Now we are done with the nonconference matchups for the most part. Now is when the season truly begins with conference foe facing conference foe for the title and the AQ in to the playoffs. Some great performances in nonconference and some not so great. Here are this week's power rankings (last week in parenthesis). All are my opinion only. Good luck to all teams as the conference season begins.

1. Eastern Washington (1)---Last week beat Missouri Valley's Northern Iowa 34-30, this week at Northern Arizona---The Eagles went through the non conference with the only blemish against top ranked North Dakota State in OT.

2. Montana (2)---Last week bye, this week at Cal Poly---The Grizzlies took last week off and now must hit the road for a game against the upstarts of the conference so far.

3. Cal Poly (3)---Last week won at Missouri Valley's South Dakota State 38-31, this week Montana at home---The Mustangs got a tough, well-deserved win on the road in a hostile Valley venue, but things do not get easier.

4. Northern Arizona (5)---Last week beat DII's New Mexico Highlands at home 73-3, this week Eastern Washington at home---The Lumberjacks finally get a win before the conference season begins.

5. North Dakota (4)---Last week beat Missouri Valley's South Dakota 47-44 in OT, this week at Montana State---The Hawks finally discovered some offense to go with their defense, right before the conference season begins.

6. Southern Utah (8)---Last week bye, this week Portland State at home---The Thunderbirds took last week off to prepare for their conference opener against the reeling Vikings.

7. Portland State (6)---Last week lost at Pac-12's Washington 41-3, this week at Southern Utah---Hard to gauge what the Vikings have, but they seem to need help defending the pass.

8. Montana State (10)---Last week beat DII's Western Oregon 55-0, this week North Dakota at home---Have the Bobcats got everything working? They looked good against a lesser opponent who had a Big Sky scalp already.

9. Weber State (7)---Last week beat Sacramento State at home 14-7, this week at UC-Davis---The Wildcats struggled a bit to put away the Hornets in a non conference game. Are they ready to start the conference season.

10. Northern Colorado (9)---Last week lost at Mountain West's Colorado State 47-21, this week bye---The Bears will take this week off to prepare for their conference opener next week.

11. UC-Davis (11)---Last week lost at Mountain West's Wyoming 45-22, this week Weber State at home---The Aggies have shown a bit of offense, but their usually strong defense has been a weak point. It could possibly have to do with their opponents.

12. Idaho State (12)---Last week lost at Pac-12's Oregon State 37-7, this week Sacramento State at home---The Bengals return to the conference after two straight weeks playing at the Pac-12's level.

13. Sacramento State (13)---Last week lost at Weber State 14-7, this week at Idaho State---The Hornets seem to rise up when playing conference foes which may bode well for them as the out of conference was terrible.

RECAP: 1-2 out front, 3-5 just behind them, 6-10 a step back, 11-12 trying to stay up there, 13 recovering