Mid Season Big Sky Power Rankings

[ewueagle2010]

It's the midway point of the season and I'm curious to know your Power Rankings in the Big Sky.

1. Eastern Washington- Some big games loom, but right now, EWU looks to be on top.

2. Montana- I struggle putting the Griz above Cal Poly because of the loss in SLO, but to the eye, I just think the Griz are better.

3. Cal Poly- Could easily be #2 as they've already beaten the Griz, but still right in the mix.

4. North Dakota- They've got a great defense and a pretty good RB. With their schedule, they could easily stay in the mix all year.

5. Southern Utah- Also appear to have an above average D, but offensively, they look suspect.

6. Weber State- Quietly undefeated in a very early Big Sky schedule, but seem to be capable of beating many teams. How bad will that blown W to USD be at the end of the season?

7. Northern Colorado- Good skill players, but still not ready to be a top Big Sky team.

8. Portland State- Reality has set in after last season and a very unfortunate and rough off season for the Vikings.

9. Northern Arizona- High expectations have led to little results. Without their QB, it's going to be a long year.

10. Montana State- Defense is better than it's been, but their offense could be the worst in the conference.

11. UC Davis- Good ground game, below average everything else.

12. Idaho State- How hot is Kramer's seat getting?

13. Sac State- Bad. Really, really bad.

To me, 1-4 are in their own class with 5-6 capable of some upsets. 7-9 have a few too many holes to compete this season and 10-13 are just not close right now.

 

[marceagfan5]

It's the midway point of the season and I'm curious to know your Power Rankings in the Big Sky.

1. Eastern Washington- Some big games loom, but right now, EWU looks to be on top.

2. Montana- I struggle putting the Griz above Cal Poly because of the loss in SLO, but to the eye, I just think the Griz are better.

3. Cal Poly- Could easily be #2 as they've already beaten the Griz, but still right in the mix.

4. North Dakota- They've got a great defense and a pretty good RB. With their schedule, they could easily stay in the mix all year.

5. Southern Utah- Also appear to have an above average D, but offensively, they look suspect.

6. Weber State- Quietly undefeated in a very early Big Sky schedule, but seem to be capable of beating many teams. How bad will that blown W to USD be at the end of the season?

7. Northern Colorado- Good skill players, but still not ready to be a top Big Sky team.

8. Portland State- Reality has set in after last season and a very unfortunate and rough off season for the Vikings.

9. Northern Arizona- High expectations have led to little results. Without their QB, it's going to be a long year.

10. Montana State- Defense is better than it's been, but their offense could be the worst in the conference.

11. UC Davis- Good ground game, below average everything else.

12. Idaho State- How hot is Kramer's seat getting?

13. Sac State- Bad. Really, really bad.

To me, 1-4 are in their own class with 5-6 capable of some upsets. 7-9 have a few too many holes to compete this season and 10-13 are just not close right now.

I'd swap und/poly due to und's win over them. MSU also list to Sac so they may be cellar dwellers

Job well done

 

[Rjones61]

Tier 1

1. Eastern Washington: Duh
2. North Dakota: Seem to be putting everything together and are undefeated in Big Sky. They could end up sharing the title with us.
3. Montana: Besides their overtime slip up with Cal Poly, they have a good resume and could put together a playoff season.

Tier 2
4. Cal Poly: Beat Montana, but can't look past getting absolutely trounced by UND. Have to find a way to get passed injuries.
5. Weber State: Seems to have assembled a good defense and the South Dakota loss is looking to more forgiving.

Tier 3
6. Southern Utah: Getting whooped by Montana looks bad. They can still salvage a playoff entry, but have to play a lot of good football from here on out.
7.Northern Colorado: Great quarterback and RB, not a lot of great anything else.

Bottom tier
8. Portland State: Shockingly underwhelming this year.
9. Northern Arizona: This team is absolutely crippled without Cookus. Shame.
10. UC Davis: Stuck in their forever rebuild. Will their team ever come back to glory?
11. Idaho State: This team has completely tanked since 2014.
12. Sacramento State: This team hasn't seen anything good since Safron was quarterback. Even when he was still there, they were collapsing.
13. Montana State: Lol

 

[LDopaPDX]

I think everyone is pretty close. Of course, the hard thing to assess is the depth of the teams. As it is in the FCS, one or two key injuries can make a great team become mediocre in a hurry.

North Dakota may not be the best team out there, but given where they're at versus what they looked like early in the year, they've done a great job getting on track.

 

[EWURanger]

1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana
3. North Dakota
4. Cal Poly
5. Southern Utah
6. Weber State
7. Northern Colorado
8. Portland State
9. Northern Arizona
10. UC Davis
11. Idaho State
12. Montana State
13. Sac State

 

[mtgrizfankb1]

Tier 1

1. Eastern Washington: Duh
2. North Dakota: Seem to be putting everything together and are undefeated in Big Sky. They could end up sharing the title with us.
3. Montana: Besides their overtime slip up with Cal Poly, they have a good resume and could put together a playoff season.

Tier 2
4. Cal Poly: Beat Montana, but can't look past getting absolutely trounced by UND. Have to find a way to get passed injuries.
5. Weber State: Seems to have assembled a good defense and the South Dakota loss is looking to more forgiving.

Tier 3
6. Southern Utah: Getting whooped by Montana looks bad. They can still salvage a playoff entry, but have to play a lot of good football from here on out.
7.Northern Colorado: Great quarterback and RB, not a lot of great anything else.

Bottom tier
8. Portland State: Shockingly underwhelming this year.
9. Northern Arizona: This team is absolutely crippled without Cookus. Shame.
10. UC Davis: Stuck in their forever rebuild. Will their team ever come back to glory?
11. Idaho State: This team has completely tanked since 2014.
12. Sacramento State: This team hasn't seen anything good since Safron was quarterback. Even when he was still there, they were collapsing.
13. Montana State: Lol

Montana may put together a playoff season? I don't think Montana loses another game besides maybe ewu. Far better than a playoff season

 

[GreatDayToBeAnEagle]

Tier 1

1. Eastern Washington: Duh
2. North Dakota: Seem to be putting everything together and are undefeated in Big Sky. They could end up sharing the title with us.
3. Montana: Besides their overtime slip up with Cal Poly, they have a good resume and could put together a playoff season.

Tier 2
4. Cal Poly: Beat Montana, but can't look past getting absolutely trounced by UND. Have to find a way to get passed injuries.
5. Weber State: Seems to have assembled a good defense and the South Dakota loss is looking to more forgiving.

Tier 3
6. Southern Utah: Getting whooped by Montana looks bad. They can still salvage a playoff entry, but have to play a lot of good football from here on out.
7.Northern Colorado: Great quarterback and RB, not a lot of great anything else.

Bottom tier
8. Portland State: Shockingly underwhelming this year.
9. Northern Arizona: This team is absolutely crippled without Cookus. Shame.
10. UC Davis: Stuck in their forever rebuild. Will their team ever come back to glory?
11. Idaho State: This team has completely tanked since 2014.
12. Sacramento State: This team hasn't seen anything good since Safron was quarterback. Even when he was still there, they were collapsing.
13. Montana State: Lol

Montana may put together a playoff season? I don't think Montana loses another game besides maybe ewu. Far better than a playoff season

What does "far better than a playoff season" mean? What's your prediction? Do you think Montana can go on the road in the playoffs and win and advance?

I agree with you that it appears Montana is more than just "likely" or "possible" to make playoffs, but with likely two conference losses from a VERY weak Big Sky Conference, I see Montana having to hit the road after one home game. And as we all know, the committee likes to minimize travel so I could see Montana having to head to Fargo... Yikes.

 

[Rjones61]

Tier 1

1. Eastern Washington: Duh
2. North Dakota: Seem to be putting everything together and are undefeated in Big Sky. They could end up sharing the title with us.
3. Montana: Besides their overtime slip up with Cal Poly, they have a good resume and could put together a playoff season.

Tier 2
4. Cal Poly: Beat Montana, but can't look past getting absolutely trounced by UND. Have to find a way to get passed injuries.
5. Weber State: Seems to have assembled a good defense and the South Dakota loss is looking to more forgiving.

Tier 3
6. Southern Utah: Getting whooped by Montana looks bad. They can still salvage a playoff entry, but have to play a lot of good football from here on out.
7.Northern Colorado: Great quarterback and RB, not a lot of great anything else.

Bottom tier
8. Portland State: Shockingly underwhelming this year.
9. Northern Arizona: This team is absolutely crippled without Cookus. Shame.
10. UC Davis: Stuck in their forever rebuild. Will their team ever come back to glory?
11. Idaho State: This team has completely tanked since 2014.
12. Sacramento State: This team hasn't seen anything good since Safron was quarterback. Even when he was still there, they were collapsing.
13. Montana State: Lol

Montana may put together a playoff season? I don't think Montana loses another game besides maybe ewu. Far better than a playoff season

From my perspective, Montana likely has one loss on the schedule left (EWU). Call it bias (you are on an Eastern forum) or just compare the rankings. Everyone outside of egriz probably agrees that UM will lose when they come to Cheney.

That means that Montana has to win the remaining four games. I doubt they will lose to Idaho State or Montana State, but Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado aren't ENTIRELY out of the question. Montana has already lost to an inferior opponent once this year.

I think that Montana will likely go to playoffs this year with one loss. However, they will be on the road and will see the boot in the first round. If they lose two, the only thing getting them to playoffs is name recognition in the committee. :twocents:

 

[mtgrizfankb1]

Tier 1

1. Eastern Washington: Duh
2. North Dakota: Seem to be putting everything together and are undefeated in Big Sky. They could end up sharing the title with us.
3. Montana: Besides their overtime slip up with Cal Poly, they have a good resume and could put together a playoff season.

Tier 2
4. Cal Poly: Beat Montana, but can't look past getting absolutely trounced by UND. Have to find a way to get passed injuries.
5. Weber State: Seems to have assembled a good defense and the South Dakota loss is looking to more forgiving.

Tier 3
6. Southern Utah: Getting whooped by Montana looks bad. They can still salvage a playoff entry, but have to play a lot of good football from here on out.
7.Northern Colorado: Great quarterback and RB, not a lot of great anything else.

Bottom tier
8. Portland State: Shockingly underwhelming this year.
9. Northern Arizona: This team is absolutely crippled without Cookus. Shame.
10. UC Davis: Stuck in their forever rebuild. Will their team ever come back to glory?
11. Idaho State: This team has completely tanked since 2014.
12. Sacramento State: This team hasn't seen anything good since Safron was quarterback. Even when he was still there, they were collapsing.
13. Montana State: Lol

Montana may put together a playoff season? I don't think Montana loses another game besides maybe ewu. Far better than a playoff season

From my perspective, Montana likely has one loss on the schedule left (EWU). Call it bias (you are on an Eastern forum) or just compare the rankings. Everyone outside of egriz probably agrees that UM will lose when they come to Cheney.

That means that Montana has to win the remaining four games. I doubt they will lose to Idaho State or Montana State, but Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado aren't ENTIRELY out of the question. Montana has already lost to an inferior opponent once this year.

I think that Montana will likely go to playoffs this year with one loss. However, they will be on the road and will see the boot in the first round. If they lose two, the only thing getting them to playoffs is name recognition in the committee. :twocents:

You think a two loss Montana team goes on the road first round and 3 loss doesn't get in? You are high as sh*t. No way Montana wouldn't have a home game. Then yes maybe they would travel in round 2 but most likely back to ewu before Fargo. Yes I think Montana could beat ewu. Will it? No idea but I think it's possible. Nobody thought Ewu would be that good, check your board in august. But you are but you struggled with uni just like we did. It will be a classic Um vs ewu battle. I'm saying this Montana team may not not win the big sky..they could but I don't see how Montana is not a clear playoff team at this point. It would take an NAU type collapse to not make the playoffs. to say we might be good enough for the playoffs is incorrect and misguided is all I'm saying. Ewu is superior at this moment but we will find out how superior in a few weeks.

 

[LDopaPDX]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

While I don't see this as a likely scenario, 7-4 Montana would be a real crapshoot to get in as they had a very soft schedule.

I don't see the loss to Cal Poly as a bad loss or the Big Sky as weak this year. There may not be more than a couple of elite teams, but even the backend of the conference is halfway decent this season. Montana State, for example, is winless in the conference but hasn't lost yet by more than a single possession.

 

[mtgrizfankb1]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

While I don't see this as a likely scenario, 7-4 Montana would be a real crapshoot to get in as they had a very soft schedule.

I don't see the loss to Cal Poly as a bad loss or the Big Sky as weak this year. There may not be more than a couple of elite teams, but even the backend of the conference is halfway decent this season. Montana State, for example, is winless in the conference but hasn't lost yet by more than a single possession.

100% agree. If I had to guess I honestly think UM finishes 9-2. I think Ewu gets a top 4 rank and Montana MIGHT get a seed but I actually think not. I think Montana will play home game similar to the last two years then head on the road to probably EWU. I bet EWU gets a 2 or 3 rank and plays Montana second round. I think that's BS for both teams but not much we can do about it. I would love to see Montana get a 7 seed and EWU a 2 or 3. That way we could both be opposite to NDSU. Not opposed to an EWU rematch in December but I'd prefer it to be at the semi finals or at least the quarters. I wouldn't mind seeing the third bigsky team go to NDSU and bite the bullet for us two. Hahaha sorry UND

 

[Rjones61]

Tier 1

1. Eastern Washington: Duh
2. North Dakota: Seem to be putting everything together and are undefeated in Big Sky. They could end up sharing the title with us.
3. Montana: Besides their overtime slip up with Cal Poly, they have a good resume and could put together a playoff season.

Tier 2
4. Cal Poly: Beat Montana, but can't look past getting absolutely trounced by UND. Have to find a way to get passed injuries.
5. Weber State: Seems to have assembled a good defense and the South Dakota loss is looking to more forgiving.

Tier 3
6. Southern Utah: Getting whooped by Montana looks bad. They can still salvage a playoff entry, but have to play a lot of good football from here on out.
7.Northern Colorado: Great quarterback and RB, not a lot of great anything else.

Bottom tier
8. Portland State: Shockingly underwhelming this year.
9. Northern Arizona: This team is absolutely crippled without Cookus. Shame.
10. UC Davis: Stuck in their forever rebuild. Will their team ever come back to glory?
11. Idaho State: This team has completely tanked since 2014.
12. Sacramento State: This team hasn't seen anything good since Safron was quarterback. Even when he was still there, they were collapsing.
13. Montana State: Lol

Montana may put together a playoff season? I don't think Montana loses another game besides maybe ewu. Far better than a playoff season

From my perspective, Montana likely has one loss on the schedule left (EWU). Call it bias (you are on an Eastern forum) or just compare the rankings. Everyone outside of egriz probably agrees that UM will lose when they come to Cheney.

That means that Montana has to win the remaining four games. I doubt they will lose to Idaho State or Montana State, but Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado aren't ENTIRELY out of the question. Montana has already lost to an inferior opponent once this year.

I think that Montana will likely go to playoffs this year with one loss. However, they will be on the road and will see the boot in the first round. If they lose two, the only thing getting them to playoffs is name recognition in the committee. :twocents:

You think a two loss Montana team goes on the road first round and 3 loss doesn't get in? You are high as sh*t. No way Montana wouldn't have a home game. Then yes maybe they would travel in round 2 but most likely back to ewu before Fargo. Yes I think Montana could beat ewu. Will it? No idea but I think it's possible. Nobody thought Ewu would be that good, check your board in august. But you are but you struggled with uni just like we did. It will be a classic Um vs ewu battle. I'm saying this Montana team may not not win the big sky..they could but I don't see how Montana is not a clear playoff team at this point. It would take an NAU type collapse to not make the playoffs. to say we might be good enough for the playoffs is incorrect and misguided is all I'm saying. Ewu is superior at this moment but we will find out how superior in a few weeks.

Dramatic. I was talking about losing two within the next 5 games.

 

[marceagfan5]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

What if UND runs the conference table, which is a strong possibility. They also finish at 9-2 and 8-0 in conference. Do you seed Montana over them? Does the Big Sky get 3 seeds? This is all assuming EWU runs the table or finishes with 1 conference loss that isn't Montana.

 

[Get'emGriz]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

What if UND runs the conference table, which is a strong possibility. They also finish at 9-2 and 8-0 in conference. Do you seed Montana over them? Does the Big Sky get 3 seeds? This is all assuming EWU runs the table or finishes with 1 conference loss that isn't Montana.

In my opinion If both UM and UND finished the season at 9-2 (and UND wins the Big Sky), I still don't think the committee seeds UND over Montana for two reasons:

1. UND didn't face Montana or EWU in the regular season
2. $$ and History. The NCAA will jump at any chance to give UM as many home games as they can reasonably give to take advantage of extra money they would receive from a Montana home game, and UM has a history of success in the playoffs. This will be UNDs first FCS Playoff appearance.

 

[LDopaPDX]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

What if UND runs the conference table, which is a strong possibility. They also finish at 9-2 and 8-0 in conference. Do you seed Montana over them? Does the Big Sky get 3 seeds? This is all assuming EWU runs the table or finishes with 1 conference loss that isn't Montana.

In my opinion If both UM and UND finished the season at 9-2 (and UND wins the Big Sky), I still don't think the committee seeds UND over Montana for two reasons:

1. UND didn't face Montana or EWU in the regular season
2. $$ and History. The NCAA will jump at any chance to give UM as many home games as they can reasonably give to take advantage of extra money they would receive from a Montana home game, and UM has a history of success in the playoffs. This will be UNDs first FCS Playoff appearance.

This one is a toss-up. I could see it going either way if both Montana and UND finish 9-2. That said, I wouldn't think that winds up being an actual scenario. If Eastern finishes 9-2 and Montana and UND have the same record, I'd suspect Eastern gets the top seed based on strength of schedule being much greater. As the season winds on, I strongly suspect our win over WSU will be the best win on any FCS resume this year. Virginia, Iowa, and Iowa State don't seem to have the same firepower that WSU has.

Still a lot of football to be played, and there aren't many gimmes in the Big Sky this year. Montana State has looked awful, but I still feel they're a game underdog when we play them in two weeks. It'll be a real test for our defense, because they haven't been able to score on anyone this year. If they hang points on us, that's a bad sign. I don't think it'll happen, though, but I'm not going to chest thump over our D. Everyone we've played has scored at least 30 on us thus far.

 

[marceagfan5]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

What if UND runs the conference table, which is a strong possibility. They also finish at 9-2 and 8-0 in conference. Do you seed Montana over them? Does the Big Sky get 3 seeds? This is all assuming EWU runs the table or finishes with 1 conference loss that isn't Montana.

In my opinion If both UM and UND finished the season at 9-2 (and UND wins the Big Sky), I still don't think the committee seeds UND over Montana for two reasons:

1. UND didn't face Montana or EWU in the regular season
2. $$ and History. The NCAA will jump at any chance to give UM as many home games as they can reasonably give to take advantage of extra money they would receive from a Montana home game, and UM has a history of success in the playoffs. This will be UNDs first FCS Playoff appearance.

For the record, I think UM is a much better team than UND.

What will probably happen is whoever doesn't get a seed (UM, EWU, UND), assuming all are 9-2 or someone is 8-3, would play a home game against the likes of San Diego and then head to UND (if for some reason they are seeded) for the 2nd round, not really a bad case scenario there.

 

[LDopaPDX]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

What if UND runs the conference table, which is a strong possibility. They also finish at 9-2 and 8-0 in conference. Do you seed Montana over them? Does the Big Sky get 3 seeds? This is all assuming EWU runs the table or finishes with 1 conference loss that isn't Montana.

In my opinion If both UM and UND finished the season at 9-2 (and UND wins the Big Sky), I still don't think the committee seeds UND over Montana for two reasons:

1. UND didn't face Montana or EWU in the regular season
2. $$ and History. The NCAA will jump at any chance to give UM as many home games as they can reasonably give to take advantage of extra money they would receive from a Montana home game, and UM has a history of success in the playoffs. This will be UNDs first FCS Playoff appearance.

For the record, I think UM is a much better team than UND.

What will probably happen is whoever doesn't get a seed (UM, EWU, UND), assuming all are 9-2 or someone is 8-3, would play a home game against the likes of San Diego and then head to UND (if for some reason they are seeded) for the 2nd round, not really a bad case scenario there.

If I remember right, I don't think the playoffs are going to be regionalized any more. Therefore, it would be unlikely to see Big Sky teams matching up on the second weekend unless it was a random occurrence of the seeding.

 

[mtgrizfankb1]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

What if UND runs the conference table, which is a strong possibility. They also finish at 9-2 and 8-0 in conference. Do you seed Montana over them? Does the Big Sky get 3 seeds? This is all assuming EWU runs the table or finishes with 1 conference loss that isn't Montana.

Then I think EWU is the only seed. UND has a terrible resume and you couldn't seed Montana at that point. Like I said I don't even really think Montana will get a seed if we lose to EWU.

 

[mtgrizfankb1]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

What if UND runs the conference table, which is a strong possibility. They also finish at 9-2 and 8-0 in conference. Do you seed Montana over them? Does the Big Sky get 3 seeds? This is all assuming EWU runs the table or finishes with 1 conference loss that isn't Montana.

In my opinion If both UM and UND finished the season at 9-2 (and UND wins the Big Sky), I still don't think the committee seeds UND over Montana for two reasons:

1. UND didn't face Montana or EWU in the regular season
2. $$ and History. The NCAA will jump at any chance to give UM as many home games as they can reasonably give to take advantage of extra money they would receive from a Montana home game, and UM has a history of success in the playoffs. This will be UNDs first FCS Playoff appearance.

For the record, I think UM is a much better team than UND.

What will probably happen is whoever doesn't get a seed (UM, EWU, UND), assuming all are 9-2 or someone is 8-3, would play a home game against the likes of San Diego and then head to UND (if for some reason they are seeded) for the 2nd round, not really a bad case scenario there.

If I remember right, I don't think the playoffs are going to be regionalized any more. Therefore, it would be unlikely to see Big Sky teams matching up on the second weekend unless it was a random occurrence of the seeding.

They are voting this month on how regionalization will factor in. No matter what they will still use it but the vote is for more charter territory. Most likely it will still be highly regionalized but you might see one Mid East team travel west or vice versa

 

[mtgrizfankb1]

9-2 Montana definitely opens at home as one of the 8 seeded teams. 8-3 Montana probably opens at home in the play-in round and travels the following week.

What if UND runs the conference table, which is a strong possibility. They also finish at 9-2 and 8-0 in conference. Do you seed Montana over them? Does the Big Sky get 3 seeds? This is all assuming EWU runs the table or finishes with 1 conference loss that isn't Montana.

Then I think EWU is the only seed. UND has a terrible resume and you couldn't seed Montana at that point. Like I said I don't even really think Montana will get a seed if we lose to EWU.

Nor do I think we deserve one if that happens