Big Sky Predictions - Week 9

[mvemjsunpx]

Sac State 42-21 Cal Poly — A relative letdown is possible, but the 'Stang defense just won't have enough answers

Weber 27-23 Davis — It's a must win for Davis, but they've looked too sketchy for me to trust them

Idaho St. 31-35 Suutah — The T-Birds are bad, but the Bengals have been worse on the road

Portland St. 31-41 NAU — The Viks may be 5-3, but their schedule has been nonexistent so far

EWU 38-33 Montana — Tough call, but Dalton Sneed is out/hobbled and Eastern has to win to stay alive

Montana St. 28-31 NoDak — The Alerus Center is a tough place to win

[JALMOND]

62-10 so far this season. The way the season has gone, it seems just pick the home team and see what happens. This weekend there are some games that may test that theory. Here is my quest for that elusive perfect Saturday.

EWU at UM---The Eagles had an extra week to prepare and the Grizzlies' quarterback got hurt last week. The Eagles seem to enjoy playing in Missoula, but this year has not been kind to road teams and the Grizzlies come in with a salty taste in their mouths...UM 38, EWU 21.

ISU at SUU---The Bengals have looked really good at home, but have looked really bad on the road. Still, coming on the road to play a hapless Thunderbirds squad so be easy pickings. But the Thunderbirds have shown some life at home and could steal this...SUU 28. ISU 21.

MSU at North Dakota---The Bobcats had an extra week to prepare for this game at a tough place to play. Interesting matchup for the Bobcats as North Dakota is putting together a pretty good season. The Hawks may need this game to keep their playoff aspirations...North Dakota 31, MSU 28.

PSU at NAU---Interesting matchup here as the Vikings have not looked good on the road, although they got a road win last week. The Lumberjacks gave up a ton of yards on the ground last week which plays to the Vikings strength. Good thing it is at home...NAU 28, PSU 26.

SAC at CP---This is unfamiliar territory for the Hornets as they are now the hunted. Going on the road to face a strong Mustang team may not be what the doctor ordered especially with a big game next week. Can the Hornets remain focused or can the Mustangs score an upset at home...SAC 38, CP 30.

WSU at UCD---The Wildcats may seem a bit shaky but they still find ways to win. Game 1 in their Causeway stretch finds them against a desperate Aggies team who may be reclaiming momentum after a bad start. The Aggies need a home win to keep their playoff dreams alive...UCD 29, WSU 28.

[SUPharmacist]

Sac State
Davis
Idaho State
NAU
Montana
Montana State

[bonarae]

Sacramento State
Weber State
Southern Utah
NAU
EWU
Montana State

[wapiti]

EWU 20 at 31 UM---The Eagles have not performed to preseason expectation and the Griz are slightly better then expected, but the starting QB is hurt. I see the home team taking this one.

ISU 27 at 28 SUU---Idaho State has potential, but has not met it on the road. SUU is struggling but has this one at home. 50/50 game

MSU 30 at 28 North Dakota---Was the extra week off for MSU enough for several of the hurt players to recover enough to be a factor? If so, MSU wins this otherwise UND may win a close won. I will go with a homer pick.

PSU 26 at 35 NAU---I see Cookus having big day in this one, but that's normal for him. Will it be enough to earn the W. Being at home, Yes.

SAC 32 at 24 CP---Sac is hot hot hot.

WSU 24 at 17 UCD---BBQ defense should be able to hold back the Aggie offense, even on the road.

[F'N Hawks]

EWU 20 at 31 UM---The Eagles have not performed to preseason expectation and the Griz are slightly better then expected, but the starting QB is hurt. I see the home team taking this one.

ISU 27 at 28 SUU---Idaho State has potential, but has not met it on the road. SUU is struggling but has this one at home. 50/50 game

MSU 30 at 28 North Dakota---Was the extra week off for MSU enough for several of the hurt players to recover enough to be a factor? If so, MSU wins this otherwise UND may win a close won. I will go with a homer pick.

PSU 26 at 35 NAU---I see Cookus having big day in this one, but that's normal for him. Will it be enough to earn the W. Being at home, Yes.

SAC 32 at 24 CP---Sac is hot hot hot.

WSU 24 at 17 UCD---BBQ defense should be able to hold back the Aggie offense, even on the road.

If MSU doesn't rush for 250+ in this one they should be worried about their season. UND lost their top two DL last week and backup NG for this week. So the Cats will be going against 5 freshman (three true freshman) and 2 sophomores up front. All are undersized, too. Not good for the home team.

[MSUBobcat]

MSU @ UND - Cats love to pound the rock, UND gives up a ton of rushing yards (even before the injuries mentioned by F'N Hawks). Rovig even showed some semblance of being a QB against Sac St with 262 yards, which can help soften up the run if he can at least appear to be a passing threat, even if he doesn't have to carry the team. UND will get yards thru the air and has home field, but MSU had a bye to help prepare. MSU by 9.
EWU @ UM - tough game to pick. The Eags aren't as intimidated by Wa-Griz as most, their season is on the line and the Griz's star QB is out. I think the Griz desire to get the taste out of their mouth from last week makes them play like their hair is on fire, however. Griz by 3.
ISU-o @ SUU - most have mentioned the Bengals' road woes, but it's come against some stout opponents. I have next to no faith in SUU, so I'm going with the Bengals to get off the road schneid. ISU by 4.
PSU @ NAU - the Vikes give up the 3rd fewest passing yards in BSC, have a solid run O going against NAU's worst BSC run defense and are riding a 3 game win streak. It has all the makings of a road upset. But Walkup is a tough place for anyone to place, especially going from damn near sea level to almost 7k. Lack of oxygen sucks the life out of the Vikings' run game. 'Jacks by 7.
WSU @ Davis - at home with their playoff lives at stake still isn't enough to get by the BBQ. Weber wins by 5 to set up an epic showdown next weekend.
Sac State @ Poly - so 'Stangs. The Hornets are cutting thru teams much better than you. Just try to not get Grizwolded. Sac by 20.

[mvemjsunpx]

SAC @ CP
Spread - Hornets by 14.5
Sagarin - Hornets by 15
Massey - Hornets by 10

WEB @ UCD
Spread - Aggies by 2.5
Sagarin - Wildcats by 1
Massey - Aggies by 3

ISU @ SUU
Spread - Bengals by 7.5
Sagarin - Bengals by 10
Massey - Bengals by 7

PSU @ NAU
Spread - Viks by 2.5
Sagarin - Viks by <1
Massey - Viks by 3

EWU @ UMT
Spread - Griz by 7.5
Sagarin - Griz by 10
Massey - Griz by 7

MSU @ UND
Spread - 0
Sagarin - Bobcats by 3
Massey - F-Hawks by 3

[100%GRIZ]

Sac
ISU
Weber
NAU
GRIZ
UND

[veinup]

sac
davis
isu - i just have a feeling.
nau
nodak
um - drove all the way up to missoula for this, don’t let me down boys

[MSUBobcat]

SAC @ CP
Spread - Hornets by 14.5
Sagarin - Hornets by 15
Massey - Hornets by 10

WEB @ UCD
Spread - Aggies by 2.5
Sagarin - Wildcats by 1
Massey - Aggies by 3

ISU @ SUU
Spread - Bengals by 7.5
Sagarin - Bengals by 10
Massey - Bengals by 7

PSU @ NAU
Spread - Viks by 2.5
Sagarin - Viks by <1
Massey - Viks by 3

EWU @ UMT
Spread - Griz by 7.5
Sagarin - Griz by 10
Massey - Griz by 7

MSU @ UND
Spread - 0
Sagarin - Bobcats by 3
Massey - F-Hawks by 3

Couple of those are mildly surprising to me. Vikes favored slightly at Flagstaff and MSU/UND being a literal toss-up.

[Schism55]

Big win Grizz! Congrats xthumbsupx
Stick a fork in EWU

[mvemjsunpx]

Big win Grizz! Congrats xthumbsupx
Stick a fork in EWU

EWU proved they were a complete fraud today.

[caribbeanhen]

Big Sky TV is running smooth.... 3 games

[Grizalltheway]

EWU proved they were a complete fraud today.

It's also possible that the Griz aren't as terrible as you seem to think they are.

[mvemjsunpx]

It's also possible that the Griz aren't as terrible as you seem to think they are.

The Griz played a solid game, but they didn't really play any better than I expected. Eastern—with their playoff lives on the line—dropped a bunch of passes, missed a bunch of open receivers, and muffed a kickoff in a crucial situation.

[Grizalltheway]

The Griz played a solid game, but they didn't really play any better than I expected. Eastern—with their playoff lives on the line—dropped a bunch of passes, missed a bunch of open receivers, and muffed a kickoff in a crucial situation.
Just giving you a hard time. IIRC, you were pretty skeptical about Hauck's rehire. So far I'd say he and his staff are doing a pretty good job of getting the most out of what they have to work with.

[mvemjsunpx]

Just giving you a hard time. IIRC, you were pretty skeptical about Hauck's rehire. So far I'd say he and his staff are doing a pretty good job of getting the most out of what they have to work with.

I'm still skeptical (I also don't like Hauck, but that's a separate issue). The staff has done a solid job so far this year, but the schedule has also been easier than expected. I also think the 2018 season would've gone better if the coaching change hadn't happened. Next year is really the crucial year to evaluate Hauck, IMO, because Sneed, JLM, Olson, Sims, & Wilson are all gonna be gone. Can the playmaking ability of those guys be replaced? The Griz always had the personnel answers in the '90s & '00s, but years of declining enrollment/stature & better awareness of Montana HS talent by out-of-state schools have likely eroded that advantage a bit. The plus for Hauck, though, is that he doesn't have to deal with the NCAA scholarship penalties that Delaney & Stitt both had to deal with.

[JALMOND]

62-10 so far this season. The way the season has gone, it seems just pick the home team and see what happens. This weekend there are some games that may test that theory. Here is my quest for that elusive perfect Saturday.

EWU at UM---The Eagles had an extra week to prepare and the Grizzlies' quarterback got hurt last week. The Eagles seem to enjoy playing in Missoula, but this year has not been kind to road teams and the Grizzlies come in with a salty taste in their mouths...UM 38, EWU 21.

ISU at SUU---The Bengals have looked really good at home, but have looked really bad on the road. Still, coming on the road to play a hapless Thunderbirds squad so be easy pickings. But the Thunderbirds have shown some life at home and could steal this...SUU 28. ISU 21.

MSU at North Dakota---The Bobcats had an extra week to prepare for this game at a tough place to play. Interesting matchup for the Bobcats as North Dakota is putting together a pretty good season. The Hawks may need this game to keep their playoff aspirations...North Dakota 31, MSU 28.

PSU at NAU---Interesting matchup here as the Vikings have not looked good on the road, although they got a road win last week. The Lumberjacks gave up a ton of yards on the ground last week which plays to the Vikings strength. Good thing it is at home...NAU 28, PSU 26.

SAC at CP---This is unfamiliar territory for the Hornets as they are now the hunted. Going on the road to face a strong Mustang team may not be what the doctor ordered especially with a big game next week. Can the Hornets remain focused or can the Mustangs score an upset at home...SAC 38, CP 30.

WSU at UCD---The Wildcats may seem a bit shaky but they still find ways to win. Game 1 in their Causeway stretch finds them against a desperate Aggies team who may be reclaiming momentum after a bad start. The Aggies need a home win to keep their playoff dreams alive...UCD 29, WSU 28.


Missed one again (damn Davis). 67-11 for the year now.