2018 Polls

[SWeberCat02]

Big Sky Football Coaches' & Media Poll Preseason

2018 Big Sky Football Coaches Poll
School Total Points (First-place votes)
Eastern Washington 134 (6)
Weber State 124 (3)
Northern Arizona 121 (3)
Idaho 101 (1)
Sacramento State 94
Southern Utah 91
Montana 82
Montana State 76
UC Davis 64
Cal Poly 40
Northern Colorado 30
Idaho State 29
Portland State 21

2018 Big Sky Football Media Poll
School Total Points (First-place votes)
Eastern Washington 651 (27)
Weber State 636 (19)
Northern Arizona 535 (1)
Montana 496 (2)
Idaho 483 (3)
Southern Utah 449 (1)
Sacramento State 415
Montana State 391 (1)
UC Davis 331 (1)
Idaho State 170
Cal Poly 169
Northern Colorado 166
Portland State 103

 

[SWeberCat02]

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/16419

Overall Rank: #41
#8 Big Sky

The Bottom Line:
This will be an interesting season for Weber State. Coach Hill has certainly built a successful program that can grind out wins. But this year there is either a reloading or a rebuilding project to be done. The schedule is quite difficult though with non-conference games against Utah, Cal Poly and South Dakota. And, of course, the Big Sky is always tough. Reaching enough wins to make the playoffs will not be easy even for a talented team like Weber State. A small step back and this team could find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture.

Projected Postseason: None

 

[WSUWildcat]

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/16419

Overall Rank: #41
#8 Big Sky

The Bottom Line:
This will be an interesting season for Weber State. Coach Hill has certainly built a successful program that can grind out wins. But this year there is either a reloading or a rebuilding project to be done. The schedule is quite difficult though with non-conference games against Utah, Cal Poly and South Dakota. And, of course, the Big Sky is always tough. Reaching enough wins to make the playoffs will not be easy even for a talented team like Weber State. A small step back and this team could find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture.

Projected Postseason: None

I won't predict a playoff run either way. I think we may well be a different team on offense. Probably more conservative. But 8th place. This guy doesn't know jack.

 

[SWeberCat02]

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/16419

Overall Rank: #41
#8 Big Sky

The Bottom Line:
This will be an interesting season for Weber State. Coach Hill has certainly built a successful program that can grind out wins. But this year there is either a reloading or a rebuilding project to be done. The schedule is quite difficult though with non-conference games against Utah, Cal Poly and South Dakota. And, of course, the Big Sky is always tough. Reaching enough wins to make the playoffs will not be easy even for a talented team like Weber State. A small step back and this team could find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture.

Projected Postseason: None

I won't predict a playoff run either way. I think we may well be a different team on offense. Probably more conservative. But 8th place. This guy doesn't know jack.

Yeah, I kind of laughed when I saw this. They ranked Weber 28th overall and 5th in the Big Sky at the beginning of last season, with no projected postseason. They had UND, EWU, Poly, and NAU ahead of them (only NAU made the playoffs). They were way off then and will be way off again this season.

 

[WSUWildcat]

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/16419

Overall Rank: #41
#8 Big Sky

The Bottom Line:
This will be an interesting season for Weber State. Coach Hill has certainly built a successful program that can grind out wins. But this year there is either a reloading or a rebuilding project to be done. The schedule is quite difficult though with non-conference games against Utah, Cal Poly and South Dakota. And, of course, the Big Sky is always tough. Reaching enough wins to make the playoffs will not be easy even for a talented team like Weber State. A small step back and this team could find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture.

Projected Postseason: None

I won't predict a playoff run either way. I think we may well be a different team on offense. Probably more conservative. But 8th place. This guy doesn't know jack.

Yeah, I kind of laughed when I saw this. They ranked Weber 28th overall and 5th in the Big Sky at the beginning of last season, with no projected postseason. They had UND, EWU, Poly, and NAU ahead of them (only NAU made the playoffs). They were way off then and will be way off again this season.

Also makes me wonder if anyone even remotely believes that 7 Big Sky teams not named Weber State are gonna crack the top 40.

 

[n.ogdencat]

His rational for not making the playoffs could be the exact thing across the board for all Big Sky teams. So, is he inferring that nobody will make it to the playoffs in the Big Sky?

 

[oldrunner]

Regardless of what the polls say, we will know a lot more about our team after the first two games. The UUs have a very good team that is supposed to vie for a PAC-South title. If we are in that game at all, it bodes well for the rest of our season. Also, if we show improvement for the second game it will give our team the direction and mindset for the rest of the season.

Only a fool would pick us 8th in the BSC.

 

[oldrunner]

IMHO, there is another team in the BSC who is being overlooked. SUU has a lot of very good returning players and will be somewhere in the top of the BSC. Everyone seems to like EWU, and they are good, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see the standings quite similar to what they were at the end of last season. I just don't see where EWU improved itself. Everyone likes to make predictions on the basis of who they lost from their starting lineup and who is returning. That is a good place to start, but only a start. To really know about a team you need to know about the entire program. It's hard to predict how incoming players will impact a team or the league, but you can at least get an idea of how a program is progressing.

Before coach hill, we were losing recruits to SUU. That no longer happens. If we lose them now it is to FBS programs. Our recruiting classes have gotten better every year under coach hill. The depth in our program has never been better than it is right now. High quality coaching paired with good recruiting is what has grown our program to where it is now. My expectation is for us to win the BSC again this year and do well in the playoffs.

 

[PurpleBlood]

This poll has us at 6.

http://www.compughterratings.com/FCS/rankings

 

[oldrunner]

This poll has us at 6.

http://www.compughterratings.com/FCS/rankings

I like how it ranks all of FCS, top to bottom. We play three teams in the top 25.

 

[SWeberCat02]

2018 STATS FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM

http://www.fcs.football/cfb/story.asp?i=20180731124554258618004

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

OL - Iosua Opeta, senior, 6-4, 295, Weber State

SECOND TEAM

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK - Trey Tuttle, sophomore, 5-9, 190, Weber State

THIRD TEAM

DEFENSE

LB - LeGrand Toia, senior, 6-2, 215, Weber State

SPECIAL TEAMS

KR - Rashid Shaheed, sophomore, 6-0, 170, Weber State

 

[SWeberCat02]

http://www.fcs.football/cfb/story.asp?i=20180806123135199748904

STATS FCS Preseason Top 25

8. Weber State (11-3), 2,815; Final 2017 Ranking: 5

9. Eastern Washington (7-4), 2,541; Final 2017 Ranking: 21

24. Montana (7-4), 626; Final 2017 Ranking: NR

Others Receiving Votes: South Dakota (8-5) 496, Southern Utah (9-3) 357, Northern Arizona (7-5) 312, Idaho (4-8) 287, Sacramento State (7-4) 208, North Dakota (3-8) 13, UC Davis (5-6) 12, Montana State (5-6) 8

 

[SWeberCat02]

http://www.fcs.football/cfb/story.asp?i=20180808102952393102204

STATS FCS 2018: Big Sky Conference Preview

STATS' predicted order of finish:
1. Eastern Washington
2. Weber State
3. Montana
4. Idaho
5. Northern Arizona
6. Southern Utah
7. Sacramento State
8. Montana State
9. UC Davis
10. Cal Poly
11. Northern Colorado
12. Idaho State
13. Portland State

STARTERS RETURNING: 14 (7 offense/7 defense)

KEY PLAYERS: Braden Miles, QB, R-So.; Treshawn Garrett, RB, Sr.; Brady May, FB, Sr.; Darryl Denby, WR, Sr.; Rashid Shaheed, WR/KR, So.; Tyler Downs, OL, So.; Iosua Opeta, OL, Sr.; Adam Rodriguez, DL, Jr.; Jonah Williams, DE, Jr.; Landon Stice, LB, Sr.; LeGrand Toia, LB, Sr.; Jordan Preator, S, Sr.; Trey Tuttle, PK, So.

THREE KEY LOSSES: Stefan Cantwell, QB; Andrew Vollert, TE; Taron Johnson, CB

OUTLOOK: Coming off their best season ever, including a co-Big Sky title and a near-upset of James Madison in the FCS quarterfinals, the Wildcats remain a top-tier team. It's vital that they replace the production of Cantwell under center, but it helps to be strong on the offensive line, which will open up the play for RB Garrett and WRs Denby and Shaheed. Despite some losses, Hill also likes what he has on the defensive line. His defense's 17.6 points allowed per game were by far the conference-best.

 

[SWeberCat02]

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-big-sky-defensive-backs-wes-sutton-bzbz

Top 5 Returning Big Sky Defensive Backs in 2018

3. Jordan Preator, Weber State

Weber State is known to be one of the stronger defenses in the Big Sky. Preator added to that last season after transferring from BYU. The junior safety played in all 13 games as the Wildcats advanced to the FCS quarterfinals. He earned Big Sky All-Conference Second Team honors after coming down with four interceptions.

The Wildcats knew they got a good one when Preator intercepted two passes in the season-opener against Montana Western. He finished the year with 51 tackles, 36 of which were solo, and 7.5 tackles

 

[SWeberCat02]

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-big-sky-linebackers-josh-buss-bzbz

Top 5 Returning Big Sky Linebackers in 2018

3. LeGrand Toia, Weber State

Weber State was a top defensive unit in the Big Sky last year, which helped the Wildcats advance to the FCS quarterfinals. Toia led that unit as a junior with 79 tackles, 39 of which were solo. His five sacks were second on the team as he earned All-Big Sky First Team and American Football Coaches Association Second Team All-American honors.

Toia enters his third year of starting and has career totals of 179 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He's a preseason All-Conference selection and on our preseason All-American Second Team.

 

[SWeberCat02]

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-big-sky-offensive-linemen-iosua-opeta-bzbz

Top 5 Returning Big Sky Offensive Linemen in 2018

1. Iosua Opeta, Weber State

Opeta is the second preseason HERO Sports All-American Second Team member from the Big Sky. After starting four games at defensive tackle in 2015 as a freshman, Opeta moved to the offensive side and has become a force since. He started 12 games as a sophomore and earned All-Conference Honorable Mention honors.

Last year, Opeta started all 14 games and earned AP Third Team All-American and All-Big Sky First Team nods. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound tackle is named on the preseason All-Conference team.

 

[SWeberCat02]

http://insider.afca.com/north-dakota-state-starts-no-1-in-first-ever-afca-fcs-coaches-top-25-poll/

AFCA FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll

7 Eastern Washington 454 Pts.

8 Weber St. 446 Pts.

25 Montana 67 Pts.

Others Receiving Votes: Idaho, 41; Northern Arizona, 36; Southern Utah, 11; Sacramento St., 9; South Dakota, 6

 

[SWeberCat02]

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2018-preseason-preview-weber-state-bzbz

FCS 2018 PREVIEW: Weber State Football Hopes Momentum Carries Over

SUM IT UP: Jay Hill has slowly built up the Weber State football program. His record has improved from 2-10 to 6-5 to 7-5 and then to 11-3 last year with a share of the Big Sky title and a trip to the FCS quarterfinals. In that quarterfinal loss to the defending national champs and eventual national runner-up James Madison, the Wildcats held an eight-point lead with 3:14 remaining before JMU scored the next 11 points with a game-winning field goal as time expired.

That puts an interesting view on the 2018 Wildcats. On one side, Weber lost a ton of important pieces from last year on offense and defense. Stefan Cantwell was a huge part of the offense's success at quarterback, leading the team in passing and rushing touchdowns. He's gone along with his two favorites targets. Yet the Wildcats have a Big Sky-best six players on the preseason All-Conference Team along with five preseason HERO Sports All-Americans. So is this a national championship contender? Or is it a team that slides back into the middle of the Big Sky pack?

BEST-CASE SCENARIO: Weber State takes the next step and makes it to the semifinals after winning another Big Sky title. The Wildcats are going to face a tougher conference top to bottom in 2018 compared to last year. But it's a mistake to overlook the terrific players this team has coming back. The defense should remain solid with four of the five top tacklers back. The special teams will be outstanding. Playmakers like running back Treshawn Garrett and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed return with a solid offensive line. The pieces are there to remain at a high level.

TOP RETURNEE: LB LeGrand Toia (Preseason All-American, 79 tackles)
THE NEXT BEST: OL Iosua Opeta (Preseason All-American); FB Brady May (Preseason All-American on special teams); WR Rashid Shaheed (545 yards, 3 TDs, preseason All-American return specialist); K Trey Tuttle (Preseason All-American); RB Treshawn Garrett (698 yards, 6 TDs)
TOP NEWCOMER: OL Chris Faaumu (Cerritos CC transfer, 6-foot-4, 300 pounds)
DID YOU KNOW?: Weber College became a junior college in 1933, then became Weber State College in 1962. It gained university status in 1991 and was renamed Weber State University.
THE QUOTE: "There were a lot of things I liked early in the scrimmage but we have a long way to go still. The defense started a little slow but I thought they finished well and made some big plays. On offense, we need to sustain our drives. We need the backups to really take some steps forward." -- Head Coach Jay Hill said after the first preseason scrimmage

 

[SWeberCat02]

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-big-sky-defensive-linemen-george-obinna-bzbz

Top 5 Returning Big Sky Defensive Linemen in 2018

2. Jonah Williams, Weber State

It didn't take long for Williams to get on campus and become a difference-maker for the Wildcats. He has started 24 of 26 games played at defensive end as WSU has been to back-to-back playoffs. Williams was a 2016 HERO Sports Freshman All-American and was named an All-Conference Second Team player last year. He’s also on the 2018 preseason All-Big Sky Team.

At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Williams finished 2017 with 37 tackles, six for lost yardage, 5.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries. He saved his best performance for last when the Wildcats almost knocked off No. 1 James Madison in the quarterfinals with a season-high seven tackles. With a strong and experienced defense, WSU hopes for a longer run in the postseason.

 

[SWeberCat02]

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2018-big-sky-conference-preview-preseason-bzbz

FCS: Big Sky Preview, What in the World is Going to Happen This Year?

KEEP AN EYE ON: Iosua Opeta, Weber State
The big fella is one of the best offensive lineman in the FCS and ranked the No. 14 guard in the 2019 NFL Draft.