1. Montana (10-1): New coach, new system - but probably the same old Montana as far as the "w" column is concerned. Will we see a return to the pass-happy offense that existed before Hauck-ball?
Key Wins: Montana State, Cal Poly
Key Losses: Eastern Washington
2. MSU (T) (8-3): Solid defense and improved offense should help MSU challenge for the title this year. Can MSU end the nightmare losing streak against Eastern Washington? Can MSU win in Missoula or challenge a sub-par Washington State?
Key Wins: Eastern Washington, NAU
Key Losses: Montana, Sac State, Washington State
2. EWU (T) (8-3): There's no replacing Nichols, but BL Mitchell and Taiwan Jones could lead another electrifying Eagle offense if it gels early on. Buchanan Award contender LB JC Sherritt's numbers could be down with the return of LB Zach Johnson, but DL Renard Williams and DB Matt Johnson will continue to impress. A good showing against Nevada the first game of the year could do wonders for the Eagle's confidence, but they will need to ensure they don't overlook Central Washington at Qwest Field in Seattle the following week. A win this year against Montana on the first game on the red turf seems possible, but slip-ups against MSU and one other BSC team also seem likely.
Key Wins: Montana, Sac State
Key Losses: Montana State, NAU, Nevada
3. NAU (T) (7-4): Best returning QB in the conference could propel NAU into the play-offs this year if he has a good enough surrounding cast.
Key Wins: Eastern Washington, Sacramento State, Weber State
Key Losses: Montana, Montana State, Portland State
3. Sac State (T) (7-4): A lot of reasons to believe Sac is on the rise - will they deliver the goods, or is it just hype? Could Sac State raise some eye-brows against in-state Stanford? Hmmm.....
Key Wins: Montana State, Cal-Davis, Portland State
Key Losses: Montana, Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona
4. Portland State (5-6): Can a new coach help PSU rise out of the wake of the Glanville debacle? Will PSU benefit from two solid recruiting classes, or will it be more of the same in Portland? Two Pac-10 games and a game against Cal-Davis could spell trouble for PSU early on.
Key Wins: UC-Davis, Northern Arizona, Weber State
Key Losses: Sac State, Eastern Washington, Montana State
5. UNC (3-8): Should boast a decent defense, but may lack the offensive firepower to put up points in an offense-oriented Big Sky Conference.
Key Wins: Idaho State, South Dakota
Key Losses: Weber State, Portland State
6. Weber State (2-9): Despite the return of Higgins, too many question marks and a difficult schedule including Boston College and Texas Tech may spell "re-building year" for the Wildcats.
Key Wins: Northern Colorado, Idaho State
Key Losses: Montana State, Northern Arizona, Sac State
7. ISU (1-10): Two or three wins this year would be a huge improvement for ISU, a program in serious risk of becoming perennial cellar-dwellars in the BSC. The Bengals' defense will need to make huge improvements over last year's if this is going to happen. ISU may struggle again this year to win a Division I game, with non-conference games against Georgia and Utah State.
Key Wins: Montana-Western
Key Losses: UNC, Portland State, Weber State
