JALMOND
September 13th, 2011, 03:35 AM
I'm a little bit late with these but here are this week's power rankings for the Big Sky. The top half got a bit crowded with the outcomes of last week's games with the bottom holding pat. Here are the rankings/ Once again all are my opinion and all are open to discussion. Given how everything played out, I'm sure there will be quite the discussion. Have at it.
1. Montana State (3)---After looking fairly competitive against Utah, the Bobcats came home to a strong win over future conference foe UC-Davis. It is early and no conference games have been played, but the Bobcats are looking pretty good. This week, while everyone else gets their conference slate started, the Bobcats welcome DII transition member, Minot State. Should be an easy win for MSU, the FCS's MSU, that is.
2. Eastern Washington (1)---What exactly happened here? The Eagles went from being one play away from upsetting Washington to getting blown out by South Dakota. Another interesting aspect is the lack of a running game all of a sudden for the Eagles. How much time is there to right the ship? This weekend, they head to Montana. The good thing is they seem to play pretty well there.
3. Montana (4)---A tale of two different weekends. The Grizzlies followed up their loss at SEC Tennessee with a great win at home against Cal Poly. So, have they found their offense to go with their strong defense? Time will tell, of course, and not much time at that. This weekend, they welcome defending champion Eastern Washington to their cozy den. The only thing, the Eagles seem to do pretty well there.
4. Sacramento State (2)--A classic case of from the penthouse to the outhouse. The Hornets were the FCS's darling of opening week with their win over the Pac-12's Oregon State. Then they were brought back to earth this weekend with their uninspired loss at Southern Utah. Is this going to be a season to remember? It better start soon as they are on the road yet again at Weber State.
5. Weber State (5)---For the first half, anyway, the Wildcats looked like world beaters again. Then Utah State woke up and put them away. Still, with good showings against the FBS, the Wildcats are ready to start conference play. This weekend, they open with Sacramento State at home. A great chance to start off on the right foot (or paw).
6. Northern Arizona (6)---While the rest of the conference was having fun with near misses and upsets, the Lumberjacks have basically held serve the first couple weeks, getting blown out by the Pac-12 and blowing out the DII. Whether it will correspond to victories in the conference remains to be seen. It all starts this week with a trip to Portland State.
7. Portland State (7)---While most teams are getting their questions answered, it would be a stretch to say the Vikings have. With only one game under their belt, an opening week blowout against the NAIA, it is hard to determin just what they have. Is that what they want while they prepare for a conference game against Northern Arizona? At least it is at their house.
8. Idaho State (8)---What is shocking so far is that the Bengals have won a game, which could be attributed to Kramer's hiring. Or, probably more likely it is due to scheduling Western State the second game of the year. Either way, a win is a win and it has to feel good heading into the opening conference game at home against Northern Colorado. Maybe another win.
9. Northern Colorado (9)---What is after an embarrassing loss to the NAIA for the Bears? How about a loss against Colorado State the next week. The Bears are still trying to smooth out the rough spots with the new everything. Now they get to start their conference season, on the road against the conference cellar dweller, Idaho State. A win would go far, even this early in the year.
Recap: 1-4 pretty much together, 5 nearly on an island, 6 a bit behind with 7 and 8 gaining, 9 trying to keep up.
1. Montana State (3)---After looking fairly competitive against Utah, the Bobcats came home to a strong win over future conference foe UC-Davis. It is early and no conference games have been played, but the Bobcats are looking pretty good. This week, while everyone else gets their conference slate started, the Bobcats welcome DII transition member, Minot State. Should be an easy win for MSU, the FCS's MSU, that is.
2. Eastern Washington (1)---What exactly happened here? The Eagles went from being one play away from upsetting Washington to getting blown out by South Dakota. Another interesting aspect is the lack of a running game all of a sudden for the Eagles. How much time is there to right the ship? This weekend, they head to Montana. The good thing is they seem to play pretty well there.
3. Montana (4)---A tale of two different weekends. The Grizzlies followed up their loss at SEC Tennessee with a great win at home against Cal Poly. So, have they found their offense to go with their strong defense? Time will tell, of course, and not much time at that. This weekend, they welcome defending champion Eastern Washington to their cozy den. The only thing, the Eagles seem to do pretty well there.
4. Sacramento State (2)--A classic case of from the penthouse to the outhouse. The Hornets were the FCS's darling of opening week with their win over the Pac-12's Oregon State. Then they were brought back to earth this weekend with their uninspired loss at Southern Utah. Is this going to be a season to remember? It better start soon as they are on the road yet again at Weber State.
5. Weber State (5)---For the first half, anyway, the Wildcats looked like world beaters again. Then Utah State woke up and put them away. Still, with good showings against the FBS, the Wildcats are ready to start conference play. This weekend, they open with Sacramento State at home. A great chance to start off on the right foot (or paw).
6. Northern Arizona (6)---While the rest of the conference was having fun with near misses and upsets, the Lumberjacks have basically held serve the first couple weeks, getting blown out by the Pac-12 and blowing out the DII. Whether it will correspond to victories in the conference remains to be seen. It all starts this week with a trip to Portland State.
7. Portland State (7)---While most teams are getting their questions answered, it would be a stretch to say the Vikings have. With only one game under their belt, an opening week blowout against the NAIA, it is hard to determin just what they have. Is that what they want while they prepare for a conference game against Northern Arizona? At least it is at their house.
8. Idaho State (8)---What is shocking so far is that the Bengals have won a game, which could be attributed to Kramer's hiring. Or, probably more likely it is due to scheduling Western State the second game of the year. Either way, a win is a win and it has to feel good heading into the opening conference game at home against Northern Colorado. Maybe another win.
9. Northern Colorado (9)---What is after an embarrassing loss to the NAIA for the Bears? How about a loss against Colorado State the next week. The Bears are still trying to smooth out the rough spots with the new everything. Now they get to start their conference season, on the road against the conference cellar dweller, Idaho State. A win would go far, even this early in the year.
Recap: 1-4 pretty much together, 5 nearly on an island, 6 a bit behind with 7 and 8 gaining, 9 trying to keep up.