Big Sky Rankings 10-1

[JALMOND]

OK, so I needed a little extra time to compile the rankings this week. It's still Sunday (at least on the west coast). Road wins in the conference used to be hard to come by, yet the road team took three of four this past weekend. As a result, the following is where I put everyone this week. Of course all is subject for discussion (and I'm sure there will be plenty of opinions, that is fine).

1. Montana (1)---Clear choice, I would say. A hard fought win in Portland helps the Griz stay on top. Should be smooth sailing for the Griz, but there might still be some bumps along the way. This weekend finds them at Eastern Washington, a place where the Griz have had some problems in recent history.

2. Portland State (2)---The Vikings gave the Grizzlies all they could handle, but still came up a little short. Still, the effort was there and the Vikings kept their spot at #2. This week finds them at Montana State, where PSU also has had problems in the past.

3. Weber State (4)---The only team in the conference to win at home, a victory over N Colorado. Still searching for an offense, but the defense is keeping them in games. The Wildcats make a trip to Sacramento State this weekend. Hopefully, the offense will go, too.

4. Idaho State (5)---Probably a good time to have an off week, considering how wild a week it was in the conference. This week, the Bengals take their off week and head to Northern Colorado to play the improved Bears.

5. Northern Arizona (3)---So, the Jacks take a great road win against Idaho State home, only to lose to struggling Montana State. They take this crazy roller coaster ride into an off week where they will use the extra week to prepare for Montana.

6. Montana State (8)---Look here, the Cats are 2-0 on the road, yet they are sixth in the conference, thanks to an 0-3 mark in Bozeman. Have the Cats righted the ship after the win at N Arizona? This weekend finds themselves back at home (a good thing?) against Portland State. We shall see.

7. Sacramento State (9)---Are the Hornets good? A win at E Washington had to have raised some eyebrows. Suddenly the road win coupled with the close loss to Cal Poly are easing the sting of the blowout at Montana two weeks ago. They got Weber State at home this weekend.

8. E Washington (6)---A loss at home to Sacramento State after the Hornets were blown out by Montana does not look good. The Eagles do have a win over Montana State, but is that supposed to impress? This week those Grizzlies come to town. That could impress.

9. N Colorado (7)---The Bears find themselves back in the cellar, but probably not as far back as they were the first time they were here. They have had their good moments and showed their moxie in battling back against Weber State on the road. This week Idaho State comes to town, a game that the Bears do need.

Clearly, the Griz and Vikings are tops in the conference. Weber is a distant third, with ISU just ahead of NAU. MSU, Sacramento State and EWU are pretty much a dead heat, with UNC just slightly behind. What a mess!

[Torero Tradition]

Jalmond... nice job... my early playoff predictions have USD visiting Montana in the first round of the playoffs. :) (lol)

[JALMOND]

Jalmond... nice job... my early playoff predictions have USD visiting Montana in the first round of the playoffs. :) (lol)

I'd rather see San Diego in Portland first round. :D

[Torero Tradition]

That is fine by me... cause that would mean we are in!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bow down, to the playoff bound Toreros! :bow:

[Proud Griz Man]

OK, so I needed a little extra time to compile the rankings this week. It's still Sunday (at least on the west coast). Road wins in the conference used to be hard to come by, yet the road team took three of four this past weekend. As a result, the following is where I put everyone this week. Of course all is subject for discussion (and I'm sure there will be plenty of opinions, that is fine).

1. Montana (1)---Clear choice, I would say. A hard fought win in Portland helps the Griz stay on top. Should be smooth sailing for the Griz, but there might still be some bumps along the way. This weekend finds them at Eastern Washington, a place where the Griz have had some problems in recent history.

2. Portland State (2)---The Vikings gave the Grizzlies all they could handle, but still came up a little short. Still, the effort was there and the Vikings kept their spot at #2. This week finds them at Montana State, where PSU also has had problems in the past.

3. Weber State (4)---The only team in the conference to win at home, a victory over N Colorado. Still searching for an offense, but the defense is keeping them in games. The Wildcats make a trip to Sacramento State this weekend. Hopefully, the offense will go, too.

4. Idaho State (5)---Probably a good time to have an off week, considering how wild a week it was in the conference. This week, the Bengals take their off week and head to Northern Colorado to play the improved Bears.

5. Northern Arizona (3)---So, the Jacks take a great road win against Idaho State home, only to lose to struggling Montana State. They take this crazy roller coaster ride into an off week where they will use the extra week to prepare for Montana.

6. Montana State (8)---Look here, the Cats are 2-0 on the road, yet they are sixth in the conference, thanks to an 0-3 mark in Bozeman. Have the Cats righted the ship after the win at N Arizona? This weekend finds themselves back at home (a good thing?) against Portland State. We shall see.

7. Sacramento State (9)---Are the Hornets good? A win at E Washington had to have raised some eyebrows. Suddenly the road win coupled with the close loss to Cal Poly are easing the sting of the blowout at Montana two weeks ago. They got Weber State at home this weekend.

8. E Washington (6)---A loss at home to Sacramento State after the Hornets were blown out by Montana does not look good. The Eagles do have a win over Montana State, but is that supposed to impress? This week those Grizzlies come to town. That could impress.

9. N Colorado (7)---The Bears find themselves back in the cellar, but probably not as far back as they were the first time they were here. They have had their good moments and showed their moxie in battling back against Weber State on the road. This week Idaho State comes to town, a game that the Bears do need.

Clearly, the Griz and Vikings are tops in the conference. Weber is a distant third, with ISU just ahead of NAU. MSU, Sacramento State and EWU are pretty much a dead heat, with UNC just slightly behind. What a mess!

I like the Grizzlies chances in Cheney, in fact they should be favored by 10+. Are the Vikings going to put a beating on MSU or will they implode? :eyebrow: Who really knows about ISU or NAU or Weber or MSU? :eek:

[blukeys]

Whatever Happenned to Idaho State? All the preseason hype suggested this might be their year.

[SactoHornetFan]

Whatever Happenned to Idaho State? All the preseason hype suggested this might be their year.

Lack of a defense.

[GrizzlyEdd]

Where EWU is really hard on the Griz is at Washington Grizzly Stadium. The Griz have had an easier go in Cheney (not an easy time just easier game than against EWU in Missoula).

I think the 10+ points is a conservative estimate... could be higher:nod:

[LacesOut]

That conference doesn't seem too strong. Maybe only one bid for the playoffs this year??

[siugrad99]

Please Shut It with the San Diego Playoff talk. It is week 4 and already it is Old.

[GrizzlyEdd]

Please Shut It with the San Diego Playoff talk. It is week 4 and already it is Old.

This thread is about the Big Sky Conference.... San Diego ISN'T in the BSC... No one BUT YOU has said anything about San Diego on this thread...:nonono2:

[JALMOND]

That conference doesn't seem too strong. Maybe only one bid for the playoffs this year??

The conference as a whole is still tough. We're just banging up on each other right now. OOC is impressive. Two close losses to Cal Poly (Weber and Sac St) and two wins over I-A (Montana State over Colorado, Portland State over New Mexico). Still, two teams might be eligible at the end (Montana and Portland State). Too early for playoff talk.

[RabidRabbit]

The conference as a whole is still tough. We're just banging up on each other right now. OOC is impressive. Two close losses to Cal Poly (Weber and Sac St) and two wins over I-A (Montana State over Colorado, Portland State over New Mexico). Still, two teams might be eligible at the end (Montana and Portland State). Too early for playoff talk.

Assuming that PSU's last IA game is a loss, can PSU still make it to 7 D-I wins? Can they tolerate anymore losses and get in? If the answer to that is no, then won't make it. If yes, then they will have a better shot than anybody else in the BSC.

Good thing that only SUU & Poly are eligible this year in the GWFC. GWFC is playing tough, and could even self destruct our chances if Poly fails to get the 7 D-I wins. They need an 8-3 mark to get there, as Ft. Lewis game wouldn't count. Think SUU is one loss from being below 7 wins from here on out.

[JALMOND]

Assuming that PSU's last IA game is a loss, can PSU still make it to 7 D-I wins? Can they tolerate anymore losses and get in? If the answer to that is no, then won't make it. If yes, then they will have a better shot than anybody else in the BSC.

Good thing that only SUU & Poly are eligible this year in the GWFC. GWFC is playing tough, and could even self destruct our chances if Poly fails to get the 7 D-I wins. They need an 8-3 mark to get there, as Ft. Lewis game wouldn't count. Think SUU is one loss from being below 7 wins from here on out.

PSU's win over New Mexico give the Vikings room for a loss to Oregon and one more conference loss and they would have the necessary 7 DI wins (6 conference and the win over New Mexico). PSU did not play any sub DI games this year.

[biobengal]

Whatever Happenned to Idaho State? All the preseason hype suggested this might be their year.

Defense? Sure, it's been lacking, but the real reason is turnovers. ISU was -1 at Idaho and still had a shot to win. They were worse vs. NAU where they were -3 and still had over 500 yards of offense. It's not just the turnovers but how and where they happen.

At UNLV, ISU didn't cover a kickoff (which I've never seen in my life), had a fumble returned for a touchdown, and had a punt blocked for a touchdown.

At Idaho, ISU missed a makeable FG (which was the final difference) and was intercepted twice.

Vs. NAU, ISU was playing well in the first half leading 20-13 and had just stopped NAU with about a minute left in the half. ISU called timeout and was able to push the ball into NAU territory. ISU then fumbled, the fumble was returned to the 3 yard line, which eventually resulted in a TD. That was certainly a backbreaker, however on the next possessing, ISU was intercepted at the goaline of NAU after marching the whole field. ISU was also intercepted on the next possession as well.

Larry Lewis coached ISU teams have always been prone to turnovers, penalties, mental lapses, and trouble. Actually, they are often the only constants in a sea of unpredictability.

[blur2005]

This thread is about the Big Sky Conference.... San Diego ISN'T in the BSC... No one BUT YOU has said anything about San Diego on this thread...:nonono2:
Uh, actually...if you look at the posts made, the San Diego-playoff business was mentioned before siugrad. Considering USD's schedule...no.

I think the Big Sky rankings look pretty good. Weber State will hopefully give me a reason to move them back in my top 25 soon, since I know they're capable.

[Tailbone]

PSU's win over New Mexico give the Vikings room for a loss to Oregon and one more conference loss and they would have the necessary 7 DI wins (6 conference and the win over New Mexico). PSU did not play any sub DI games this year.

While the Selection comittee requires 7 wins, It seems they never offer a 7 win team. PSU can afford to lose to Oregon (and they will) but should be able to win the remaining conference games. I don't see how, with an 8-3 record, they will not get a bid.....and they have the potential to win some games, depending on pairings. I would like to see them play in an eastern bracket.
Otherwise they go home in round 2.

[already123]

there is no way u can put idaho in front of nau...

[JALMOND]

While the Selection comittee requires 7 wins, It seems they never offer a 7 win team. PSU can afford to lose to Oregon (and they will) but should be able to win the remaining conference games. I don't see how, with an 8-3 record, they will not get a bid.....and they have the potential to win some games, depending on pairings. I would like to see them play in an eastern bracket.
Otherwise they go home in round 2.

They never offer a bid to a 7 win team because most of the time, that team's resume is not worthy of a bid. If PSU has the necessary amount of wins for consideration, the committee must look at them. If PSU is still denied, the committee must go retreat to the "rules" before (four losses and you're out), especially if New Mexico is invited to a bowl as well.

If New Mexico gets a bid to play in a bowl, look at PSU's resume...

Win against UNM---Lobos in a I-A bowl.
Loss to Cal---Bears in a I-A bowl.
Loss to Oregon---Ducks in a I-A bowl.
Loss to Montana---Grizzlies top 5 I-AA team

PSU finishes 6-2 in I-AA, 1-2 against I-A. How do they not get it? The only way I see is if the committee reverts back to the old rule (four losses and you are out).

[LacesOut]

I didn't know PSU played THREE I-A teams! Christ on a cracker!!

[dbackjon]

there is no way u can put idaho in front of nau...

Why not? Since NAU beat ISU AT ISU, I think you can and should.....

[SactoHornetFan]

Here are my rankings for this week:

1. Montana ---Nothing else to say after what Jalmond said.

2. Portland State ---See above

3. Montana State ---The win on the road last week proves that, well, they play consistent on the road. Their win against CU still has to mean something, even though Colorado is absolutely horrible. At home, I’ll definitely take the visitors.

4. Northern Arizona ---When you lose at home to a team that had lost their last three at home prior to winning a I-A game, and your ranked, you should win. Embarrassing for the Jacks.

5. Weber State ---Up, down, Up. Where in the world are the Weber State Wildcats. Judging this week, where they have not won away from Stewart Stadium since winning at EWU on Oct. 22 of last year. I’m predicting a down week this weekend.

6. Sacramento State ---So it should figure that we beat a team, who beat a team, who beat a I-A school on the road, coupled with a close home loss to a top-5 team, you would have a weird situation. The Hornet offense is finally starting to jell and that could be very scary considering we have 3 of the next 4 at home.

7. Eastern Washington ---Wow their one win looks ok at this point. Their four losses, absolutely bad, even if it’s a rebuild/reload year.

8. Northern Colorado ---They get ranked above ISU because their lone win was against a D-IAA playoff team they year before.

9. Idaho State ---Their lone win is against a D-2 school. Even though they played NAU and UI tough, they blew big chances in those games. Win they win against a D-I school (no matter what sub-division), then you can move out of the cellar.

[Jackluv]

heres my rankings

1. Montana - no reason to explain, they are amazing this year.

2. PSU - they played UM very tough and the game could gone either way. PSU's defense just couldnt stop Swogger. PSU does have a great offense though. they are going to keep on putting up big numbers.

3. Weber St. - Havent seen too much of them but i am pleasantly surprised with them. played well against cal poly but need to be more consistent.

4. NAU - their powerful offense sputtered against MSU in the first half and 20 unanswered points in the 2nd half was not enough. It seems that once the O is rolling, they cant be stopped but D is struggling. (2 weeks in a row giving a WR their team's receiving record)

5. MSU - NAU or MSU could flip flop here. MSU just beat NAU defense bad. I can see how they beat CU but the Big sky is so inconsistent. MSU beats NAU and loses to EWU who loses to SAC?? wow

6. Sac St. - good turn around from last year. didnt look good in the first few games but are really coming on now. they have always had playmakers but coaching has killed them.

7. EWU - falling off the planet since Meyer and their star WR left. they will still get a couple good wins like they got at MSU a week ago.

8. ISU - THOUGHT they had the best offense in the big sky until i saw highlights of UM and NAU games. Need a big win this week and they probably wil get it. Are always tough though. they will beat some1 good this year i guarentee.

9. UNC - struggling against everyone just like everyone thought they would. it is a tough conference bears.


after the top 2...the next 3 are pretty interchangable


woops

[dbackjon]

heres my rankings

1. Montana - no reason to explain, they are amazing this year.

2. PSU - they played UM very tough and the game could gone either way. PSU's defense just couldnt stop Swogger. PSU does have a great offense though. they are going to keep on putting up big numbers.

3. Weber St. - Havent seen too much of them but i am pleasantly surprised with them. played well against cal poly but need to be more consistent.

4. NAU - their powerful offense sputtered against MSU in the first half and 20 unanswered points in the 2nd half was not enough. It seems that once the O is rolling, they cant be stopped but D is struggling. (2 weeks in a row giving a WR their team's receiving record)

5. MSU - NAU or MSU could flip flop here. MSU just beat NAU defense bad. I can see how they beat CU but the Big sky is so inconsistent. MSU beats NAU and loses to EWU who loses to SAC?? wow

6. Sac St. - good turn around from last year. didnt look good in the first few games but are really coming on now. they have always had playmakers but coaching has killed them.

7. ISU - THOUGHT they had the best offense in the big sky until i saw highlights of UM and NAU games. Need a big win this week and they probably wil get it. Are always tough though. they will beat some1 good this year i guarentee.

8. UNC - struggling against everyone just like everyone thought they would. it is a tough conference bears.


after the top 2...the next 3 are pretty interchangable

Eastern Washington??

[MylesKnight]

Thoughts on the UNC Program a handful of years down the road..

Being the lone I-AA in Colorado (as well as Southern Wyoming, Western Nebraska and Western Kansas), does this give the Bears a big advantage over most of the competing Big Sky Programs down the road?

What are your prognostications on the UNC Program down the road? Will they become a consistent Playoff Participant/UofM/EWU? More of a Once in a While Wonder, a la Weber State/Idaho State? Or somewhere in between?

[Russ B]

Eastern Washington??

Only the top 8 make it...the 9th team gets relegated to D-II. :D

[Grizo406]

Nice job on the BSC rankings, Jalmond!:thumbsup:

[ncbears]

Thoughts on the UNC Program a handful of years down the road..

Being the lone I-AA in Colorado (as well as Southern Wyoming, Western Nebraska and Western Kansas), does this give the Bears a big advantage over most of the competing Big Sky Programs down the road?

What are your prognostications on the UNC Program down the road? Will they become a consistent Playoff Participant/UofM/EWU? More of a Once in a While Wonder, a la Weber State/Idaho State? Or somewhere in between?


My prognostication? I think we're in good hands with Scott Downing. He was Nebraskas top recruiter while he was there and the Huskers had some of the top recruiting classes in the country. He knows the area well too. Having spent time coaching in Laramie at UW. I remember when we first hired him Bill Calahan said Downing will "Dominate" at the 1AA level because he's such a good recruiter. I hope we don't have to wait 3 years to find out though. I think we can become a consistent playoff team, but I am a fan and biased.

[CatFan22]

Whatever Happenned to Idaho State? All the preseason hype suggested this might be their year.

I, for one, didn't buy one bit of the ISU hype. All of it generated because of them getting Guttierrez from Michigan.

[GrizFoo]

Not all of it catfan. What about Lacey, Eddie Thompson, and others like frosh Taylor at WR. Ken Cornist and Josh Barnett at RB are a nice pair. That is some athletisism and speed right there.
They've got some good players on D too, but apparently not enough. Togafu and some other good LBs, a couple transfers this year there.
They lost some good guys on the DL that they couldn't replace and some DBs. They had two DBs that I don't even see on the roster that couldn't have been seniors last year, their names will come to me, but that's pretty big. I can see why their D isn't looking too good.

Their O still looks dangerous, but if their D can't step up, they won't be doing too well, because their O isn't THAT good.

[Tailbone]

They never offer a bid to a 7 win team because most of the time, that team's resume is not worthy of a bid. If PSU has the necessary amount of wins for consideration, the committee must look at them. If PSU is still denied, the committee must go retreat to the "rules" before (four losses and you're out), especially if New Mexico is invited to a bowl as well.

If New Mexico gets a bid to play in a bowl, look at PSU's resume...

Win against UNM---Lobos in a I-A bowl.
Loss to Cal---Bears in a I-A bowl.
Loss to Oregon---Ducks in a I-A bowl.
Loss to Montana---Grizzlies top 5 I-AA team

PSU finishes 6-2 in I-AA, 1-2 against I-A. How do they not get it? The only way I see is if the committee reverts back to the old rule (four losses and you are out).

Not saying it makes sense.
History is proof of the veracity of the statement.
It is the reason Hampton gets seeded, it's the reason wofford got woofed.
The comittee seems less concerned about strength of schedule than record against schedule (no matter how soft) and if they allow a 7-4 team in, regardless of resume, they have to justify leaving out a team with a better record. Objective criteria (record) is easier to justify than subjective criteria (quality of loss or opponent).

Not sayin' it's right, just sayin' it IS.

[I Bleed Purple]

Thoughts on the UNC Program a handful of years down the road..

Being the lone I-AA in Colorado (as well as Southern Wyoming, Western Nebraska and Western Kansas), does this give the Bears a big advantage over most of the competing Big Sky Programs down the road?

What are your prognostications on the UNC Program down the road? Will they become a consistent Playoff Participant/UofM/EWU? More of a Once in a While Wonder, a la Weber State/Idaho State? Or somewhere in between?
I don't see ANY advantage being the only I-AA in Colorado. ISU is the only I-AA in Idaho and the only other I-AA in Utah is 300+ miles from Weber State. Not sure about ISU, but WSU has no recruiting competition for its level. ISU doesn't count because WSU has not a single Idaho kid on its roster.

What UNC needs to do is drop into Texas and Nebraska to find more recruits. I looked at the media guide at the UNC game and the program is about 90% Colorado. Need to branch out.

[JALMOND]

Not saying it makes sense.
History is proof of the veracity of the statement.
It is the reason Hampton gets seeded, it's the reason wofford got woofed.
The comittee seems less concerned about strength of schedule than record against schedule (no matter how soft) and if they allow a 7-4 team in, regardless of resume, they have to justify leaving out a team with a better record. Objective criteria (record) is easier to justify than subjective criteria (quality of loss or opponent).

Not sayin' it's right, just sayin' it IS.

Should PSU go the way that I laid out, it will set precedence for the committee either way. If PSU does go, the committee is saying schedule 3 I-A programs, winning at least one, take second in your conference and we will take you. If PSU does not go, the committee is saying regardless of what was mentioned before, flat out four losses and you're done.

[Tailbone]

Should PSU go the way that I laid out, it will set precedence for the committee either way. If PSU does go, the committee is saying schedule 3 I-A programs, winning at least one, take second in your conference and we will take you. If PSU does not go, the committee is saying regardless of what was mentioned before, flat out four losses and you're done.

Sorry J.

From a 2003 article (I-AA.org):
http://i-aa.org/article.asp?articleid=50906



After last year's playoff selection fiasco, where a 9-3 Wofford team was left on the sidelines following a second-place finish in the Southern Conference and road wins over top-10 ranked playoff teams from Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, we needed a new word to describe a squad that gets hosed by the I-AA committee.

In honor of the Wofford Terriers, from hence forward a team that gets unnecessarily overlooked will receive the annual I-AA.org "Woofy Award." Some barks are equal to the bite.

Can we have the envelope please? And the winner is: Lehigh.

Now for some football trivia. What is the only team in I-AA to lose a game to a I-A school and two undefeated I-AA clubs, with a combined record of 30-3? The answer is Lehigh.............

The Mountain Hawks -- undoubtedly one of the top teams in the country -- have been officially snubbed.

The precedent has already been set.
The Vikes need to win out (with a loss to Oregon), finish at 8-3, and pray a little that other playoff hopefuls have a record not significantly better than PSU.

I hope to see you in the playoffs....I think you could make some noise!