JALMOND
September 17th, 2013, 12:14 AM
Only two undefeated teams left in the Big Sky and a person could have won a bunch of money if they would have thought these two would be it. Montana may not be much of a head scratcher but after going 5-6 last year and bringing in a quarterback who didn't play last year, it does seem a bit odd, but nothing odd about how they've played so far. The other one is really strange but Idaho State has shown if nothing else, that they can beat the lower tier teams. Good wins and strong losses by the rest of the conference and this year is shaping up to be quite the race. Here are this week's power rankings (last week in parenthesis). As always, all are my opinion only and should create some great discussion. Here they are.
1. Eastern Washington (1)---The Eagles finally succumbed to the pressure of playing up to the FBS, playing Toledo tough until letting it go at the end. Still a strong performance and getting a second FBS win is always a longshot so not much lost here. This week, they get a bye to recoup and reload.
2. Montana (2)---After having a bye week themselves, the Grizzlies went up to North Dakota and completely walked all over the former Sioux and earned a bit of payback from last year. Any indication from their first two games would show that they are back. This week they head back home to face DII Panhandle State from Oklahoma.
3. Montana State (3)---The Bobcats broke in a new quarterback in a small test last weekend against DII Colorado Mesa and the results were mixed. The new guy may need some work but the Bobcat defense kept the game from ever being in doubt. This weekend the defense may need to step up again as they hit the road to Stephen F Austin.
4. Cal Poly (5)---The Mustangs made up for a dismal showing against Fresno State with a strong performance against FBS Colorado State. Still, however, they came up on the short end, but not until playing it close for three quarters. This week they get a bye to rest up for the conference season.
5. Southern Utah (4)---The Thunderbirds had the misfortune of facing an upstart Washington State team after the Pac-12 school got a big win over Southern Cal. Still, a strong performance by the Thunderbirds in a gallant effort. This week they hit the road to face a struggling Sacramento State team.
6. North Dakota (6)---Stunning for sure. In a game that they were to show that they belong in the conference elite, the former Sioux laid a big egg at home against Montana. They pretty much were not even in the game at all. Back to square one with a bye week this week to regroup and start conference play.
7. Northern Arizona (7)---Thank goodness for the Lumberjack defense that saved the day last week at UC-Davis. The Lumberjack offense was out of sync all day and it was the defense that not only kept them in the game, but actually won the game. They need to figure out the offense that has scored 7 points so far. This weekend they bring in South Dakota.
8. Portland State (8)---The Vikings kept things interesting in their game against Humboldt State for the first half, then blew the game open in the third quarter. While the defense has looked shaky, the offense has looked sharp. This weekend finds them on the road to face conference foe, UC-Davis.
9. Northern Colorado (9)---The Bears had the misfortune of playing FBS upstart Wyoming after taking it on the chin against DII CSU-Pueblo. Not quite the competitive game the Bears were hoping for as it was virtually over early. This weekend, another daunting challenge as they entertain the Missouri Valley powerhouse, Northern Iowa.
10. Weber State (10)---The Wildcats followed up their lackluster performance against Utah with an equally lackluster performance against their other big brother Utah State. They have shown they can be competitive against the FCS, winning earlier against Stephen F Austin. This week, they return to the Southland, heading out to McNeese State.
11. Idaho State (12)---That is not a typo as the Bengals are currently 2-0, defeating another DII opponent in Western State. The bad thing is that things will start to get rather difficult for the Bengals starting this weekend when they hit the road and play at Pac-12 Washington. Another chance for the conference to get win number two against the Pac-12, but this would open some eyes for sure.
12. UC-Davis (13)---The Aggies defense had the game won last week against Northern Arizona. The problem was that the offense lost it for them with two late interceptions that cost them the game. The defense will keep them in games this year and hope that the offense won't lose it. This week, however, they face the high powered offense from Portland State.
13. Sacramento State (11)---The most perplexing team so far has to be the Hornets. After looking lost against the FBS competition, they brought in a winless NAIA team, Southern Oregon, who had lost to such football powerhouses as Rocky Mountain and Montana-Western. It should have been an easy win, but the Hornets needed a late touchdown to force overtime and then a final touchdown to win. This weekend, they bring in Southern Utah.
RECAP: 1-2 pulling away, 3-5 behind, 6-8 just a little bit off, 9-13 bringing up the rear.
1. Eastern Washington (1)---The Eagles finally succumbed to the pressure of playing up to the FBS, playing Toledo tough until letting it go at the end. Still a strong performance and getting a second FBS win is always a longshot so not much lost here. This week, they get a bye to recoup and reload.
2. Montana (2)---After having a bye week themselves, the Grizzlies went up to North Dakota and completely walked all over the former Sioux and earned a bit of payback from last year. Any indication from their first two games would show that they are back. This week they head back home to face DII Panhandle State from Oklahoma.
3. Montana State (3)---The Bobcats broke in a new quarterback in a small test last weekend against DII Colorado Mesa and the results were mixed. The new guy may need some work but the Bobcat defense kept the game from ever being in doubt. This weekend the defense may need to step up again as they hit the road to Stephen F Austin.
4. Cal Poly (5)---The Mustangs made up for a dismal showing against Fresno State with a strong performance against FBS Colorado State. Still, however, they came up on the short end, but not until playing it close for three quarters. This week they get a bye to rest up for the conference season.
5. Southern Utah (4)---The Thunderbirds had the misfortune of facing an upstart Washington State team after the Pac-12 school got a big win over Southern Cal. Still, a strong performance by the Thunderbirds in a gallant effort. This week they hit the road to face a struggling Sacramento State team.
6. North Dakota (6)---Stunning for sure. In a game that they were to show that they belong in the conference elite, the former Sioux laid a big egg at home against Montana. They pretty much were not even in the game at all. Back to square one with a bye week this week to regroup and start conference play.
7. Northern Arizona (7)---Thank goodness for the Lumberjack defense that saved the day last week at UC-Davis. The Lumberjack offense was out of sync all day and it was the defense that not only kept them in the game, but actually won the game. They need to figure out the offense that has scored 7 points so far. This weekend they bring in South Dakota.
8. Portland State (8)---The Vikings kept things interesting in their game against Humboldt State for the first half, then blew the game open in the third quarter. While the defense has looked shaky, the offense has looked sharp. This weekend finds them on the road to face conference foe, UC-Davis.
9. Northern Colorado (9)---The Bears had the misfortune of playing FBS upstart Wyoming after taking it on the chin against DII CSU-Pueblo. Not quite the competitive game the Bears were hoping for as it was virtually over early. This weekend, another daunting challenge as they entertain the Missouri Valley powerhouse, Northern Iowa.
10. Weber State (10)---The Wildcats followed up their lackluster performance against Utah with an equally lackluster performance against their other big brother Utah State. They have shown they can be competitive against the FCS, winning earlier against Stephen F Austin. This week, they return to the Southland, heading out to McNeese State.
11. Idaho State (12)---That is not a typo as the Bengals are currently 2-0, defeating another DII opponent in Western State. The bad thing is that things will start to get rather difficult for the Bengals starting this weekend when they hit the road and play at Pac-12 Washington. Another chance for the conference to get win number two against the Pac-12, but this would open some eyes for sure.
12. UC-Davis (13)---The Aggies defense had the game won last week against Northern Arizona. The problem was that the offense lost it for them with two late interceptions that cost them the game. The defense will keep them in games this year and hope that the offense won't lose it. This week, however, they face the high powered offense from Portland State.
13. Sacramento State (11)---The most perplexing team so far has to be the Hornets. After looking lost against the FBS competition, they brought in a winless NAIA team, Southern Oregon, who had lost to such football powerhouses as Rocky Mountain and Montana-Western. It should have been an easy win, but the Hornets needed a late touchdown to force overtime and then a final touchdown to win. This weekend, they bring in Southern Utah.
RECAP: 1-2 pulling away, 3-5 behind, 6-8 just a little bit off, 9-13 bringing up the rear.