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Feeling pretty high after last week's games, the conference stepped back down to its level and did not have a banner week. Aside from the wins over DII teams from Colorado, the Montana schools were the only ones to get a couple of FCS wins. Conference play starts this weekend for everyone except Montana State so these games count. Here are the power rankings for the Big Sky. This week (last week). All are my opinion and all are open for discussion, and I am sure there will be quite the discussion. Things are getting tight.

1. Montana State (3)---The Bobcats took advantage of some stellar play against UC-Davis and earned a great win over the fellow FCS school, enough to propel them to the top. Losses by last week's top two teams helped as well. The Bobcats are becoming a top notch team. This week, they welcome DII transition team, Minot State, to Bozeman. MSU should win this game, the FCS's MSU, that is.

2. Eastern Washington (1)---Coming within one play of upending Washington meant the game with South Dakota should have been a preliminary, but the Eagles let it slip away. Definitely not the same team as the one that played the week before and one that does not bode well as the hunted. Think it will get easier? This week they have to go to play at Montana. One good thing is they usually play well in Missoula.

3. Montana (4)---The Grizzlies welcomed the future Big Sky team, Cal Poly to their den and came out with a hard fought win. Obviously playing in their big stadium is much better and the Grizzlies rose up in the second half. This week, the big game as Eastern Washington invades the Grizzlies home. The Griz are licking their chops, but the Eagles seem to always play them tough there.

4. Sacramento State (2)---From the darlings to the dead in the conference, the Hornets followed up their strong performance against Oregon State with a lackluster showing against future conference foe, Southern Utah. What seemed to go right went terribly wrong in the second game. This week, the Hornets open conference play on the road again (will it never end) at Weber State.

5. Weber State (5)---A tale of two halves. In the first half, the Wildcats found themselves even with their in state rival, Utah State. Then they were scorched in the second half. Still, they looked good in six out of the eight quarters against the FBS teams. Will it translate into success in the conference? This week, they open the conference at home against Sacramento State.

6. Northern Arizona (6)---Do we know anything about the Lumberjacks? They were demolished against the FBS's Arizona team, then they returned the favor against the DII's Fort Lewis. The Lumberjacks looked at a lot of people which means they should be ready for this week's conference opener at Portland State. But are they?

7. Portland State (7)---Everyone else in the conference has played two games except the Vikings. Everyone else has one loss, except the Vikings. Everyone else has been scored upon except the Vikings. Does this mean they are ready for the conference opener at their new stadium against Northern Arizona? Is one game enough?

8. Idaho State (8)---The Bengals learned from their blowout loss the first week against the Pac-12 and returned the favor against the DII's Western State in the second. The Bengals are hoping this year will be different with a new coach around. One thing for sure, it helps to play Northern Colorado, the team they have been battling for the last few years to get out of the cellar.

9. Northern Colorado (9)---Last week almost everyone was predicting a monster score against the Bears as they were playing at Colorado State, especially after their performance against the NAIA's Lindenwood team. But the Bears held tough and the score was pretty respectable. Will that translate to better things this week as they head down the road to Idaho State?

Rundown: 1-4 pretty close, 5 on an island, 6 a bit in front of 7 and 8, with 9 trying to keep up.

I think MSU is the rightful #1 now, but Sac, EWU, and UM are pretty debatable. What with their poor showing this last week, I don't think dropping EWU and Sac below Montana would be a bad call. We'll see how they respond, but the Montana schools both look to be playing the best right now.

Lets hope Weber can get off that "island" by beating a good Sacramento State team this Sat

I agree that UM would move up to #2 in my opinion. Granted, one stumble might not be an indicator, but it was a mighty big stumble EWU had. And I think your Power Ranking is a snapshot of the week rather than a guess as to who is the favorite to win the conference at the end, right?

I think things will be sorted out a bit more this week. I am content at #3 for the Griz and Eastern #2. Cats are #1 for now and the #2/#3 thing will get sorted out this week.

JALMOND wrote:4. Sacramento State (2)---From the darlings to the dead

catbooster wrote:I agree that UM would move up to #2 in my opinion. Granted, one stumble might not be an indicator, but it was a mighty big stumble EWU had. And I think your Power Ranking is a snapshot of the week rather than a guess as to who is the favorite to win the conference at the end, right?

We might've tripped on our dicks, but that just means our dicks were that big to trip over. We'll get some harnesses to keep 'em out of the way and get back to winning.

catbooster wrote:I agree that UM would move up to #2 in my opinion. Granted, one stumble might not be an indicator, but it was a mighty big stumble EWU had. And I think your Power Ranking is a snapshot of the week rather than a guess as to who is the favorite to win the conference at the end, right?

Basically it is an indicator of the best to the worst, in my opinion only, for each week. Not just what you did this week but what you have done before. Right now, it is difficult to tell how good some of those nonconference opponents are, but even that will become clearer as the year goes on.

As I said, 1-4 is pretty close. Three of those four played the Pac-12 fairly tough while the Grizzlies played what I considered an "average" game against the SEC. Early indications are that the SEC is much better than the Pac-12 which to me means that, even though the Griz game against Tennessee was "average" it does not hurt them much against those that played the Pac-12. Two of the four that played the Pac-12 really tight, EWU and Sac State, then stumbled the next week on the road. MSU and UM earned wins against good FCS teams at home, hence how I arrived at the rankings...

1. MSU---close road loss at Pac-12 Utah, big home win against UC-Davis, a top team in the Great West.
2. EWU---came within one play of beating Washington, lost on the road against South Dakota, all indications is a tough place for anyone to play at.
3. UM---loss at Rocky Top, big win at home against Cal Poly, mid pack team in the Great West, and big home field advantage for the Griz.
4. Sac State---win over Pac-12 Oregon State who then looked like an FCS team against Wisconsin, loss at Southern Utah, a top team in the Great West.

Good FCS teams should beat bad FBS teams. The Hornets win over Oregon State looked great at first, but now some doubt as to if the Beavers are at least average in the FBS or are they a bad team (and consequently, are the Hornets a great team or are they just a good team).

Like I said, 1-4 pretty close, my opinion only (and of course subject to change next week ).

JALMOND wrote: 3. UM---loss at Rocky Top

We shall see this weekend if Tennessee is for real then we can tell how average the Griz played them. Cincy really didn't play them much better.

JALMOND wrote:

As I said, 1-4 is pretty close. Three of those four played the Pac-12 fairly tough while the Grizzlies played what I considered an "average" game against the SEC. Early indications are that the SEC is much better than the Pac-12 which to me means that, even though the Griz game against Tennessee was "average" it does not hurt them much against those that played the Pac-12. Two of the four that played the Pac-12 really tight, EWU and Sac State, then stumbled the next week on the road. MSU and UM earned wins against good FCS teams at home, hence how I arrived at the rankings...

1. MSU---close road loss at Pac-12 Utah, big home win against UC-Davis, a top team in the Great West.
2. EWU---came within one play of beating Washington, lost on the road against South Dakota, all indications is a tough place for anyone to play at.
3. UM---loss at Rocky Top, big win at home against Cal Poly, mid pack team in the Great West, and big home field advantage for the Griz.
4. Sac State---win over Pac-12 Oregon State who then looked like an FCS team against Wisconsin, loss at Southern Utah, a top team in the Great West.

So your consensus is that Davis is a better team than Cal Poly?

GrizFanStuckInUtah wrote:

JALMOND wrote: 3. UM---loss at Rocky Top

We shall see this weekend if Tennessee is for real then we can tell how average the Griz played them. Cincy really didn't play them much better.

By "average" I mean what I expect them to do...Show up, make some good plays, don't get embarrassed, lose by four touchdowns (give or take), not get too dinged up and head home. Basically what the Griz did.

You have to admit, based on that, the other three had better showings against the Pac-12. And yes, I'd give the nod to UC-Davis over Cal Poly. (UCD lost to BCS Arizona State who then beat nationally ranked Missouri, Cal Poly lost to FBS San Diego State by pretty much the same score as UCD/ASU, then the Aztecs struggled the next week to beat Army).

JALMOND wrote:

catbooster wrote:I agree that UM would move up to #2 in my opinion. Granted, one stumble might not be an indicator, but it was a mighty big stumble EWU had. And I think your Power Ranking is a snapshot of the week rather than a guess as to who is the favorite to win the conference at the end, right?

Basically it is an indicator of the best to the worst, in my opinion only, for each week. Not just what you did this week but what you have done before. Right now, it is difficult to tell how good some of those nonconference opponents are, but even that will become clearer as the year goes on.

As I said, 1-4 is pretty close. Three of those four played the Pac-12 fairly tough while the Grizzlies played what I considered an "average" game against the SEC. Early indications are that the SEC is much better than the Pac-12 which to me means that, even though the Griz game against Tennessee was "average" it does not hurt them much against those that played the Pac-12. Two of the four that played the Pac-12 really tight, EWU and Sac State, then stumbled the next week on the road. MSU and UM earned wins against good FCS teams at home, hence how I arrived at the rankings...

1. MSU---close road loss at Pac-12 Utah, big home win against UC-Davis, a top team in the Great West.
2. EWU---came within one play of beating Washington, lost on the road against South Dakota, all indications is a tough place for anyone to play at.
3. UM---loss at Rocky Top, big win at home against Cal Poly, mid pack team in the Great West, and big home field advantage for the Griz.
4. Sac State---win over Pac-12 Oregon State who then looked like an FCS team against Wisconsin, loss at Southern Utah, a top team in the Great West.

Good FCS teams should beat bad FBS teams. The Hornets win over Oregon State looked great at first, but now some doubt as to if the Beavers are at least average in the FBS or are they a bad team (and consequently, are the Hornets a great team or are they just a good team).

Like I said, 1-4 pretty close, my opinion only (and of course subject to change next week ).

Also, it doesn't pertain to the situation yet, but I usually only take a look at the last three games, although I will look further if I think two teams are too close to call. Based on past experience, three games is usually enough of an indication as to how the teams are playing currently. Head to head and road wins are good indications, too. Good Big Sky teams should be able to win all their home games, which really puts an emphasis on the road contests.

Also, I do know all of you want to know why I put a team here or there. I believe if I can't justify a position to myself, that team probably does not belong there. Every week, the homer in me wants to put Portland State #1. But how can I justify that?

JALMOND wrote:, then the Aztecs struggled the next week to beat Army).

...and Utah lost to USC last week. The very same USC team that really should've lost to Minnesota. Yeah, that MSU loss at Utah is lookin great! It's raining apples and oranges up in here.

JALMOND wrote:Also, I do know all of you want to know why I put a team here or there. I believe if I can't justify a position to myself, that team probably does not belong there. Every week, the homer in me wants to put Portland State #1. But how can I justify that?

That's never stopped SH...

mlbowl wrote:

JALMOND wrote:, then the Aztecs struggled the next week to beat Army).

...and Utah lost to USC last week. The very same USC team that really should've lost to Minnesota. Yeah, that MSU loss at Utah is lookin great! It's raining apples and oranges up in here.

You do run into the scenario of Team #1 beat Team #2, which beat Team #3, which beat Team #4, which beat Team #5 which beat Team 1. By the end of the year, you could have Rocky Mountain College beating Oregon. That is where the opinion comes in. Did USC lose to Minnesota, no. Should they have, maybe.

AZGrizFan wrote:

JALMOND wrote:Also, I do know all of you want to know why I put a team here or there. I believe if I can't justify a position to myself, that team probably does not belong there. Every week, the homer in me wants to put Portland State #1. But how can I justify that?

That's never stopped SH...

I was just so pleased we were the last undefeated team in the conference. But really, how far does a blowout over the NAIA really get you? And then to follow it up with an off week? I think I can justify us over UNC and probably over ISU but not much higher than that.

JALMOND wrote:

mlbowl wrote:

...and Utah lost to USC last week. The very same USC team that really should've lost to Minnesota. Yeah, that MSU loss at Utah is lookin great! It's raining apples and oranges up in here.

You do run into the scenario of Team #1 beat Team #2, which beat Team #3, which beat Team #4, which beat Team #5 which beat Team 1. By the end of the year, you could have Rocky Mountain College beating Oregon. That is where the opinion comes in. Did USC lose to Minnesota, no. Should they have, maybe.

Did the Aztecs lose to Army? I don't disagree with your power rankings...I do , however, disagree that UCD is better than Poly...and using some of those comparisons is reaching a little.

mlbowl wrote:

JALMOND wrote:
You do run into the scenario of Team #1 beat Team #2, which beat Team #3, which beat Team #4, which beat Team #5 which beat Team 1. By the end of the year, you could have Rocky Mountain College beating Oregon. That is where the opinion comes in. Did USC lose to Minnesota, no. Should they have, maybe.

Did the Aztecs lose to Army? I don't disagree with your power rankings...I do , however, disagree that UCD is better than Poly...and using some of those comparisons is reaching a little.

Yeah, he ignored my question above about that.

AZGrizFan wrote:

JALMOND wrote:

As I said, 1-4 is pretty close. Three of those four played the Pac-12 fairly tough while the Grizzlies played what I considered an "average" game against the SEC. Early indications are that the SEC is much better than the Pac-12 which to me means that, even though the Griz game against Tennessee was "average" it does not hurt them much against those that played the Pac-12. Two of the four that played the Pac-12 really tight, EWU and Sac State, then stumbled the next week on the road. MSU and UM earned wins against good FCS teams at home, hence how I arrived at the rankings...

1. MSU---close road loss at Pac-12 Utah, big home win against UC-Davis, a top team in the Great West.
2. EWU---came within one play of beating Washington, lost on the road against South Dakota, all indications is a tough place for anyone to play at.
3. UM---loss at Rocky Top, big win at home against Cal Poly, mid pack team in the Great West, and big home field advantage for the Griz.
4. Sac State---win over Pac-12 Oregon State who then looked like an FCS team against Wisconsin, loss at Southern Utah, a top team in the Great West.

So your consensus is that Davis is a better team than Cal Poly?

AZ, are you coming up for this game?

mlbowl wrote:AZ, are you coming up for this game?

AZGrizFan wrote:

mlbowl wrote:AZ, are you coming up for this game?

And here I was...kind of excited to....fuck it. I will be hanging with SE and rooting for the Eagles now.


Thanks for nothing AZ.

AZGrizFan wrote:

mlbowl wrote:AZ, are you coming up for this game?

Well, I'm going to the game but I don't get to party too much I'm flying out of Great Falls to Orlando at 6 am.

grizzaholic wrote:

AZGrizFan wrote:

And here I was...kind of excited to....**** it. I will be hanging with SE and rooting for the Eagles now.


Thanks for nothing AZ.

At least you'll get to meet the bowler...I know, i'm no AZ

mlbowl wrote:

grizzaholic wrote:
And here I was...kind of excited to....**** it. I will be hanging with SE and rooting for the Eagles now.


Thanks for nothing AZ.

At least you'll get to meet the bowler...I know, i'm no AZ

And we appreciate that. AZ is a dick.

grizzaholic wrote:

mlbowl wrote:

At least you'll get to meet the bowler...I know, i'm no AZ

And we appreciate that. AZ is a dick.