mtgrizfankb said:WILDCAT said:mtgrizfankb said:WILDCAT said:mtgrizfankb said:Rjones61 said:Get'emGriz said:WILDCAT said:mtgrizfankb said:tomq04 said:Web @ So Ut, 2 state schools looking really good going head to head for a piece of 1st place in the conference. What is there not to like?
Well the fact SUU has 2 conf losses puts them out of the first place hunt for sure. Will they disrupt Webers bid though? Maybe. Doesn't matter UND is gonna win the conf outright or at least tie it with EWU. UND aint losing to the worthless teams left on their schedule.
Aside from Eastern, Montana has Idaho State, UNC and MSU talk about worthless. As a matter of fact statistically Montana has had the weakest schedule in the Big Sky.
With the schedule the Griz have had, Montana fans should be the last people criticizing other schools for their schedules.
Wildcat, you seem like you're a good poster but many are missing the point as to why many Griz fans keep harping on this subject. The Griz and Eastern are forced to play each other every single year, and both schools are the top teams in the conference every single year. Many fans are upset that some teams get to avoid both UM and EWU all together (SUU 2015, UND 2016) and have a paved pathway to the conference title. If UND, SUU, or even Weber were required to play Eastern or Montana every year and allowed teams like NAU and Cal Poly to completely avoid both programs, then UND, SUU, and Weber fans would complain about their easy schedule. Granted that SUU and UND had no say on who they played in 2015 and 2016, It's a problem that won't end until the Big Sky actually puts together a more balanced schedule.
The best solution in my opinion would be to divide the conference into two divisions of 7 teams when Idaho joins. Have a round-robin format for each division with two inter-division yearly rotating games to wrap up the proposed 9 game schedule.
I also think UND and Weber also forget that we are talking about in conference schedules only. Not OOC schedules. Nobody thinks UND and Weber did poorly in their OOC scheduling. They just have an easy path to the Big Sky championship.
Exactly nobody is saying Montana has a better schedule to the end. I'm saying it's not fair to UM or EWU to have to play every year and UND gets to avoid us both! It's really not fair to EWU who could run the table and not get the crown by itself. There should never be 2 undefeated teams in conf. Play....that's beyond dumb. However when we add Idaho I'm not sure what will happen. Btw UND had a very smart OOC. Bowling green is an awful FBS team. SD is on the edge of top 25 and SB has been in the top 25 most the year. Problem for them is I don't think any will be top 25 come playoff time. That's why they don't get a seed. EWU will have multiple top 25s on their schedule and they get respect for that. Also not UNDs fault if they got to play UM and EWU they could have proved their worth. Not fair to anyone
I understand the frustrations that certain fanbases have, I mean look at Idaho State's conf schedy this year.
My biggest beef is fans from Montana and Eastern claiming that since they didn't play them it's unfair to Eastern and Montana.
It is unfair to everyone, but it is what it is and claiming that another school doesn't deserve a title because they didn't play who they thought was the best team in the league is (not that Im saying Eastern isn't because I do believe that they are the best team in the league) but that's all that is, opinion. Montana has a lofty 5-1 record but the only real team they beat that has a winning record was the team that beat them so how can we say juding by their schedule that they are a top 3 team or even deserve a top 10 national ranking? How can we say Weber is a top 3 team? We cant. So far to me, the only team that deserves the spot they have in the national polls is Eastern based on their OOC resume.
Here are the current records of the top 4 teams vs all their Big Sky opponents. (Note the records are all just Big Sky games, since that's the argument.
Weber's opponents are a combined 13-17 right now
Eastern's are a combined 10-18
North Dakota's are a combined 12-16
Montana's are a combined 12-16
Seems pretty even to me. Everyone has to win with the schedule they get regardless of who's on it. Will some schedules be tougher than other years? Yeah, heck look at Weber's conf schedule next year: @ Eastern, @ MSU, @ Cal Poly and @ PSU at home to Davis, ISU, SUU and the Griz. MUCH harder than this year's but you either win them or you don't.
but take the best team off of each teams remaining schedule....
Eastern off of Montana's schedule and Montana drops to 9-16
Montana off of Eastern's schedule they drop to 8-17
Weber off of North Dakota's schedule they drop to 9-16
North Dakota off of Weber's and they drop to 9-17
Still very even and They all still suck.
Plus with the parity that is starting to form within the conference middle opinion can be thrown out the window on who the best team in the league is
The only frustration I have with the new scheduling is the inconsistency of home and away. For me it's not necessarily who you play but where you play them.
For instance Eastern Washington has not played in Ogden since 2012, the year of the "great" expansion.
After next season (the 2017-18 season) Weber will have played in Cheney 3 times and with the addition of Idaho in 18 who knows when Eastern will be in Ogden again.
Montana has also not been to Ogden since 2012 and wont return till 2017.
I agree that the schedules suck and I also agree that the conference should be split into two divisions when Idaho joins, but we are still gonna have the argument of who the real champ is and who gets the bid.
So exactly like I said, it's not fair to anyone.....haha. But of all the teams UM and EWU go get the shaft more than anyone due to the fact UM and EWU are the class of the sky, have been and will be. Anytime you get to avoid both...you have to be pretty happy
Is Montana the class of the Sky? maybe in overall program but in team? where is the proof? Are they good? yes but the class? Win in Flagstaff and in Cheney and then I'll submit to that.
Actually I wish Weber played Eastern and Montana every year, As a Weber fan I am really upset that Weber doesn't play 2 of their oldest rivals (UM/MSU) every year.
And actually if you want to talk about shaft, UND could finish undefeated in conference and Montana could lose to Eastern and finish with two losses and Montana would not only get a home game over UND in the playoffs but would also stay higher in the national standings than North Dakota despite UND's conference schedule being tougher according to the sagarin ratings. To me that is the greater shaft.
Weber and UM ain't rivals.. basketball yes football no. UM has 3 rivals MSU, EWU and UI. That's it. Everyone wants to say their rivals with Montana and it's not true. My post said EWU and UM are he class of the sky because they are. As a program and as a team this year. EWU is the best team with a great program recently. Montana is the second best team with the best program overall. If you don't think Montana has a good team then fine you have your opinion and I have mine. All I know is of Montana played UND and Weber 10 times Montana wins 9 at least. I like that you are making all the same points I have already made in this thread that the schedule is "unfair to everyone" yet you still want to fight about nothing. when someone says who is the class of the bigsky...three names are brought up nationally EWU,UM,MSU. just so happens one of those is garbage this year. Nobody calls out anyone else as the class of the conf. That's all I'm saying.
Historically for Weber Montana and Montana State are rivals, but I can agree to disagree.
As a program yes Montana is the Class of the Big Sky, but as a team how can you say Montana is the Class of the Sky when they only team that Montana played that matters that has a winning record (Cal Poly) beat them?
I never said Montana wasn't good, I'm just not convinced that they are top 10 national material...yet. To me Montana has that ranking more because of their name than who they have beaten to get them there.
Are all those games in Missoula? I digress cause that doesn't matter because that is speculation on your part only.
My fight isn't overly about the schedule it's more about Montana fans claiming other teams didn't or dont deserve a championship because they didn't play Eastern or Montana. I disagree, If You win the games on your schedule and you finish at the top of the league regardless of who you played you deserved the trophy.
Heck I remember Griz fans saying SUU didn't deserve the title last year because they didn't play UM or Eastern, yet Eastern finished 6-5 and missed the playoffs and Montana came a non botched field goal away from 5 losses and missing the playoffs.
Lets look at common opponents
Griz vs Cal Poly - 42-41 Loss
UND Vs Cal Poly- 31-24 Win
Griz vs SUU - 43-20 W
UND vs SUU - 45-23 W
Griz vs Sac State - 68-7 W
UND vs Sac State - 40-7 W
So what makes UM legit and UND not? Again my biggest gripe isn't who's schedule is harder, it's more to do with people claiming UND isn't legit because they haven't played Eastern or Montana.