Big Sky Conference Weeks Zero and 1 2024

[bonarae]

The training camps are on for some programs ATM. It's about time to open a new pick'em thread for weeks zero and one for the Big Sky teams.

Week Zero
Montana State at New Mexico - first scalp of 2024 is for ripe pickings...

Week 1
Thursday
Monmouth at EWU
Sacramento State at SJSU
Saturday
Montana State at Utah Tech
Northern Colorado at UIW
Portland State at Wazzu
Lincoln CA at Northern Arizona
UC Davis at UC Berkeley - hmm, not sure about the Aggies' chances... not confident in Cal's chances of keeping the zero losses of their lifetime record against BSC teams either.
Idaho State at Oregon State
Idaho Vandals at Oregon Ducks
Cal Poly at San Diego Toreros - toss-up
Missouri State at Montana
Weber State at UDub

My picks in bold.

[wapiti]

Preseason Power Rankings:
Top Tier
1: Montana :: Finished last season with a loss in the chipper
2: Montana State :: Disappointing loss to end the season at home against NDSU last season

Half step behind the top
3: Idaho :: Have built themselves back into a good team, but lost some top players from last season.
4: UC Davis :: Should be back with another good team. We shall see with new HC
5: Sacramento State :: Played 2 playoff games last year.

Middle of the pack
6: Portland State :: Had a tough schedule last year (Other than 1 game). This year's schedule is another tough one
7: NAU :: Last season A few games showed potential, but a few others showed potential the opposite way. Which NAU team will show up for each game?
8: EWU :: EWU has fallen from a top Big Sky team, but should have potential to surprise a top team.
9: Weber :: Is rebuilding.
10: Idaho State :: Is also rebuilding. Somehow they now have UC Davis HC as an assistant coach. Watch out for the Bengals, they could be the dark horse.

Someone has to be at the bottom.
11: CP
12: NC

[JALMOND]

Fresh start for the season and the first conference game involves the usual Big Sky vs FBS. Only this time it involves one of our own heavy hitters (Montana State) against a team (New Mexico) that was near the bottom of FBS last year, but with a new coach and a new outlook. Still, the Bobcats look good on paper, with a strong returning quarterback and excellent running backs (do they ever have a year off in that department?) and the Lobos are adjusting. Have to go with the mild upset here...MSU 22, New Mexico 20.

[JALMOND]

Looked a little scary there for a while but the Bobcats came back to win it. I start the year 1-0. xhurrayx

[wapiti]

I missed making picks for Week 0.
I am not sure who I would have picked, but being an MSU fan I probably would have picked MSU by a close margin. But I can not count it since I did make make the pick in time.

On to week 1 picks:
Several teams taking on an FBS team and some of them may get ugly. Week 0 and 1 are always interesting no matter who is played because it is the first chance to see Big Sky football since January and if any teams may be a surprise.
Thursday:
Monmouth 17 @ EWU 24 -- Monmouth from the CAA in Cheney. Both teams were below .500 last season, but EWU has home field advantage.

Sac State 21 @ San Jose State 41 Sac State taking on a decent G5 FBS team. I do not see an upset happening, but Sac State may at least put a scare in them.

Saturday
PSU 17 @ Washington State 44 -- What will WSU be like with the demise of the Pac 12? PSU may put a scare in them for a half.

Lincoln (CA) 6 @ NAU 44 -- Cupcake game of the week. NAU should roll in this one.

UC Davis 27 @ California 35 -- Cal has been a weak P5 team, but even this weak P5 should get the W. UC Davis may keep it close for 3 quarters and have a chance in the 4th.

ISU 16 @ Oregon State 44 -- Another Pac 2 team playing a Big Sky team. ISU is rebuilding and should be better than last season. ISU collects a check to assist with the rebuild.

Northern Colorado 16 @ Incarnate Word 38 -- IW crushed NC last year in Colorado. This time it is in Texas. No change in the result.

Idaho 17 @ Oregon 52 -- Oregon is rated a top 5 in all of FBS.

CP 27 @ San Diego 13 -- San Diego should have a decent chance with hosting this game, but is probably still an underdog on their home field.

Missouri State 17 @ UM 42 -- Missouri state (MSU) is transitioning to FBS, but listed as an FCS team this season. UM should roll in this one.

MSU 41 @ Utah Tech 27 -- MSU making a return trip on a home on home against Utah Tech. UT will have tape of MSU from the week 0 game, but MSU should take home another W as long as turnovers are not a problem.

Weber 17 @ Washington 48 -- I am unsure how good BBQ will be this season. So the result should be interesting, even though BBQ has very little chance to win.

[MSUBobcat]

Let's get it going. I also missed the prediction for MSU beating UNM. I was fairly confident in a Bobcat win, but only by 1 score, so I didn't put any money on the game once it got to -13.5.

Monmouth 23 @ EWU 38 - I expect EWU to be a high-flying offense (what else is new), and with so much on D carrying over, some improvement on that side of the ball also.
Sac St 24 @ SJSU 33 - Sac runs out of steam against FBS San Jose State.
PSU 20 @ Wazzou 38 - The Vikings' murderous schedule begins. We'll learn a lot about how many games they may be able to win after this game.
Lincoln 7 @ NAU 63 - Why are teams still scheduling this? I'm giving Lincoln a busted-play TD against 3rd stringers.
UC-Davis 20 @ Cal 30 - A respectable by the Aggies against the California Bears of the.... Atlantic Coast Conference xconfusedx
ISU-o 13 @ OSU 34 - The Beavs are coming off a solid 2023 campaign, while the Bengals... are not.
NoCo 13 @ UIW 30 - I think I may be giving the teddy bears too much credit but still a 3 score loss.
Idaho 13 @ Oregon As Many As They Want - This will be ugly quick and the final score will be dictated by how long the 1s and 2s stay in the game.
Cal Poly 27 @ San Diego 21 - The Big Sky's first road win of Week 1 comes against the PFL's Toreros.
Misery St 24 @ UM 34 - Home field will be a big factor. The Griz should also want to take $150k out that a$$ for having to pay the Bears for backing out of the 2026 return game.
MSU 56 @ UTU 23 - The Bobcats thumped Utah Tech by 43 last year, albeit in Bozeman. This year, MSU already has a game in the bag to get up to game speed and work out kinks. I took 7 points off last year's score and gave Tech 3 more.
Weber St 16 @ UW 41 - The Grills had an up and down year in 2023. Beat UNI in Cedar Falls, but needed a 4th qtr comeback in Greeley. Thumped by NAU, but then almost beat Davis. Lose to EWU (on the road), but beat Idaho. A little more consistency, and they may be a decent team. None of that will matter against the Huskies, who are now part of the 18-team Big...... 10 xconfusedx The OCD in me wishes they would be forced to change the conference names to be at least remotely accurate.

[JALMOND]

Heard on Portland sports talk radio at lunch today, Oregon State will be starting former Idaho quarterback Giovanni McCoy against Idaho State.

[JALMOND]

After the week 0 pick, I am at 1-0 and looking to carry forward my perfect streak. Everyone plays in week 1 including Montana State who was the lone participant in week 0. Two games on Thursday and the rest on Saturday. Here are my picks in the conference for this week's games and my attempt to remain perfect.

Thursday

Monmouth (FCS CAA) at EWU---The Eagles get a good test in their first game of the season, a home tilt against a team from the CAA. Will they make it back to the playoffs this year? This should be a good start for them...EWU 31, Monmouth 20.

SAC at San Jose State (FBS Mtn West)---The Hornets are hoping to stay in the playoff chase this year, and remain in contention for the conference crown, but it may be a tall order. The conference already got a good win over the Mtn West. Can they get another?...San Jose State 35, SAC 14.

Saturday

PSU at Washington State (FBS Pac-2)---The Vikings start off their extremely ambitious schedule with one of two games against the FBS. But, their most recent success started with a win at Washington State. Can they must up enough to do it again?...Washington State 31, PSU 14.

Lincoln, CA (NAIA Independent) at NAU---The Lumberjacks get to play against the walking doormat in close proximity to the conference. This should be a great opportunity to try new players and new plays, and still be able to start with a win...NAU 56, Lincoln, CA 7.

UCD at California (FBS ACC)---The Aggies have a strong team coming in, and they make the short trek to play their bigger brothers down the road, who may be a step behind. Do the Aggies have enough to spring an upset on their brethren?...California 28, UCD 21.

ISU at Oregon State (FBS Pac-2)---The Bengals get the opportunity play an upper division foe that had everything up and leave during the summer. Could the Bengals surprise the Pac-2 here and get a win. Are they that strong themselves?...Oregon State 38, ISU 10.

UNC at Incarnate Word (FCS Southland)---What do the Bears have coming back and is it enough to get a win over a strong quality FCS opponent on the road? Well, this is a return game from last year and the Bears didn't do much then...Incarnate Word 38, UNC 14

UI at Oregon (FBS Big 10)---The Vandals have a strong team and will go into this game thinking they can win it, even if it is against one of the top teams in all of FBS. And they do not look past any Big Sky teams either...Oregon 56, UI 14.

CP at San Diego (FCS Pioneer)---The Mustangs may be better than last year on paper but their opponent is as well. The Mustangs could still find themselves on the losing end of this game, even if they play well...San Diego 28, CP 14.

Missouri State (FCS Missouri Valley) at UM---The Grizzlies come storming in loaded on both sides of the ball. They just need to find someone who can steer the ship. Until that happens, their defense will keep them in games, just like last year...UM 31, Missouri State 7.

MSU at Utah Tech (FCS United)---Fresh from their week 0 victory, the Bobcats head back to the FCS ranks and go down the road to play a United foe. Will they be riding the momentum from an impressive FBS win last week and get this one as well?...MSU 35, Utah Tech 14.

WSU at Washington (FBS Big 10)---At least it is not Oregon. The Wildcats will still have their hands full, taking on a new team from the Big 10. Uncertainty and conference play starting next week may force them to treat this as a tryout for better things...Washington 42, WSU 10.

[MSUBobcat]

Per MT Sports Bet so far:
Sac State +4.5 @ SJSU much better than the 3 score predictions so far (I'm closest with a 9 point spread)
PSU +29.5 @ Wazzou (Wapiti is closest with a 27 pt spread)
ISU-o +28.5 @ Oregon St. (Wapiti and JALMOND both with a 28 pt spread)
BBQ +27.5 @ UW (I'm closest with a 25pt spread)

No spread for:
Monmouth-EWU
Lincoln-NAU (cuz it's not a real game)
UC Davis-Cal (ESPN showing Cal as 20.5pt favorites, much less credit than any of us 3 gave Davis)
UNC-UIW
Idaho-OU
Poly-USD
Mo. St.-UM (expect this to pop up at some point)
MSU-UTU (expect this to pop up at some point)

[JALMOND]

No spread for:

Lincoln-NAU (cuz it's not a real game)


Just a matter of perspective for Lincoln, they lost last week at College of Idaho who is ranked #4 in the preseason NAIA poll, 45-7. They are getting better but they still do not have a home field and the jump from NAIA to FCS is pretty large.

[MSUBobcat]

Just a matter of perspective for Lincoln, they lost last week at College of Idaho who is ranked #4 in the preseason NAIA poll, 45-7. They are getting better but they still do not have a home field and the jump from NAIA to FCS is pretty large.

If they lost by 38 to an NAIA team, even if a top ranked one, NAU should win by 2,673 points.....

[JALMOND]

If they lost by 38 to an NAIA team, even if a top ranked one, NAU should win by 2,673 points.....

True. I am thinking after halftime (the score of 35-0 or so), the Jacks will start playing their reserves. They have so many new faces, they will want to see what the youngsters can do, and try to answer a few of the questions surrounding the team. In other words, a glorified scrimmage in the second half.

[MSUBobcat]

Per MT Sports Bet so far:
Sac State +4.5 @ SJSU much better than the 3 score predictions so far (I'm closest with a 9 point spread)
PSU +29.5 @ Wazzou (Wapiti is closest with a 27 pt spread)
ISU-o +28.5 @ Oregon St. (Wapiti and JALMOND both with a 28 pt spread)
BBQ +27.5 @ UW (I'm closest with a 25pt spread)

No spread for:
Monmouth-EWU
Lincoln-NAU (cuz it's not a real game)
UC Davis-Cal (ESPN showing Cal as 20.5pt favorites, much less credit than any of us 3 gave Davis)
UNC-UIW
Idaho-OU
Poly-USD
Mo. St.-UM (expect this to pop up at some point)
MSU-UTU (expect this to pop up at some point)

New additions, for any other degenerate gamblers:
Idaho +43.5 @ Oregon (JALMOND closest with 42 pt spread)
Montana -14.5 vs MO St. (I was closest with 10pts)
MSU -22.5 @ UTU (JALMOND closest with 21pts) Looking at Keeper's data, UTU brings back next to nothing on offense (virtually no passing yards, 55% of the meager 118 ypg rushing, 24% of the O-line snaps, and 51% of the tackles). I'm laying down $$ @ -22.5 for sure!

[mvemjsunpx]

Thursday

Monmouth 28-44 EWU — These two teams were similar last year, but the Hawks lost their Big 3 on offense

Sac State 38-41 San Johs State — This figures to be a shootout with SJSU running a new, high-octane offense and Sac rebuilding on D

Saturday

Portland St. 24-52 Abandoned Cougs — In 2015, the Viks upset Wazzu in Bruce Barnum's first game as (interim) head coach… I don't see history repeating

Cal Poly 27-17 San Dileggomyeggo — 3 of Cal Poly's 7 wins in the 2020s have come against the Toreros

UC Davis 17-34 UC Berkeley — The Aggies should be good, but Cal just doesn't lose to FCS teams

Idaho 14-56 Oregano — The Ducks love to kick the piss out of their lower-division brethren

Idaho St. 9-45 Abandoned Beavers — The Bengals begin what figures to be their 41st. straight season without a playoff berth

Weber 10-38 Warshington — The Huskies lost a lot from their national runner-up squad, but I doubt they lost enough to have trouble with Weber

Lincoln (CA) 14-49 NAU — Brian Wright makes his coaching debut in a game that won't give us—or probably him—much info about his team

Misery St. 20-37 Montana — The Bears threw the ball really well last year, but they weren't good at much else

Montana St. 45-14 Utah Tech — Whoever Tommy Mellott's backup is now will likely get some experience in this one

NololColol 13-35 UIW — One of those classic "probably won't be a blowout, but won't be in doubt either" kind of games

[wapiti]

Thursday:
Monmouth 17 @ EWU 24 -- Monmouth from the CAA in Cheney. Both teams were below .500 last season, but EWU has home field advantage.

Sac State 21 @ San Jose State 41 Sac State taking on a decent G5 FBS team. I do not see an upset happening, but Sac State may at least put a scare in them.



EWU played well and stomped Monmouth. I was able to watch the 2nd half on SWX and EWU looks good and will not be a pushover. Chism had an outstanding game 12 REC 173 yards 3 TDs and EWU had 275 yards rushing.
Unless Monmouth improves its defense they will not be in the playoffs.

I was fairly close to my guess on Sac @ San Jose. Final score was 24 - 42

[MUHAWKS]

EWU played well and stomped Monmouth. I was able to watch the 2nd half on SWX and EWU looks good and will not be a pushover. Chism had an outstanding game 12 REC 173 yards 3 TDs and EWU had 275 yards rushing.
Unless Monmouth improves its defense they will not be in the playoffs.

I was fairly close to my guess on Sac @ San Jose. Final score was 24 - 42


Monmouth guy here- I think that goes without saying- Our D is still pretty weak and the playoffs are so far from where we are at right now. With that said and to be fair our OFFENSE is replacing almost all of our 2023 production including 2 1st team All Americans. Entirely new OL- new QB, New top 3 WR's and we still moved the ball well against EWU. People can talk garbage time all they want, they were still playing and there were a lot of big plays in both halves. My point? If we end up being a mid pack CAA team that does not say much about the EWU Defense who will have to outscore some pretty damn good teams. With that said, I DO think the EWU offense is legit. Very hard to stop and very good play calling. Its multi dimensional and teams that cannot tackle well in space are screwed with that lethal short passing game. But offensively we had guys open all night long, and protected well with an inexperienced O line and new QB throwing to new WR's- so I think EWU chances of just outscoring the better teams are not great as good as the Offense is. Ad I do think it is very good. I like the EWU team a bit and I think it was good for us to see that in week 1 as we prob will not see it again all year sans are FBS game and Maybe Nova/Delaware .

[wapiti]

Monmouth guy here- I think that goes without saying- Our D is still pretty weak and the playoffs are so far from where we are at right now. With that said and to be fair our OFFENSE is replacing almost all of our 2023 production including 2 1st team All Americans. Entirely new OL- new QB, New top 3 WR's and we still moved the ball well against EWU. People can talk garbage time all they want, they were still playing and there were a lot of big plays in both halves. My point? If we end up being a mid pack CAA team that does not say much about the EWU Defense who will have to outscore some pretty damn good teams. With that said, I DO think the EWU offense is legit. Very hard to stop and very good play calling. Its multi dimensional and teams that cannot tackle well in space are screwed with that lethal short passing game. But offensively we had guys open all night long, and protected well with an inexperienced O line and new QB throwing to new WR's- so I think EWU chances of just outscoring the better teams are not great as good as the Offense is. Ad I do think it is very good. I like the EWU team a bit and I think it was good for us to see that in week 1 as we prob will not see it again all year sans are FBS game and Maybe Nova/Delaware .

The Monmouth offense is good and will score. They had 2 turnover on downs in the 2nd half. Figure out how to convert the 4th downs and this game could have been much closer.

[MSUBobcat]

Monmouth guy here- I think that goes without saying- Our D is still pretty weak and the playoffs are so far from where we are at right now. With that said and to be fair our OFFENSE is replacing almost all of our 2023 production including 2 1st team All Americans. Entirely new OL- new QB, New top 3 WR's and we still moved the ball well against EWU. People can talk garbage time all they want, they were still playing and there were a lot of big plays in both halves. My point? If we end up being a mid pack CAA team that does not say much about the EWU Defense who will have to outscore some pretty damn good teams. With that said, I DO think the EWU offense is legit. Very hard to stop and very good play calling. Its multi dimensional and teams that cannot tackle well in space are screwed with that lethal short passing game. But offensively we had guys open all night long, and protected well with an inexperienced O line and new QB throwing to new WR's- so I think EWU chances of just outscoring the better teams are not great as good as the Offense is. Ad I do think it is very good. I like the EWU team a bit and I think it was good for us to see that in week 1 as we prob will not see it again all year sans are FBS game and Maybe Nova/Delaware .

You're telling Big Sky fans what they already know. EWU has a potent offense and a suspect defense, 4th in scoring offense, 10th in scoring defense last year. The strategy of trying to outscore opponents is not usually a winning one, but it does often lead to 1-score games.

I got the margin of this game correct; they both just scored 4 more points than I expected, leading me to believe that EWU's defense has not improved much over last year.

[MUHAWKS]

You're telling Big Sky fans what they already know. EWU has a potent offense and a suspect defense, 4th in scoring offense, 10th in scoring defense last year. The strategy of trying to outscore opponents is not usually a winning one, but it does often lead to 1-score games.

I got the margin of this game correct; they both just scored 4 more points than I expected, leading me to believe that EWU's defense has not improved much over last year.

Hear you and again if you read what I wrote (not a wisea$$ comment just being literal) we replaced our entire offense and lost 2 studs- so if EWU was eve quasi shaky against our group it does not bode well for the chances that their D improved- Of course the caveat being week 1 games are tough to gage. Big Sky is a solar system away from The CAA in terms if talent IMO and we are at best a mid pack CAA team.

[SeattleCat]

Hear you and again if you read what I wrote (not a wisea$$ comment just being literal) we replaced our entire offense and lost 2 studs- so if EWU was eve quasi shaky against our group it does not bode well for the chances that their D improved- Of course the caveat being week 1 games are tough to gage. Big Sky is a solar system away from The CAA in terms if talent IMO and we are at best a mid pack CAA team.


I think he's more just saying you breakdown is known information and nothing new for what EWU does. EWU is always a high powered O, their D is their weakness and it's been REALLY REALLY bad lately, which is why they're a mid BSC team atm. If they find some defense they could be contenders again, but again this is the same as its been for years.

[MUHAWKS]

I think he's more just saying you breakdown is known information and nothing new for what EWU does. EWU is always a high powered O, their D is their weakness and it's been REALLY REALLY bad lately, which is why they're a mid BSC team atm. If they find some defense they could be contenders again, but again this is the same as its been for years.

I got you- I did not realize was a longer term thing- when "scouting" them I only looked at last year and obviously saw just as you said.

[MSUBobcat]

I got you- I did not realize was a longer term thing- when "scouting" them I only looked at last year and obviously saw just as you said.

As you well know, a team's make-up can change drastically from one year to the next, so us Big Sky fans are waiting to see if their D, which brought a lot back from last year's poor squad, is improved. The last 2 seasons have been pretty porous Eagles defenses. In 2023, they were 4-7 with the 10th worst Big Sky defense. In 2022, they were 3-8 with the 11th worst defense. In 2021, they were middle-of-the-pack 6th in scoring defense to go with the #1 offense and they had a solid year, going 10-3 but got bounced in the 2nd round (losing 57-41 in Missoula) which just goes to show the high powered offense can only take you so far. 2019, 7-5 with the #1 offense, but the 9th best defense. 2018, #1 in offense, #2 in defense, resulting in a loss in the natty.

This is the EWU we know and love (to hate). Always puts up points, don't always have a D to go with it.

[JALMOND]

After the week 0 pick, I am at 1-0 and looking to carry forward my perfect streak. Everyone plays in week 1 including Montana State who was the lone participant in week 0. Two games on Thursday and the rest on Saturday. Here are my picks in the conference for this week's games and my attempt to remain perfect.

Thursday

Monmouth (FCS CAA) at EWU---The Eagles get a good test in their first game of the season, a home tilt against a team from the CAA. Will they make it back to the playoffs this year? This should be a good start for them...EWU 31, Monmouth 20.

SAC at San Jose State (FBS Mtn West)---The Hornets are hoping to stay in the playoff chase this year, and remain in contention for the conference crown, but it may be a tall order. The conference already got a good win over the Mtn West. Can they get another?...San Jose State 35, SAC 14.

Saturday

PSU at Washington State (FBS Pac-2)---The Vikings start off their extremely ambitious schedule with one of two games against the FBS. But, their most recent success started with a win at Washington State. Can they must up enough to do it again?...Washington State 31, PSU 14.

Lincoln, CA (NAIA Independent) at NAU---The Lumberjacks get to play against the walking doormat in close proximity to the conference. This should be a great opportunity to try new players and new plays, and still be able to start with a win...NAU 56, Lincoln, CA 7.

UCD at California (FBS ACC)---The Aggies have a strong team coming in, and they make the short trek to play their bigger brothers down the road, who may be a step behind. Do the Aggies have enough to spring an upset on their brethren?...California 28, UCD 21.

ISU at Oregon State (FBS Pac-2)---The Bengals get the opportunity play an upper division foe that had everything up and leave during the summer. Could the Bengals surprise the Pac-2 here and get a win. Are they that strong themselves?...Oregon State 38, ISU 10.

UNC at Incarnate Word (FCS Southland)---What do the Bears have coming back and is it enough to get a win over a strong quality FCS opponent on the road? Well, this is a return game from last year and the Bears didn't do much then...Incarnate Word 38, UNC 14

UI at Oregon (FBS Big 10)---The Vandals have a strong team and will go into this game thinking they can win it, even if it is against one of the top teams in all of FBS. And they do not look past any Big Sky teams either...Oregon 56, UI 14.

CP at San Diego (FCS Pioneer)---The Mustangs may be better than last year on paper but their opponent is as well. The Mustangs could still find themselves on the losing end of this game, even if they play well...San Diego 28, CP 14.

Missouri State (FCS Missouri Valley) at UM---The Grizzlies come storming in loaded on both sides of the ball. They just need to find someone who can steer the ship. Until that happens, their defense will keep them in games, just like last year...UM 31, Missouri State 7.

MSU at Utah Tech (FCS United)---Fresh from their week 0 victory, the Bobcats head back to the FCS ranks and go down the road to play a United foe. Will they be riding the momentum from an impressive FBS win last week and get this one as well?...MSU 35, Utah Tech 14.

WSU at Washington (FBS Big 10)---At least it is not Oregon. The Wildcats will still have their hands full, taking on a new team from the Big 10. Uncertainty and conference play starting next week may force them to treat this as a tryout for better things...Washington 42, WSU 10.

I believe that is perfection. xthumbsupx 13-0 to start the season.

[wapiti]

I missed making picks for Week 0.
I am not sure who I would have picked, but being an MSU fan I probably would have picked MSU by a close margin. But I can not count it since I did make make the pick in time.

On to week 1 picks:
Several teams taking on an FBS team and some of them may get ugly. Week 0 and 1 are always interesting no matter who is played because it is the first chance to see Big Sky football since January and if any teams may be a surprise.
Thursday:
Monmouth 17 @ EWU 24 -- Monmouth from the CAA in Cheney. Both teams were below .500 last season, but EWU has home field advantage.

Sac State 21 @ San Jose State 41 Sac State taking on a decent G5 FBS team. I do not see an upset happening, but Sac State may at least put a scare in them.

Saturday
PSU 17 @ Washington State 44 -- What will WSU be like with the demise of the Pac 12? PSU may put a scare in them for a half.

Lincoln (CA) 6 @ NAU 44 -- Cupcake game of the week. NAU should roll in this one.

UC Davis 27 @ California 35 -- Cal has been a weak P5 team, but even this weak P5 should get the W. UC Davis may keep it close for 3 quarters and have a chance in the 4th.

ISU 16 @ Oregon State 44 -- Another Pac 2 team playing a Big Sky team. ISU is rebuilding and should be better than last season. ISU collects a check to assist with the rebuild.

Northern Colorado 16 @ Incarnate Word 38 -- IW crushed NC last year in Colorado. This time it is in Texas. No change in the result.

Idaho 17 @ Oregon 52 -- Oregon is rated a top 5 in all of FBS.

CP 27 @ San Diego 13 -- San Diego should have a decent chance with hosting this game, but is probably still an underdog on their home field.

Missouri State 17 @ UM 42 -- Missouri state (MSU) is transitioning to FBS, but listed as an FCS team this season. UM should roll in this one.

MSU 41 @ Utah Tech 27 -- MSU making a return trip on a home on home against Utah Tech. UT will have tape of MSU from the week 0 game, but MSU should take home another W as long as turnovers are not a problem.

Weber 17 @ Washington 48 -- I am unsure how good BBQ will be this season. So the result should be interesting, even though BBQ has very little chance to win.

I missed San Diego upsetting CP. And missed doing a pick week 0. 11-2 for me