

This is why I don't get to excited or pissed about not being in the top tier of the BSC rankings. We are an unknown. Cal Poly, UC Davis, and SUU are more known since they have been in the FCS longer and have played more BSC teams of late then UND. UND played most of BSC teams (except UNC) back in the 80's so we are relatively unknown to them and then EWU and WSU has never faced UND before. So we can really call ourselves the new kid on the block from the old neighborhood. We have old friends (UM, MSU, and UNC), new friends (UC Davis, Cal Poly, and SUU) and then we can make some new ones (the rest of the BSC). UND will be at the top of the conference...some year.

[Ginsbach]

We suck.

But we're still better than the spudheads. :D

Gawd, that JLS hire was terrible. I don't know why our fans were lauding it at the time. I was against the guy from the start. I missed my prediction, though. I predicted he'd be fired in 2 years. Turns out he'll be fired in less than one, from a different school.

We'll see what happens on November 17th. I have a feeling ISU and Weber won't be fighting for a playoff spot, but it will still be a good game.

I think ISU is greatly improved from the Bengals teams of recent memory. They won't be in the top half of the BSC, but they could surprise a few teams this year. I'll go out on a limb and say that ISU does not finish last place in the conference this year, haha.

[MTfan4life]

Hey UND, can you please kick your douchebag brother-in-law out of the party? They weren't invited. xcoffeex


It's almost like a love affair. Anywhere UND goes, its crush is guaranteed to also show up on here.

Cal Poly 24 UC Davis 20
Montana State 42 Northern Colorado 10
Montana 31 Northern Arizona 24
Eastern Washington 34 Weber State 20
Nebraska 59 Idaho State 21
Sacramento State 31 North Dakota 28
Southern Utah 24 Portland State 14

Fun little tidbit: This Saturday will mark the 50th season of Big Sky conference play!

[darell1976]

It's almost like a love affair. Anywhere UND goes, its crush is guaranteed to also show up on here.

Cal Poly 24 UC Davis 20
Montana State 42 Northern Colorado 10
Montana 31 Northern Arizona 24
Eastern Washington 34 Weber State 20
Nebraska 59 Idaho State 21
Sacramento State 31 North Dakota 28
Southern Utah 24 Portland State 14

Fun little tidbit: This Saturday will mark the 50th season of Big Sky conference play!

UND fans are happy our school gets to be a part of it!

[JALMOND]

So far I'm at 29-5 on the year, but not gonna catch Jalmond this week as we have the same picks.

Great minds think alike.:)

[WeAreNorthDakota]

There's quite a bit of love for UND in this thread. But, I don't know why exactly.

I know they hung in there with San Diego State, but did you guys watch that game?? SDSU's defense might as well have been tackling dummies with jerseys on, even though they did shut down the run game I guess. But it's easy to do that when the other team is playing from a couple of scores behind for most of the game.

I did not see any of UND's previous 2 games but, I think it'd be safe to say that UND has yet to see an average defense, at best. I mean, you've got the South Dakota School of Mines, and Portland State. I would hope that Sac State has a slightly better defense than San Diego State, since Sac State did beat Colorado earlier this season.

Having said all of that, I would probably agree with a 5th or 6th spot in the Big Sky power rankings. I just don't think there's that much of a difference after you get past EWU, Montana State, Cal Poly, and Montana.

The game wasn't on TV. Are you so obsessed with UND that you sat at home in Fargo and watched an illegal stream of a UND football game on a Saturday night?

To answer your question. I think it has mostly to do with the sudden change in strengths/weaknesses. In recent memory, UND has had a solid defense and very good running game. Suddenly this year we have a big play passing offense, an ineffective running game, and a pourous defense. If either the running game or defense have been a fluke and they improve to recent standards, UND has a chance to be very dangerous. If they are what they are, they'll have a chance in every game but likely won't see a ton of success. If the passing game is a fluke it's gonna be a long season. I don't think I've seen anyone with UND in their top 3 so I don't know if love is the right word. I think most fans of the Big Sky are waiting to see what happens in conference play. I think most UND fans see the potential and are cautiously optimistic.

[MTfan4life]

I would hope that Sac State has a slightly better defense than San Diego State, since Sac State did beat Colorado earlier this season.


Ignorance much? A. Colorado has proven to be one of the worst teams in the FCS after their 69-14 loss to Fresno State more than twice the winning margin Fresno had over 0-3 Weber. B. San Diego State had only allowed Washington to score 21 points, and Army to score 7. Their defense wasn't exactly that of the sisters of the poor. Maybe research a little better before trolling UND next time.

[MSUBobcat]

I know I didn't get my picks in for Week 2 due to no internet service while working in western ND, but when doing my over-under prediction for the BSC, I made a spreadsheet to determine how many D-I wins each team would have. I didn't predict any "upsets" playing up or down, so the 4 FBS scalps are my incorrect predictions. Other than playing up/down, there has only been 9 games against FCS competition and only a few were tough calls IMO (UM@App, UND v PSU, MSU v SFA). I took the home team in each case. So far I am 30-4, take it or leave it.

As far as this week's predictions:

NAU @ UM - The Griz looked good v Liberty and are at home. NAU, like most teams, struggles at Wa-Griz. UM 31, NAU 20

UNC @ MSU - The Bears seem to improve every year and the Cardiac Cats seem to play to their level of competition. Hoping Ash uses this game to instill more of a killer instinct that will be needed to go deeper into the playoffs against good teams. MSU 34, UNC 17

SUU @ PSU - Tough game to call. Both have put up some big offensive numbers. At some point, I may have to stray from my preseason predictions, but for this game I'm sticking to the spreadsheet. PSU 34, SUU 31

EWU @ WSU - Tough way to start the year for BBQ, 2 FBS followed by 2 top 25 FCS squads. EWU hands Weber its 4th loss to start the year. EWU 31, WSU 17

UND @ Sac St - Sac St. has some poor statistics against the pass and unfortunately for the Hornets, UND brings a high octane pass game to town. Fortunately, UND appears to leave its defense at home, so the Boys (Formerly) Named Sioux won't quite run them out of the stadium. UND 38, Sac St 28

Cal Poly @ UC-Davis - CP didn't really shock me last week, as I felt they had a real good chance at Wyo. Davis's D appeared pretty stout last week at SDSU. I think it keeps them somewhat in the game, but you can't win if you can't score. CP 24, UC-D 10

ISU @ Nebraska - Not much to say here except good luck Bengals... you're going to need it. Nebraska 45, ISU 21

[coover]

That wasn't the game I was at. In the game I was at, Ramses Barden scored 3 or more touchdowns, and the Wildcat defense couldn't stop the run. I'm think the final score was 49 to maybe 24 and if Poly hadn't pulled their starters, would have been worse. This was not the playoff game that you refer to where Weber beat Poly. It may have been the year before?

[tingly]

Looks like the year before. Poly-Weber series log, PF=Poly, PA=Weber
http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/bigsky/cal_poly_slo/opponents_records.php?teamid=3460

[Screamin_Eagle174]

That wasn't the game I was at. In the game I was at, Ramses Barden scored 3 or more touchdowns, and the Wildcat defense couldn't stop the run. I'm think the final score was 49 to maybe 24 and if Poly hadn't pulled their starters, would have been worse. This was not the playoff game that you refer to where Weber beat Poly. It may have been the year before?

Barden is having a great game for the Giants right now... 100+ in the first half alone.

[JALMOND]

I'm currently at 30-4 so far with conference play around the corner for most teams. Need a perfect weekend. Seven games this week, but everyone plays. Here is my attempt at perfection. My opinion only so have at it.

EWU at WSU---The Eagles had the week off to prepare for the conference season. The Wildcats gave McNeese State a tussle at home, which should prepare them for this home opener. Can the Wildcats do it?...EWU 31, WSU 17.

ISU at Nebraska---The Bengals had last week off, but while everyone else opens conference play, they head off to Big 10's Big Nasty Nebraska. The Bengals will surely pass, can it keep them in the game?...Nebraska 52, ISU 21.

UND at Sac State---The former Sioux showed they have quite a potent offense against San Diego State, while the Hornets responded to their win at Colorado with a rather uninspired performance at home against Northern Colorado. If they play like that here, it could be trouble...UND 35, Sac State 28.

NAU at UM---The Lumberjacks have not beaten the Grizzlies anywhere in hte last 13 tries, but after destroying Fort Lewis, some fans are thinking this is their year, even at Missoula. The Grizzlies, however, are playing some good football at the moment...UM 28, NAU 24.

UNC at MSU---The Bears have shown improvement this year and came relatively close to a win last weekend at Sacramento State. The Bobcats may have struggled in their first three games but they have been able to garner the wins. This game could get interesting, but in the end...MSU 31, UNC 21.

SUU at PSU---The Thunderbirds struggled at putting away DII's New Mexico Highlands last week while the Vikings didn't really show up at the Pac-12 Washington. Two strong offenses, two struggling defenses, this has shootout all over it...SUU 42, PSU 35.

UCD at CP---With the Mustangs win last week at FBS Wyoming, people are wondering if they are really that good. With the Aggies defensive performance last week, people are wondering if they are really that good, because the offense isn't...CP 24, UCD 14.

6-1 for the week, 36-5 for the year. Couldn't get myself to go with NAU, not with their prior history against the Griz and the game in Missoula. I'll take it, however.

[Squealofthepig]

6-1 for the week, 36-5 for the year. Couldn't get myself to go with NAU, not with their prior history against the Griz and the game in Missoula. I'll take it, however.

Griz decided to hand the ball over five times and played the entire second half like they did the first quarter at SHSU last year; if we had even a first down in the second half (that wasn't negated by a turnover), I missed it.

If EWU or MSU similarly misstep, it could be an entirely new look at the top of the Big Sky this year.

[tingly]

The automatic qualifier could get knotted in a big tie of one-loss teams from how this week looked. I'm still trying to find the new tiebreaker rule.

[bincitysioux]

The automatic qualifier could get knotted in a big tie of one-loss teams from how this week looked. I'm still trying to find the new tiebreaker rule.

13 Team, One Division Format

Eight-game schedule. Two-rival format.

Tiebreaker to determine automatic bid to playoffs.
1. Head-to-head
2. Record against COMMON SCHEDULED CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
in descending order.
3. Record against COMMON CONFERENCE NON-CONFERENCE opponents
in descending order
4. Record against COMMON NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
5. Ratings System (TBA)
6. Coin Flip

Examples of No. 3: If conference teams A & B both scheduled conference team C in a non-conference game (Not scheduled by the league), the results of that game can be used in a tiebreaker. If conference team A played conference team C in a scheduled conference game, but conference team B played conference team C in a non-conference game, that WOULD NOT BE used in a tiebreaker.

Examples of No. 4: If conference teams A&B both scheduled the same non-conference opponent (FBS, FCS or Division II), the results of that game could be used in a tiebreaker.



Sounds like the ratings system used in #5 would either be Sagarin or GPI, but has not been determined yet. This was as of March.

[Squealofthepig]

Excellent info, bincitysioux, +1.

The only thing I'd ask, though, is if seeding is prioritized for AQs - I could see situations where a non-AQ could be seeded over an AQ from the same conference, as seeds (afaik) are determined by the playoff committee and are separate from just determining who is in the field. (Not that I'd expect the Big Sky to get multiple seeds this year; I think that only happens in the Valley this season). I bring this up only to say I could see a case where, say, Cal Poly winds up winning the conference, but still be sent to say Montana State in the first round (as they don't play the Cats in conference this year).

Lots of football left to be played, of course, but good to get our heads wrapped around all this huge conference minutiae.

[tingly]

Awesome, thanks! That led me to this PDF. They're gonna use Sagarin, but don't say which ranking of his. [EDIT: on 2nd look, it does say, cuz the main rating of his is called "Sagarin Rating".]

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/ucda/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2012-13/misc_non_event/CompleteBigSkyPreseasonRelease.pdf

[dbackjon]

Griz decided to hand the ball over five times and played the entire second half like they did the first quarter at SHSU last year; if we had even a first down in the second half (that wasn't negated by a turnover), I missed it.

If EWU or MSU similarly misstep, it could be an entirely new look at the top of the Big Sky this year.

So no credit for NAU, huh? Montana lost the game - NAU DOMINATED every facet of the game, and Montana is lucky is wasn't a 25 point blowout.

[UNDColorado]

NAU simply outplayed Montana. They looked like the better team all around yesterday; good job NAU.

[MTfan4life]

So no credit for NAU, huh? Montana lost the game - NAU DOMINATED every facet of the second half,

FIFY

[KGKat]

So are you saying that um went 1-1 yesterday? Sorry, but that is not how it works!

[MSUBobcat]

So are you saying that um went 1-1 yesterday? Sorry, but that is not how it works!

xeyebrowxxconfusedx Not sure where you got that anyone said UM went 1-1 yesterday, but I watched the game and UM did own the first half (up by 17). So much so, that I said to my Griz buddy watching the MT teams with me that both games were getting out of hand by the end of the first half. Then the wheels fell off for the Griz (TO's, no offense, no run defense). To say the Griz were dominated, or were lucky they didn't lose by 25(dbackjon xrolleyesx), means you obviously didn't watch the game. It was definitely a tale of 2 halfs and to NAU's credit, their 2nd half was DAMN good. xthumbsupx

[uofmman1122]

They're 1-14 against us in the last 15 years. It's been a tough time. Let 'em have a little hyperbole.

[Squealofthepig]

MSUBobcat said it well - and the games were very similar going into the second half. However, victors are determined by the whole game, and MSU did a great job in the second half vs. UNC, and NAU just plain stopped everything Montana tried to do in the second. Montana State and NAU made great adjustments at half-time, allowing the Cats to trounce and the Jacks to dominate. It could have - and should have - been Montana's game to dominate, but turning the ball over five times, even at home in Wa-Griz, is not a good recipe for success, and I'll give kudos to Montana State and NAU for great second halves in their wins (much as it pains me to do so, of course!)

[dbackjon]

FIFY

When is the last time a team scored 34 straight points against Montana? In Missoula?

[Walkon79]

UNC @ MSU - The Bears seem to improve every year and the Cardiac Cats seem to play to their level of competition. Hoping Ash uses this game to instill more of a killer instinct that will be needed to go deeper into the playoffs against good teams. MSU 34, UNC 17

Done, at least for one weekxnodx