Very Early Big Sky predictions

[Mvemjsunpx]

Is it still "very early?"

• 1. Weber State__________7-1_____8-3_____ The Curse of John L. Smith should finally be exorcised
  2. Northern Arizona ____7-1_____8-3_____ Can Cookus avoid the sophomore slump?
  3. Portland State________7-1_____9-2_____ Will San Jose State decide their playoff fate?
  4. Montana _____________7-1_____9-2_____ The easy home firewall should guarantee a winning record, at least
  5. North Dakota ________6-2_____8-3_____ Will having a real name keep them from being snubbed?
  6. Eastern Washington__5-3_____5-6_____ They have too many question marks to survive that suicidal schedule
  7. Northern Colorado___4-4_____6-5_____ They'll still go 6-5, but with a real non-conference schedule this time
  8. Southern Utah _______3-5_____4-7_____ The T-Birds only lost 4 defensive starters, but 3 of them went to the NFL
  9. Cal Poly _____________2-6_____3-8_____ Could Tim Walsh's days be numbered?
  10.Sacramento State ___2-6_____3-8 _____ Baby steps, Hornet fans… baby steps
  11.Montana State_______1-7_____3-8_____ New coach, 4 new OL starters, 1 good def. player, 0 Prukops… that's a lot to overcome
  12.UC Davis ____________1-7_____2-9_____ Tough league slate may make Aggie progress seem like a mirage
  13.Idaho State __________0-8_____1-10____ On paper, this team looks awful

Anyone want an avatar bet? I think you are overestimating what the 'Cats lost and underestimating what they've done to improve.

What have they done to improve? Gregorak is probably better than what MSU had before, but that still doesn't change the dearth of defensive talent in recent years—they've got Mac Bignell and… that's pretty much it. Prukop was by far the most dangerous Bobcat threat last year, and he plus nearly all of the O-line are gone. The special teams still look solid, but that alone won't be nearly enough.

The schedule doesn't do MSU any favors, either. They look like clear underdogs in 5 games (Idaho, UND, NAU, Weber, Montana) and slight underdogs in 3 more (Sac, EWU, and SUU). I didn't pick it, but a loss to Bryant wouldn't shock me (they should contend for the NEC title).

[SloStang]

No way Cal Poly goes 2-6 in conference. They were down last year, but the previous three years they went 17-7 in conference. Last season was the exception, not the rule.

Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact they lost Brown & their top WR and that the defense has a long way to go to be any good. Combine that with a tough schedule and things don't look promising. I did have the 'Stangs losing a couple coin flips to EWU & NoCo, but anything better than 5-6 would be overachieving.

They are stacked at SB and FB (Protheroe, Garcia, Lewis, Peluso, Muhamed....), return 4 OL with 10 or more starts and while Dano Graves does not have Brown's top end speed he is far quicker and a much better passer. The defense will benefit greatly from the return of former D coordinator Payam Saadat and switch to the defense that he ran (3-4) when Cal Poly was a top FCS defense that produce 3 straight Buchanan winners. Cal Poly will once again be in the top half of the conference and if they stay healthy they could challenge for their second conference championship in their 5th year as a member.

[uofmman1122]

All I've learned from this thread is that I should expect 8 teams with 8+ wins, all challenging for the conference championship.

[SloStang]

All I've learned from this thread is that I should expect 8 teams with 8+ wins, all challenging for the conference championship.

I did not say Cal Poly would win 8+ wins though I think it is possible. What I said is that I can not see them only winning only 2 conference games as one poster suggested. I do believe they will not finish in the bottom half of the conference.

[kalm]

Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact they lost Brown & their top WR and that the defense has a long way to go to be any good. Combine that with a tough schedule and things don't look promising. I did have the 'Stangs losing a couple coin flips to EWU & NoCo, but anything better than 5-6 would be overachieving.

They are stacked at SB and FB (Protheroe, Garcia, Lewis, Peluso, Muhamed....), return 4 OL with 10 or more starts and while Dano Graves does not have Brown's top end speed he is far quicker and a much better passer. The defense will benefit greatly from the return of former D coordinator Payam Saadat and switch to the defense that he ran (3-4) when Cal Poly was a top FCS defense that produce 3 straight Buchanan winners. Cal Poly will once again be in the top half of the conference and if they stay healthy they could challenge for their second conference championship in their 5th year as a member.

Protheroe is a beast.

And it's not as if Graves is brand new. He has some starts and some talent.

[kalm]

Anyone want an avatar bet? I think you are overestimating what the 'Cats lost and underestimating what they've done to improve.

What have they done to improve? Gregorak is probably better than what MSU had before, but that still doesn't change the dearth of defensive talent in recent years—they've got Mac Bignell and… that's pretty much it. Prukop was by far the most dangerous Bobcat threat last year, and he plus nearly all of the O-line are gone. The special teams still look solid, but that alone won't be nearly enough.

The schedule doesn't do MSU any favors, either. They look like clear underdogs in 5 games (Idaho, UND, NAU, Weber, Montana) and slight underdogs in 3 more (Sac, EWU, and SUU). I didn't pick it, but a loss to Bryant wouldn't shock me (they should contend for the NEC title).

It's good to see your EWU hate survived the off season!

[Grizalltheway]

What have they done to improve? Gregorak is probably better than what MSU had before, but that still doesn't change the dearth of defensive talent in recent years—they've got Mac Bignell and… that's pretty much it. Prukop was by far the most dangerous Bobcat threat last year, and he plus nearly all of the O-line are gone. The special teams still look solid, but that alone won't be nearly enough.

The schedule doesn't do MSU any favors, either. They look like clear underdogs in 5 games (Idaho, UND, NAU, Weber, Montana) and slight underdogs in 3 more (Sac, EWU, and SUU). I didn't pick it, but a loss to Bryant wouldn't shock me (they should contend for the NEC title).

It's good to see your EWU hate survived the off season!

Saying MSU are slight underdogs against EWU means he hates them?

[kalm]

It's good to see your EWU hate survived the off season!

Saying MSU are slight underdogs against EWU means he hates them?

Hate is hyperbole (I think MVX does great work ), but he has a history of underestimating EWU.

UND and Weber had good seasons last year but they still need to show they can sustain it.
NAU has Kookus and Butler back and a good young rb to replace Jahn, but they lost a couple of playmakers on defense. UM lost two great WR's and key starters on D. Everyone has some serious shoes to fill.

O-line is a question mark for us, but coach Best has been around for a long time and usually reloads.
I don't think we lost enough (17 returning starters, 9 on defense) to be down in the third tier with SUU (who lost their 2 or 3 most talented players on each side of the ball). I'd favor us against every team in the conference at home. The problem is we play NAU and PSU on the road.

We have to win one of the first 4 and it's probably UNI at home. We'll then need to split with UM and PSU to finish 7-4. 5-6 only happens if we get some bad breaks and injuries. There's too much talent and coaching experience.

Where I think MVX gets it right is several teams finishing with 8 wins. You can almost pencil in PSU with their conference schedule. Then take your pick among UM, NAU, EWU, UND, Weber, and POLY (although that stretch for Poly of @SDSU, Montana, @ UND, @ PSU is brutal).

[Catattack]

What have they done to improve? Gregorak is probably better than what MSU had before, but that still doesn't change the dearth of defensive talent in recent years—they've got Mac Bignell and… that's pretty much it. Prukop was by far the most dangerous Bobcat threat last year, and he plus nearly all of the O-line are gone. The special teams still look solid, but that alone won't be nearly enough.

The schedule doesn't do MSU any favors, either. They look like clear underdogs in 5 games (Idaho, UND, NAU, Weber, Montana) and slight underdogs in 3 more (Sac, EWU, and SUU). I didn't pick it, but a loss to Bryant wouldn't shock me (they should contend for the NEC title).

They brought in depth/starters at positions of need on the defense. 2 DT's,2 LB's, and 2 corners. Naijiel Hale alone is a huge improvement. On the offensive line. 3 guys return with alot of playing time due to injuries last year. Flynn will be healthy. Alex Neale from UNLV is a new guy that is a very good center.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Saying MSU are slight underdogs against EWU means he hates them?

Hate is hyperbole (I think MVX does great work ), but he has a history of underestimating EWU when Vernon Adams was the QB.

FIFY.

And I certainly didn't underestimate EWU last year. http://www.championshipsubdivision.com/ ... =4&t=43612

[Mvemjsunpx]

What have they done to improve? Gregorak is probably better than what MSU had before, but that still doesn't change the dearth of defensive talent in recent years—they've got Mac Bignell and… that's pretty much it. Prukop was by far the most dangerous Bobcat threat last year, and he plus nearly all of the O-line are gone. The special teams still look solid, but that alone won't be nearly enough.

The schedule doesn't do MSU any favors, either. They look like clear underdogs in 5 games (Idaho, UND, NAU, Weber, Montana) and slight underdogs in 3 more (Sac, EWU, and SUU). I didn't pick it, but a loss to Bryant wouldn't shock me (they should contend for the NEC title).

They brought in depth/starters at positions of need on the defense. 2 DT's,2 LB's, and 2 corners. Naijiel Hale alone is a huge improvement. On the offensive line. 3 guys return with alot of playing time due to injuries last year. Flynn will be healthy. Alex Neale from UNLV is a new guy that is a very good center.

Is the roster outdated? Because those guys aren't on there.

I found a link to Hale's MSU roster page through google, but he's not listed on the current roster. Did he leave the team?

[Catattack]

Is the roster outdated? Because those guys aren't on there.

I found a link to Hale's MSU roster page through google, but he's not listed on the current roster. Did he leave the team?

With all the changes in the athletic department they haven't updated the roster. Hale just got to town a few days ago.

[kalm]

Hate is hyperbole (I think MVX does great work ), but he has a history of underestimating EWU when Vernon Adams was the QB.

FIFY.

And I certainly didn't underestimate EWU last year. http://www.championshipsubdivision.com/ ... =4&t=43612

Touché!

There's reason to question the QB position this year given the way we finished in '15 and the fact we have a new offense.

But a few things tell me we'll be fine there.

[catbooster]

What have they done to improve? Gregorak is probably better than what MSU had before, but that still doesn't change the dearth of defensive talent in recent years—they've got Mac Bignell and… that's pretty much it. Prukop was by far the most dangerous Bobcat threat last year, and he plus nearly all of the O-line are gone. The special teams still look solid, but that alone won't be nearly enough.

The schedule doesn't do MSU any favors, either. They look like clear underdogs in 5 games (Idaho, UND, NAU, Weber, Montana) and slight underdogs in 3 more (Sac, EWU, and SUU). I didn't pick it, but a loss to Bryant wouldn't shock me (they should contend for the NEC title).

They brought in depth/starters at positions of need on the defense. 2 DT's,2 LB's, and 2 corners. Naijiel Hale alone is a huge improvement. On the offensive line. 3 guys return with alot of playing time due to injuries last year. Flynn will be healthy. Alex Neale from UNLV is a new guy that is a very good center.

Yeah, MSU fans often complain that they don't do a good job of updating the roster.

As Catattack pointed out, they've added several FBS transfers - Naijiel Hale (CB, UWashington), John Walker (CB, ColoradoU), Patrick Carroll (OL, UNLV), Alex Neale (OL, UNLV) and Tyler Bruggman (QB, WSU/Louisville/Scottsdale CC). And JC transfers Jakob and Lukas McCarthy (LB's, Fullerton College), Brandon Hayashi (DT, Citrus College), Fou Polataivao (DT. College of San Mateo). So 4 FBS transfers, 4 JC transfers and the QB (call him FBS or JC transfer and you'd be right).

Additionally, MSU lost relatively few star players (with a few obvious exceptions as you pointed out). It's college, everybody loses some every year. They've brought in transfers to try to address the losses.

The defense was relatively young last year so conventional wisdom says they will see some improvement by virtue of experience. They've brought in a few transfers to improve the D. The new head coach seems to be much more defensive-minded. I think Gregorak will be an upgrade for us.

Maybe the biggest (but unquantifiable) change is the team culture. It seems there was more discord in the locker room (and between coaches) than we realized. By all accounts, Choate is respected by his players and they are buying in to his system.

I expect the team to be improved this year. Looking just at the Bobcats (ignoring the schedule or whether the competition is better or worse this year) I expect a better record than last year. But it doesn't work that way. The other teams affect the record. It's always hard to come up with good pre-season rankings, and particularly this year in the Big Sky. So who knows?

[Grizalltheway]

They brought in depth/starters at positions of need on the defense. 2 DT's,2 LB's, and 2 corners. Naijiel Hale alone is a huge improvement. On the offensive line. 3 guys return with alot of playing time due to injuries last year. Flynn will be healthy. Alex Neale from UNLV is a new guy that is a very good center.

Yeah, MSU fans often complain that they don't do a good job of updating the roster.

As Catattack pointed out, they've added several FBS transfers - Naijiel Hale (CB, UWashington), John Walker (CB, ColoradoU), Patrick Carroll (OL, UNLV), Alex Neale (OL, UNLV) and Tyler Bruggman (QB, WSU/Louisville/Scottsdale CC). And JC transfers Jakob and Lukas McCarthy (LB's, Fullerton College), Brandon Hayashi (DT, Citrus College), Fou Polataivao (DT. College of San Mateo). So 4 FBS transfers, 4 JC transfers and the QB (call him FBS or JC transfer and you'd be right).

Additionally, MSU lost relatively few star players (with a few obvious exceptions as you pointed out). It's college, everybody loses some every year. They've brought in transfers to try to address the losses.

The defense was relatively young last year so conventional wisdom says they will see some improvement by virtue of experience. They've brought in a few transfers to improve the D. The new head coach seems to be much more defensive-minded. I think Gregorak will be an upgrade for us.

Maybe the biggest (but unquantifiable) change is the team culture. It seems there was more discord in the locker room (and between coaches) than we realized. By all accounts, Choate is respected by his players and they are buying in to his system.

I expect the team to be improved this year. Looking just at the Bobcats (ignoring the schedule or whether the competition is better or worse this year) I expect a better record than last year. But it doesn't work that way. The other teams affect the record. It's always hard to come up with good pre-season rankings, and particularly this year in the Big Sky. So who knows?

Does not compute.

[Wildcat Ryan]

Bumped due to start of season


GO WILDCATS

[Bisonfanatical]

It is hard to have an ironclad opinion of either MSU, UM, or EWU with so many changes on rosters and coaching positions this year.

Will be watching their first few games with interest ... does MSU top UM by time the "brawl of the wild" is played?

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[Bisonfanatical]

It is hard to have an ironclad opinion of either MSU, UM, or EWU with so many changes on rosters and coaching positions this year.

Will be watching their first few games with interest ... does MSU top UM by time the "brawl of the wild" is played?

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[Ursus A. Horribilis]

It is hard to have an ironclad opinion of either MSU, UM, or EWU with so many changes on rosters and coaching positions this year.

Will be watching their first few games with interest ... does MSU top UM by time the "brawl of the wild" is played?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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We have to "approve" the first few posts so if it doesn't show up for you...it will once one of the mods sees it and gets it approved so just wanted to let you know that making another post won't help in that regard.

[Bisonfanatical]

It is hard to have an ironclad opinion of either MSU, UM, or EWU with so many changes on rosters and coaching positions this year.

Will be watching their first few games with interest ... does MSU top UM by time the "brawl of the wild" is played?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

We have to "approve" the first few posts so if it doesn't show up for you...it will once one of the mods sees it and gets it approved so just wanted to let you know that making another post won't help in that regard.

Thank

It was driving me crazy ....

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[AZGrizFan]

Wonder if UND was counting Stony Brook in the "win" column as they marched towards that 8-3 record?

[Bisonfanatical]

Wonder if UND was counting Stony Brook in the "win" column as they marched towards that 8-3 record?

Stony brook is such a tough team .. hard to say ... what a strong Defensive game that turned out to be

I see that MSU could have won their game if they had not got 17 points behind in the 1st qtr

Gregor ik's defense gelled for the next 3 qtrs .. do you think that Stitt will regret letting him go to brand X before this year is over?

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[Grizalltheway]

Wonder if UND was counting Stony Brook in the "win" column as they marched towards that 8-3 record?

Stony brook is such a tough team .. hard to say ... what a strong Defensive game that turned out to be

I see that MSU could have won their game if they had not got 17 points behind in the 1st qtr

Gregor ik's defense gelled for the next 3 qtrs .. do you think that Stitt will regret letting him go to brand X before this year is over?

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Doubtful.

[89Hen]

UND

[kalm]

UND

Yeah that was a bad loss considering Colgate won the CAA last year.