Big Sky Conference Power Rankings Week 3
1. Eastern Washington (STATS FCS Poll: 6, Sagarin Rank: 97)
Eastern Washington stays in the top spot with a strong showing against FBS Washington State. The final score of 59-24 in favor of the Cougars doesn’t show that Eastern made many Wazzu fans nervous into the 4th quarter. Eastern opens up conference play hosting Cal Poly.
2. UC Davis (STATS FCS Poll: 21, Sagarin Rank: 126)
UC Davis fell to FBS #9 Stanford on Saturday but kept it respectable, staving off a blowout in their 30-10 loss. UC Davis begins conference play with Idaho coming to town.
3. Weber State (STATS FCS Poll: 7, Sagarin Rank: 108)
Weber knocked off, at the time, #22 South Dakota 27-10 last weekend and showed flashes of the team that the coaches and media thought they’d be in the preseason polls. Weber opens up Big Sky play against Northern Colorado in Ogden.
4. Montana (STATS FCS Poll: 19, Sagarin Rank: 128)
The Griz continued their struggles away from Washington-Grizzly Stadium and allowed Western Illinois to come back from a 10 point 4th quarter deficit to pull off the upset. Montana clawed their way back from a very early deficit and seemed to be in the driver’s seat before the 4th quarter melt down. They move up a spot this week due to Northern Arizona’s slide. Montana opens up the conference season hosting Sacramento State.
5. Sacramento State (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 147)
Sacramento State escaped with a win over Northern Colorado in a non-conference game in Greeley on Saturday, winning by just 3. #5 in the power rankings may be a bit high for the Hornets but they’ll have a chance to make noise when they travel to Missoula this weekend to face the Griz.
6. Northern Arizona (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 151)
NAU got jacked up by Missouri State on the road last weekend, losing 40-8. Case Cookus did not play due to his injury and NAU’s offense could get nothing going. As long as Cookus is out, it looks like NAU is a middle of the pack team. NAU gets a chance to bounce back this weekend against Southern Utah in Flagstaff.
7. Montana State (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 155)
MSU’s offense was resurgent against Wagner last Saturday as Tucker Rovig showed poise and confidence in his second MSU start. The MSU ground game got going as well and the Bobcats erased an early deficit to defeat the Seahawks 47-24. Wagner was not a really strong team so it still remains to be seen how the Cats will handle their offense and QB position this week with Troy Andersen rumored to be healthy enough to play. MSU travels to Portland State to open Big Sky play.
8. Cal Poly (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 176)
Cal Poly lost a close game to Weber two weeks ago and pounded the Ivy League’s Brown this past weekend, winning 44-15. They move up a couple spots in our power rankings with this showing. Cal Poly opens up with a huge road test as they travel to the Inferno to take on Eastern Washington.
9. Idaho (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 168)
We haven’t seen much of Idaho yet this season after losing to FBS Fresno State in Week 1 and beating lowly Western New Mexico in Week 2. A bye last weekend gives them an advantage heading into a huge conference opener against surprising UC Davis in Northern California.
10. Idaho State (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 183)
Idaho State fell to FBS California 45-23 last week after being off in Week 2. The Bengals are still a mystery as they travel to surprisingly strong #22 North Dakota this weekend in a weird conference game against a technically non-conference opponent (North Dakota is classified as an independent this year but their games count in the conference standings). North Dakota is coming off a win against, at the time, #5 Sam Houston State.
11. Northern Colorado (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 183)
UNC lost their opener by 3, lost to a strong South Dakota team, and fell to Sacramento State by 3. It seems like the Bears are making strides but have yet to win a game this season. It doesn’t get easier as they face Weber State to start of the conference schedule.
12. Southern Utah (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 172)
SUU was up early against FBS Arizona before being blown out 62-31. SUU catches a cold NAU team at the right time and could open up the conference season with a win.
13. Portland State (STATS FCS Poll: NR, Sagarin Rank: 208)
Portland State got into the win column last weekend by blowing out a NAIA team. They’re far and away the weakest team in the conference right now and open up conference play by hosting MSU in Portland.
About the Author
Hot Take Nate Hot Take Nate now resides in Northern California but still calls Montana his home. It'll always be home.
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