Big Sky Power Rankings 9-20

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JALMOND
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Big Sky Power Rankings 9-20

Post by JALMOND »

The final full slate of non-conference games have passed and now the questions begin to be answered. Montana and Idaho State still have one more non-conference game to play but for everyone else, it is just conference foes for the rest of the season. Going off just non-conference games is difficult to determine how teams would do conference-wise, so it is good that everyone except Idaho is in play this weekend. Here are this week's Big Sky power rankings (last week in parenthesis). All are my opinion only.

1. Montana (1)---Last week bye, this week Cal Poly at home---The Grizzlies took a week off to prepare for the conference slate (they will play Dixie State in mid-October). A huge win over the Pac-12 Washington and a strong win against the Mo Valley's Western Illinois has them at the top of the conference. How long will they be able to stay there.

2. UC Davis (3)---Last week beat Dixie State (FCS transition) at home, 60-27, this week at Weber State---The Aggies closed out their non-conference slate as strong as they have been, downing Dixie State the same way they beat the FBS Tulsa (who looked good against Ohio State) and San Diego. They start conference play with a tough one on the road.

3. Eastern Washington (2)---Last week won at Western Illinois (Missouri Valley) 62-56, this week at Southern Utah---Impressive that the Eagles put up 55 points in the first half, but they had to withstand a furious rally to eke out the win. Still, a good win over the FBS and a strong win over the DII and they are hoping it has prepared them enough to stay near the top of the conference.

4. Montana State (5)---Last week beat San Diego (Pioneer) at home 52-10, this week at Portland State---The Bobcats have shown that they can dominate the Pioneer league, blowing out both San Diego and Drake. They probably should have a win over the FBS as well, but the two strong wins over the Pioneer should be an excellent tuneup for the conference opener on the road.

5. Weber State (4)---Last week lost to James Madison (Colonial) at home 37-24, this week UC Davis at home---The Wildcats stepped up big in their final non-conference date, bringing in a strong opponent from the CAA. As the dust settles, they only have one win, a huge win over a transitional team to go with their losses to James Madison and Utah. Is this enough to start the conference season?

6. Northern Arizona (7)---Last week won at Arizona (FBS Pac-12) 21-19, this week at Northern Colorado---The Lumberjacks finally broke through the win column in a big way, taking down their big brothers in the Pac-12. They are hoping to ride that win, along with some good losses to Sam Houston and South Dakota, into a good conference season.

7. Sacramento State (6)---Last week lost at California (FBS Pac-12) 42-30, this week at Idaho State---The Hornets played California tough for a quarter, then put together a good rally to make the score look close. Still a loss here along with a tough home loss to a good Northern Iowa team has the Hornets thinking good thoughts going in to conference play.

8. Idaho (8)---Last week lost at Oregon State (FBS Pac-12) 42-0, this week bye---The Vandals took a tough non-conference slate to task, playing two really good FBS teams (Oregon State and Indiana) to go with a DII opponent, and while the FBS losses look bad, they do have an extra week to prepare for the conference season the following week.

9. Cal Poly (9)---Last week lost to South Dakota (Missouri Valley) at home 48-14, this week at Montana---The Mustangs brought in an underrated Missouri Valley team and took one on the chin last week. Still, they have a strong win over San Diego to go with losses to South Dakota and Fresno State. The question is, can it translate to a win in a tough place to play.

10. Portland State (11)---Last week beat Western Oregon (DII) at home 21-7, this week Montana State at home---Two weeks of the offense looking good and the defense struggling, things were switched for the Vikings when they brought in a DII for their home opener. Impressive offensive showings against Washington State and Hawaii may have them thinking they can score on anyone. But can they?

11. Southern Utah (13)---Last week beat Tarleton State (FCS transition) 40-35, this week Eastern Washington at home---After a couple shaky losses to some good FBS teams, the Thunderbirds took an extra week to prepare and downed an FCS transition team on a neutral field. But what they learned from the losses to San Jose State and Arizona State have them hopeful for a good conference season.

12. Northern Colorado (10)---Last week lost to Lamar (Southland) at home 17-10, this week Northern Arizona at home---The Bears took a loss last week and ended up going 1-1 against the Southland. A couple of gritty performances has them thinking about banking on their defense until the offense can get going. Will it get going this weekend?

13. Idaho State (12)---Last week bye, this week Sacramento State at home---The only team in the Big Sky that does not have a win yet, the Bengals took and extra week to prepare for their conference season. Losses to North Dakota and FBS Nevada, however, have them still searching for their first win. An extra week, and the opener at home, will they get it this weekend?

RECAP: 1-5 the haves, 6-7 the tweeners, 8-13 the have nots.
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SuperHornet
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Re: Big Sky Power Rankings 9-20

Post by SuperHornet »

1. Don't like UCD jumping over EWU. Both have scalps, while EWU beat a MVFC team, but UCD only beat up on a transitional WAC member. Not the same thing at all.

2. Don't like MSU jumping over BBQ. BBQ played a perennial seed tough, while MSU only beat a bad non-scholarship school.

3. NAU rightly jumps Sac. Scalp beats almost-scalp any day of the week.

The rest looks about right....
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