Big Sky Predictions 9-4

[JALMOND]

After Week 0 that Southern Utah played in, I can claim a perfect 1-0 start. However, this week all the Big Sky schools are playing, including Southern Utah again, so there are 13 games this week. My quest for perfection will be extremely difficult this weekend. The conference has 5 games on Thursday which is why I'm rolling them out today instead of the usual Wednesday. Like I mentioned last week, the Big Sky schools will have their scoreboard abbreviation and the non-Big Sky schools will be spelled out which is why EWU is playing Nevada-Las Vegas this weekend instead of UNLV. Here's my attempt at perfection...

CP at San Diego (FCS Pioneer) Saturday---Mustangs get underway with a short trip down the California coast to a strong Pioneer program eager for a chance to play the mighty Big Sky. Mustangs are hoping for a strong showing but they may end up on the short end of the stick here. San Diego 28, CP 17.

EWU at Nevada-Las Vegas (FBS Mtn West) Thursday---Eagles are eager to get the season on the way and they start by heading down to Vegas. The Eagles can get this game, as long as they treat it as a business trip and not just a fun Vegas weekend. EWU 35, Nevada-Las Vegas 23.

Simon Fraser (DII) at UI Saturday---Everyone is playing a DI opponent except for the Vandals who bring in a DII opponent from the dying Great Northwest. This should be a great tuneup for the Vandals to prepare for bigger things on the horizon. UI 56, Simon Fraser 7.

North Dakota (FCS Missouri Valley) at ISU Saturday---For the opening weekend, the Bengals bring in a former member of the conference, North Dakota, for a strong opener. Bengals have this game at home and could possibly surprise but the Hawks may have too much power. North Dakota 35, ISU 32.

UM at Washington (FBS Pac-12) Saturday---The Grizzlies start the season strong with a trip to play one of the contenders in the Pac-12 North division. The Grizzlies should have a great season but this may be too big of a mouthful for them. Washington 48, Montana 20.

MSU at Wyoming (FBS Mtn West) Saturday---A new era for the Bobcats begins Saturday with a border clash with Wyoming. The Bobcats may have a chance here if everything is clicking early but Wyoming may prove to be a bit too much for them. Wyoming 31, Montana State 20.

Sam Houston (FCS WAC) at NAU Thursday---The Lumberjacks come in to the season with high hopes in the conference and they are eager to show it against one of the stronger FCS programs in the country. All good intentions aside, this may not be a great shot for a win. Sam Houston 38, NAU 27.

UNC at Colorado (FBS Pac-12) Friday---The dawn of a new age starts for the Bears on Friday as they start the season against their bigger in-state brethren. A new start, a new look, against a strong Pac-12 team. This may get ugly very quickly. Colorado 42, UNC 14.

PSU at Hawaii (FBS Mtn West) Saturday---In the nightcap, the Vikings head out to the islands for their start to the season. The last time they were there, they got the win. But that was 20 years ago and things are different now. Hawaii 38, PSU 23.

SAC at Dixie State (FCS WAC transitional) Saturday---The Hornets are hoping for the good things that started for them a few years ago will continue on this season. They hit the road against a transitional team eager for a strong start as well. In the end, a good win for the Hornets. SAC 28, Dixie State 21.

SUU at Arizona State (FBS Pac-12) Thursday---The Thunderbirds were the only Big Sky school to play in Week 0 and now they have a short week to prepare for a Pac-12 opponent. Will they be a little more competitive in this game? Maybe not. Arizona State 41, SUU 14.

UCD at Tulsa (FBS American) Thursday---After just missing out on the playoffs during the shortened season, the Aggies are hoping for a strong start to this season. Problem is Tulsa is hoping to continue their good fortune from last season. Aggies will need to play well to win, or come close. Tulsa 28, UCD 25.

WSU at Utah (FBS Pac-12) Thursday---The Wildcats are hoping to build on their successful season last year when they won the conference title. They start by taking the short trip down the freeway to play their bigger Pac-12 brothers. The Wildcats need a strong game to stay close. Utah 28, WSU 14.

[wapiti]

CP 27 at San Diego 21 Saturday--- Will playing a "so-called" non-scholly team be enough for CP to get a W

EWU 28 at Nevada-Las Vegas 32 Thursday--- UNLV is a traditionally weak FBS team. I am not sure how good or bad EWU will be this year.

Simon Fraser 6 (DII) at UI 48 Saturday---Nice warm up game for Idaho

North Dakota 17 at ISU 21 Saturday--- This game should be a good indicator for both teams. I'll go with home field advantage taking the W

UM 17 at Washington 48 Saturday---Washington may be able to play 2's and 3's in the 4th and UM should score a couple times in the 4th.

MSU 23 at Wyoming 38 Saturday---This is not a Wyoming team of old. Wyoming is a picked to be a strong team in the Mtn West.

Sam Houston 32 at NAU 24 Thursday---Will NAU be up to task to take down the reigning champ from the abbreviated and smaller field of teams from the spring season?

UNC 13 at Colorado 45 Friday---UNC will get a check from an in-state brother to go along with the big L

PSU 14 at Hawaii 41 Saturday---I hope PSU gets some time to enjoy Hawaii while there.

SAC 20 at Dixie State 21 Saturday---This game will be a good indicator for both of these teams. I am not sure who to pick. So I go with the home team.

SUU 13 at Arizona State 55 Thursday---SUU was beaten down in week 0 by a G5 FBS. Not going to be any easier playing a P5 FBS.

UCD 20 at Tulsa 17 Thursday---I feel the need to pick an upset. So UCD is the team to do it.

WSU 21 at Utah 48 Thursday---Weber may keep a close for a half, but Utah will make better adjustments at half and then walk away with a W.

[bonarae]

Toreros (toss-up)
Rebels (shootout)
Vandals
Fighting Hawks (sorry, UND is too deep)
Seattle Huskies
Cowboys
Bearkats
Buffaloes
Rainbow Warriors
Hornets
Sun Devils
Golden Hurricane (I'm not confident of UCD yet because they weren't able to play a single down last year or spring.)
Utes (Ditto.)

[mvemjsunpx]

Thursday

EWU 35-27 UNLV — The first, and probably last, FBS scalp of the season for the Big Sky

Davis 17-34 Tulsa — Tulsa actually managed to get to the AAC Championship Game in 2020

Suutah 14-59 Arizona St. — The T-Birds have two FBS games 5 days apart, then no game for more than 2 weeks xeyebrowx

Weber 10-31 Utah — Weber's two FBS losses in 2019 were decided by a combined score of 25-13 xlolx

SHSU 45-24 NAU — The Lumberjacks last hosted the defending national champions 10 years ago (lost to EWU 36-28)


Friday

NoCo 10-51 Colorado — Prediction: every UNC coach will be a member of the McCaffrey family by the end of the season


Saturday

PSU 17-55 Hawai'i — Portland State's 66-7 beatdown of North Texas seems like a lifetime ago

Cal Poly 21-31 San Diego — The 'Stangs looked awful in the spring

Sac State 34-20 Dixie — The Hornets haven't played since their postseason loss to Austin Peay, but their superior talent will eventually take over

Canuck School 3-52 Idaho — Simon Fraser has won 2 games in the past 5 seasons (not counting 2020)

NoDak 27-30 Idaho St. — The Bengals have had NoDak's number in recent years, for whatever reason

Montana 9-38 UDub — The official depth chart suggests the Griz will only start 10 players on offense this week

Montana St. 14-24 Wyoming — The Cowboys haven't looked impressive in their last few FCS games

[JALMOND]

After Week 0 that Southern Utah played in, I can claim a perfect 1-0 start. However, this week all the Big Sky schools are playing, including Southern Utah again, so there are 13 games this week. My quest for perfection will be extremely difficult this weekend. The conference has 5 games on Thursday which is why I'm rolling them out today instead of the usual Wednesday. Like I mentioned last week, the Big Sky schools will have their scoreboard abbreviation and the non-Big Sky schools will be spelled out which is why EWU is playing Nevada-Las Vegas this weekend instead of UNLV. Here's my attempt at perfection...

CP at San Diego (FCS Pioneer) Saturday---Mustangs get underway with a short trip down the California coast to a strong Pioneer program eager for a chance to play the mighty Big Sky. Mustangs are hoping for a strong showing but they may end up on the short end of the stick here. San Diego 28, CP 17.

EWU at Nevada-Las Vegas (FBS Mtn West) Thursday---Eagles are eager to get the season on the way and they start by heading down to Vegas. The Eagles can get this game, as long as they treat it as a business trip and not just a fun Vegas weekend. EWU 35, Nevada-Las Vegas 23.

Simon Fraser (DII) at UI Saturday---Everyone is playing a DI opponent except for the Vandals who bring in a DII opponent from the dying Great Northwest. This should be a great tuneup for the Vandals to prepare for bigger things on the horizon. UI 56, Simon Fraser 7.

North Dakota (FCS Missouri Valley) at ISU Saturday---For the opening weekend, the Bengals bring in a former member of the conference, North Dakota, for a strong opener. Bengals have this game at home and could possibly surprise but the Hawks may have too much power. North Dakota 35, ISU 32.

UM at Washington (FBS Pac-12) Saturday---The Grizzlies start the season strong with a trip to play one of the contenders in the Pac-12 North division. The Grizzlies should have a great season but this may be too big of a mouthful for them. Washington 48, Montana 20.

MSU at Wyoming (FBS Mtn West) Saturday---A new era for the Bobcats begins Saturday with a border clash with Wyoming. The Bobcats may have a chance here if everything is clicking early but Wyoming may prove to be a bit too much for them. Wyoming 31, Montana State 20.

Sam Houston (FCS WAC) at NAU Thursday---The Lumberjacks come in to the season with high hopes in the conference and they are eager to show it against one of the stronger FCS programs in the country. All good intentions aside, this may not be a great shot for a win. Sam Houston 38, NAU 27.

UNC at Colorado (FBS Pac-12) Friday---The dawn of a new age starts for the Bears on Friday as they start the season against their bigger in-state brethren. A new start, a new look, against a strong Pac-12 team. This may get ugly very quickly. Colorado 42, UNC 14.

PSU at Hawaii (FBS Mtn West) Saturday---In the nightcap, the Vikings head out to the islands for their start to the season. The last time they were there, they got the win. But that was 20 years ago and things are different now. Hawaii 38, PSU 23.

SAC at Dixie State (FCS WAC transitional) Saturday---The Hornets are hoping for the good things that started for them a few years ago will continue on this season. They hit the road against a transitional team eager for a strong start as well. In the end, a good win for the Hornets. SAC 28, Dixie State 21.

SUU at Arizona State (FBS Pac-12) Thursday---The Thunderbirds were the only Big Sky school to play in Week 0 and now they have a short week to prepare for a Pac-12 opponent. Will they be a little more competitive in this game? Maybe not. Arizona State 41, SUU 14.

UCD at Tulsa (FBS American) Thursday---After just missing out on the playoffs during the shortened season, the Aggies are hoping for a strong start to this season. Problem is Tulsa is hoping to continue their good fortune from last season. Aggies will need to play well to win, or come close. Tulsa 28, UCD 25.

WSU at Utah (FBS Pac-12) Thursday---The Wildcats are hoping to build on their successful season last year when they won the conference title. They start by taking the short trip down the freeway to play their bigger Pac-12 brothers. The Wildcats need a strong game to stay close. Utah 28, WSU 14.


10-3 this week, 11-3 overall.

[wapiti]

CP 27 at San Diego 21 Saturday--- Will playing a "so-called" non-scholly team be enough for CP to get a W

EWU 28 at Nevada-Las Vegas 32 Thursday--- UNLV is a traditionally weak FBS team. I am not sure how good or bad EWU will be this year.

Simon Fraser 6 (DII) at UI 48 Saturday---Nice warm up game for Idaho

North Dakota 17 at ISU 21 Saturday--- This game should be a good indicator for both teams. I'll go with home field advantage taking the W

UM 17 at Washington 48 Saturday---Washington may be able to play 2's and 3's in the 4th and UM should score a couple times in the 4th.

MSU 23 at Wyoming 38 Saturday---This is not a Wyoming team of old. Wyoming is a picked to be a strong team in the Mtn West.

Sam Houston 32 at NAU 24 Thursday---Will NAU be up to task to take down the reigning champ from the abbreviated and smaller field of teams from the spring season?

UNC 13 at Colorado 45 Friday---UNC will get a check from an in-state brother to go along with the big L

PSU 14 at Hawaii 41 Saturday---I hope PSU gets some time to enjoy Hawaii while there.

SAC 20 at Dixie State 21 Saturday---This game will be a good indicator for both of these teams. I am not sure who to pick. So I go with the home team.

SUU 13 at Arizona State 55 Thursday---SUU was beaten down in week 0 by a G5 FBS. Not going to be any easier playing a P5 FBS.

UCD 20 at Tulsa 17 Thursday---I feel the need to pick an upset. So UCD is the team to do it.

WSU 21 at Utah 48 Thursday---Weber may keep a close for a half, but Utah will make better adjustments at half and then walk away with a W.

Geat job with your picks Jalmond.
I ended up 9 - 4 this week
10 - 4 on the season

[coover]

CP at San Diego (FCS Pioneer) Saturday---Mustangs get underway with a short trip down the California coast to a strong Pioneer program eager for a chance to play the mighty Big Sky. Mustangs are hoping for a strong showing but they may end up on the short end of the stick here. San Diego 28, CP 17.

You got the score right ... but the teams wrong. And Poly was much better than the score. It could have been even worse for the Toreros. Beau Baldwin has recruited well the last two years and has formed a team that will compete in the Big West.

For those that do not realize how the U San Diego non-scholarship program works, those are non-athletic scholarships. San Diego is a very rich school with some very rich supporters and ifa talented student wants to play football and is a good student, they will receive academic sholarships. If the come from a poor (meaning average income or worse), they will receive a Hardship Scholarship. They do just as well, if not better than an athletic scholarship's benefits. Non-Scholarship at San Diego? There is a word for that, one I should not use.

[McCowboys]

Congrats to the Griz on their big win! FCS is always more fun (to me) when the Griz are in the mix.

[caribbeanhen]

CP at San Diego (FCS Pioneer) Saturday---Mustangs get underway with a short trip down the California coast to a strong Pioneer program eager for a chance to play the mighty Big Sky. Mustangs are hoping for a strong showing but they may end up on the short end of the stick here. San Diego 28, CP 17.

You got the score right ... but the teams wrong. And Poly was much better than the score. It could have been even worse for the Toreros. Beau Baldwin has recruited well the last two years and has formed a team that will compete in the Big West.

For those that do not realize how the U San Diego non-scholarship program works, those are non-athletic scholarships. San Diego is a very rich school with some very rich supporters and ifa talented student wants to play football and is a good student, they will receive academic sholarships. If the come from a poor (meaning average income or worse), they will receive a Hardship Scholarship. They do just as well, if not better than an athletic scholarship's benefits. Non-Scholarship at San Diego? There is a word for that, one I should not use.

what king of offense is Poly running now?

[lucchesicourt]

When UCD only gave academic schoolies, I was informed if you played in any inter collegiate sport they are considered athletic schoolies as they are counted against the number of schoolies allowed. D2 was 35 schoolies whether academic or athletic schoolies. So, UCD was not considered a non schollie program. They had 9, I believe, academic schoolies players on the team.

[MTfan4life]

Crazy Big Sky stat for the week. Every single Big Sky team beat the spread against their FBS opponents. The Big Sky went 8-0 ATS in those games.

[Russ B]

Golden Hurricane (I'm not confident of UCD yet because they weren't able to play a single down last year or spring.)


FWIW, Davis went 3-2 in the "2020" Big Sky spring season: https://ucdavisaggies.com/sports/football/schedule/2020