Mid Season Big Sky Power Rankings

[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.

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.

Stats/Haley released their first playoff projection. It's regionalized for the most part. Our matchup is a repeat of 2014.

http://www.fcs.football/cfb/story.asp?i=20161011123654150333904&ref=hea&tm=&src=FCS

San Diego? That's a hard one for me to reconcile. They only play one legit FCS program this year- Cal Poly- and they lost handily. Even at 10-1, I'm not sure you put them in the playoffs. A 7-4 team from a legit conference is probably going to be a better selection than USD. Let's say an 8-3 Montana (and I don't expect Montana to be 8-3, but for the sake of the "what if") plays a 10-1 San Diego. Anyone want to bet that it's within 5 TDs?

They play in the Pioneer conference and get an auto bid...

Basically a layup in the first round for whoever plays them...

I'm still in disbelief that the NCAA let Dayton host the first round game. A whopping 997 people showed up to that game.

$$ talks with the NCAA. Dayton outbid W. Illinois for the home game and thus got to host the playoff game in front of 997 people.

 

[Siouxfan512]

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.

Interesting that a Griz fan thinks UND has a terrible resume. Sagarin has UND's SOS ranked 174, and Montana at 187; but maybe the computers are lying. Other than playing against E. Wash, which game should be boosting your SOS, St. Francis? or Missippi Valley? Yes, you won against a very underwhelming UNI team. I'd say our schedules are pretty darn comparable.

For the record, E. Wash's schedule is ranked 119. I truly though E.Wash could start 0-3 this season given the schedule, but you're offense is the real deal. Very impressive. Too bad you couldn't pull out the W in Fargo. I know a lot of Bison fans were very impressed with your team.

 

[Siouxfan512]

1. Eastern Washington - tough games against Montana and Cal Poly loom, but we control our own destiny.
2. Montana - playoff team. we will have to bring our "A" game to beat them, even at home.
3. UND - I still think they are kind of a pretender, but hard to argue with their record even if it's weak.
4. Cal Poly - the 4th potential playoff team from the big sky.
5. Weber State - have shown a lot of improvement this year
6. Southern Utah - decent defensive team. blowout loss to Montana doesn't help their cause.
7. Northern Colorado - another team that's shown improvement, could upset a couple higher ranked teams.
8. Northern Arizona - losing their QB is tough, but they still have enough good players to win some games.
9. Portland State - don't have the horses they had last year. will be lucky to reach 6-5.
10. UC Davis - still have a lot of work to do to be competitive in this conference.
11. Montana State - it's hard to win any games in this league with no offense.
12. Idaho State - tossup between ISU for the worst team in the conference.
13. Sac State - losing to a division II team at home is the tie-breaker.

Again, UNDs schedule isn't really any weaker than Montana's. Eastern's is much more challenging.

 

[eaglesfootball]

1. Eastern Washington - tough games against Montana and Cal Poly loom, but we control our own destiny.
2. Montana - playoff team. we will have to bring our "A" game to beat them, even at home.
3. UND - I still think they are kind of a pretender, but hard to argue with their record even if it's weak.
4. Cal Poly - the 4th potential playoff team from the big sky.
5. Weber State - have shown a lot of improvement this year
6. Southern Utah - decent defensive team. blowout loss to Montana doesn't help their cause.
7. Northern Colorado - another team that's shown improvement, could upset a couple higher ranked teams.
8. Northern Arizona - losing their QB is tough, but they still have enough good players to win some games.
9. Portland State - don't have the horses they had last year. will be lucky to reach 6-5.
10. UC Davis - still have a lot of work to do to be competitive in this conference.
11. Montana State - it's hard to win any games in this league with no offense.
12. Idaho State - tossup between ISU for the worst team in the conference.
13. Sac State - losing to a division II team at home is the tie-breaker.

Again, UNDs schedule isn't really any weaker than Montana's. Eastern's is much more challenging.

good points.

 

[SloStang]

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.

Cal Poly played the game without their FCS leading rusher (at the time) Joe Protheroe. Cal Poly played a poor first half and very little defense in the second half but still pulled within 7 and had it third and goal at the 2 (think the ball goes to Protheroe if he was playing) before throwing game clinching INT. Total offense: Cal Poly - 421. UND - 452. UND was the better team that day, but I would not say they trounced Cal Poly.

 

[DefendtheRed]

1 - Montana, superior defense and adequate enough offense to go deep in the playoffs.
2 - EWU, need more consistency from the D.
3 - North Dakota, will probably win at least a share of the Big Sky.
4 - Weber State, highly underrated this year.
5 - Cal Poly
6 - Southern Utah
7 - UNC
8 - Portland State
9 - Northern Arizona
10 - UC Davis
11 - Idaho State
12 - Montana State
13 Sac State

 

[eaglesfootball]

1 - Montana, superior defense and adequate enough offense to go deep in the playoffs.
2 - EWU, need more consistency from the D.

ok, need more consistency from the D, but why Montana at number one? We'd beat MVSU and Suck by similar margins.

 

[Rjones61]

1 - Montana, superior defense and adequate enough offense to go deep in the playoffs.
2 - EWU, need more consistency from the D.

ok, need more consistency from the D, but why Montana at number one? We'd beat MVSU and Suck by similar margins.

Defendthered has picked against ewu more than any other fan. It's just a part of his flair... pick against the crowd so after 50+ wrong predictons he can finally say "Told you so!".


Montana very well may be better than ewu. However, ewu has a much much better resume and deserves to be on top. Also, the superior defense that gave up 42 to Cal Poly?

 

[DefendtheRed]

1 - Montana, superior defense and adequate enough offense to go deep in the playoffs.
2 - EWU, need more consistency from the D.

ok, need more consistency from the D, but why Montana at number one? We'd beat MVSU and Suck by similar margins.

Because they play defense and while their schedule hasn't been the strongest, but they are pulverizing the teams that have been in front of them. Teams that they should be doing that to. Meanwhile, we let teams like Davis and UNC hang around for a full half before laying down the smack.

From the eye test, they look like the better team at this point in the season. That doesn't mean that I don't think that we can beat them. It turns out that we beat a very good WSU in Pullman. We just need some more consistency from our defense.

 

[Eags12]

Also, the superior defense that gave up 42 to Cal Poly?

If only we ran the triple option.

 

[dudeitsaid]

1 - Montana, superior defense and adequate enough offense to go deep in the playoffs.
2 - EWU, need more consistency from the D.

ok, need more consistency from the D, but why Montana at number one? We'd beat MVSU and Suck by similar margins.

Because they play defense and while their schedule hasn't been the strongest, but they are pulverizing the teams that have been in front of them. Teams that they should be doing that to. Meanwhile, we let teams like Davis and UNC hang around for a full half before laying down the smack.

From the eye test, they look like the better team at this point in the season. That doesn't mean that I don't think that we can beat them. It turns out that we beat a very good WSU in Pullman. We just need some more consistency from our defense.

It's kindof like SHSU. When you play weak teams, you usually look really good. We have not played a single team as weak as Sac or Miss Valley St. We would FREAKING destroy those two teams - it would be sick and wrong! The other three wins the Griz have are against UNI, St Francis, and SUU. We also beat UNI, NAU is a comparable win to SUU, and I think UCD and/or UNC would compete with St Francis. Our win against WSU and game against NDSU are far better than anything on the Griz resume. The Griz game is a rivalry game, so it will likely be intense from start to finish. But if our team plays the way we did against NDSU or WSU, the Griz will lose.

I think EWU has had a habit at times of playing down to the competition somewhat, and that is what we are seeing in the first half. One of the players even alluded to this in one of the interviews a while back. Even though the focus is on valuing every opponent, it's tough to truly get past the psychology behind a supposedly weak team. Hopefully, that won't be a factor any more this season, and they will make a second half adjustment to the rest of the season. If so, we won't lose another game...and we should be able to see on Saturday how this team plays weaker competition. We should beat the Bobcats by a large margin if we play the way we can.

 

[Siouxfan512]

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.

Cal Poly played the game without their FCS leading rusher (at the time) Joe Protheroe. Cal Poly played a poor first half and very little defense in the second half but still pulled within 7 and had it third and goal at the 2 (think the ball goes to Protheroe if he was playing) before throwing game clinching INT. Total offense: Cal Poly - 421. UND - 452. UND was the better team that day, but I would not say they trounced Cal Poly.

UND was also without their all American RB. Sick of hearing the Protheroe excuse.

 

[eaglesfootball]

1 - Montana, superior defense and adequate enough offense to go deep in the playoffs.
2 - EWU, need more consistency from the D.

ok, need more consistency from the D, but why Montana at number one? We'd beat MVSU and Suck by similar margins.

Because they play defense and while their schedule hasn't been the strongest, but they are pulverizing the teams that have been in front of them. Teams that they should be doing that to. Meanwhile, we let teams like Davis and UNC hang around for a full half before laying down the smack.

From the eye test, they look like the better team at this point in the season. That doesn't mean that I don't think that we can beat them. It turns out that we beat a very good WSU in Pullman. We just need some more consistency from our defense.

It's kindof like SHSU. When you play weak teams, you usually look really good. We have not played a single team as weak as Sac or Miss Valley St. We would FREAKING destroy those two teams - it would be sick and wrong! The other three wins the Griz have are against UNI, St Francis, and SUU. We also beat UNI, NAU is a comparable win to SUU, and I think UCD and/or UNC would compete with St Francis. Our win against WSU and game against NDSU are far better than anything on the Griz resume. The Griz game is a rivalry game, so it will likely be intense from start to finish. But if our team plays the way we did against NDSU or WSU, the Griz will lose.

I think EWU has had a habit at times of playing down to the competition somewhat, and that is what we are seeing in the first half. One of the players even alluded to this in one of the interviews a while back. Even though the focus is on valuing every opponent, it's tough to truly get past the psychology behind a supposedly weak team. Hopefully, that won't be a factor any more this season, and they will make a second half adjustment to the rest of the season. If so, we won't lose another game...and we should be able to see on Saturday how this team plays weaker competition. We should beat the Bobcats by a large margin if we play the way we can.

exactly. we've had a significantly more difficult schedule than the frizz. Beating up on sac state and a random SWAC team doesn't impress me.

 

[SloStang]

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.

Cal Poly played the game without their FCS leading rusher (at the time) Joe Protheroe. Cal Poly played a poor first half and very little defense in the second half but still pulled within 7 and had it third and goal at the 2 (think the ball goes to Protheroe if he was playing) before throwing game clinching INT. Total offense: Cal Poly - 421. UND - 452. UND was the better team that day, but I would not say they trounced Cal Poly.

UND was also without their all American RB. Sick of hearing the Protheroe excuse.

Did you missed the part were I said you were the better team that day? My post was not intended to be we would have won if we had Protheroe. It was simply stating that I did not think UND "trounced" Cal Poly.

 

[Siouxfan512]

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.

Cal Poly played the game without their FCS leading rusher (at the time) Joe Protheroe. Cal Poly played a poor first half and very little defense in the second half but still pulled within 7 and had it third and goal at the 2 (think the ball goes to Protheroe if he was playing) before throwing game clinching INT. Total offense: Cal Poly - 421. UND - 452. UND was the better team that day, but I would not say they trounced Cal Poly.

UND was also without their all American RB. Sick of hearing the Protheroe excuse.

Did you missed the part were I said you were the better team that day? My post was not intended to be we would have won if we had Protheroe. It was simply stating that I did not think UND "trounced" Cal Poly.

Hey Slo, my comment was really not directed as much towards you as the stuff I have read elsewhere. Even the Craig Haley's of the world refuse to give UND much credit. Yes, Protheroe would make a difference, but that's also 2 years in a row where und had done a good job of shutting down the triple option.

I'm sure you can relate cal poly hasn't gotten near the deserved credit for several big wins. It's frustrating to see.

 

[Eagle Talon]

exactly. we've had a significantly more difficult schedule than the frizz. Beating up on sac state and a random SWAC team doesn't impress me.

Don't forget St. Francis (PA).

 

[luckyintheorder]

Also, the superior defense that gave up 42 to Cal Poly?

If only we ran the triple option.

CP threw the ball very well in that game against Montana (I think three scores all outside the 20) and made them have to defend everything. CP's defense is no slouch either. Montana and CP back to back will be a big test.

 

[SloStang]

Also, the superior defense that gave up 42 to Cal Poly?

If only we ran the triple option.

CP threw the ball very well in that game against Montana (I think three scores all outside the 20) and made them have to defend everything. CP's defense is no slouch either. Montana and CP back to back will be a big test.

Cal Poly is throwing the ball well every game. We do not throw often, but we are effective when we do. Cal Poly leads the Big Sky and the FCS in team passing efficiency at 215.97. This weekend at Portland State we were 13 of 14 for 196 yards and three TDs. That is what makes this year's offense so much more difficult to defend.

 

[Rjones61]

Just pointing out that DefendtheRed claimed Montana deserves the #1 in conference spot for their "dominant" defense. Yet Cal Poly has only scored more points on Portland State. Aside from the not very good PSU, Montana is Cal Poly's highest scoring game. Otherwise, they have played bad teams which have made their defense look good.

 

[LDopaPDX]

Just pointing out that DefendtheRed claimed Montana deserves the #1 in conference spot for their "dominant" defense. Yet Cal Poly has only scored more points on Portland State. Aside from the not very good PSU, Montana is Cal Poly's highest scoring game. Otherwise, they have played bad teams which have made their defense look good.

This is a fair comment, but Cal Poly is such an outlier based on their style of offense. A solid defense against spread or pro style teams may struggle a lot against the triple option. It doesn't mean their defense is bad because they gave up 42 to Cal Poly, only that they didn't adapt well to that specific style.

I think you could make an argument Montana has looked better, and you could just as easily make the argument we've looked better. It'll be settled on the field. We've certainly got the better resume and have beaten better teams, but Montana has shown a lot of killer instinct by pounding lesser teams early and winning by huge margins.