2012 Big Sky Predictions?

[ABQCat]

This will certainly be an exciting year for the Big Sky. The new opponents will shake things up a bit & I hope that the staff will put in the extra work again this year!

The new guys tend to win several games against high quality opponents and then lose some real head scratchers. SUU (wins @NAU, @UNLV, @Weber, and Sac St) will be good, CP is always dangerous, and UND's 8 win season all point to fact that these guys will play the role of spoilers, but the history says all these guys will lose a bunch of games and not actually be in contention for the title.

As for my prediction, I'm thinking things will roll about like last year. I honestly believe our two schools will come into the November 17 game with either 1 or 0 conference losses and the game will decide the title. Also just like last year, there will be several teams around the 5-3/6-2 range. I’m very bullish on the BSC and we should be the top 1 or 2 ranked conferences. I predict the BSC will send 4 teams to the dance, and there will be around 5 teams racing for 7 D1 wins and the final 2 at large bids.

I like the idea of putting all this in strata:

Tier 1: BSC Championship
1) Winner of Nov 17 game in Missoula
2) Loser of Nov 17 game in Missoula

Tier 2: Playoff bid contenders (2 of 5 teams will make it)
3) Southern Utah
4) Weber St
5) Cal Poly
6) NAU
7) Portland St

Tier 3: Respectable 6-5 (4-4) type season with a few (possibly several) high quality wins
8) Eastern Washington
9) North Dakota
10) Sac St

Tier 4: Thanks for playing
11) Davis
12) ISU
13) UNC

 

[SloStang]

What's with all of this love for CP across the boards?

Cal Poly does not play Montana, Montana State or Eastern Washington in conference games in 2012 (we do play EWU in a non-conference game).

DAMN, Slo! Christmas came early for you guys, huh?

This whole BSC scheduling is a joke. Montana has to play Ewoo and msu every year, and there are some years in which teams don't play any of the three?? That's just wrong.

Montana requested both MSU and EWU as their rivals. I agree that it can be unbalanced, but I think you will see 3 to 4 teams from the Big Sky advance to playoffs each year. The Big Sky is a stronger conference and more stable with the 4 new members.

 

[bincitysioux]

Here's the combined winning percentage of each team's 2012 opponents based on last season's results in conference games only. Used Great West conference games only for the new members.


1.SUU .633

2.EWU .615

3.UNC .586

4.SAC ST. .541

5.UC DAVIS .533

6.NORTH DAKOTA .517

7.MONTANA ST. .490

8.IDAHO ST. .482

9.MONTANA .446

10.NAU .437

11.PORTLAND ST. .403

12.WEBER ST. .403

13.CAL POLY .375


Great West Co-Champ Cal Poly draws the easiest schedule in the league. They could be in the hunt for the title.............

 

[getgrizzy]

tough call at this point. i'd say um, msu, s.utah, cal poly are all about even right now and don't count out weber and ewu. i like our offense, msu's defense, s.utah's qb, weber's new coach, ewu having something to prove, cal poly's schedule.

we always seem to come up with a good kicker most years, but losing mcknight as both the kicker and punter is going to be tough to replace. he was the difference in a couple games for us last year. if we do, i think we're a lock to win the league. if not, we're in that group of six teams duking it out. our first unit of defense is good, but we won't have the depth we had last year. i don't think the new d.c. will be a drain because he's been here and it's a lot of new faces anyway. not so sure what the effect of the new o.c. will be, but i bet pflu handles most of the offense anyway while rosie works his way in.

 

[bincitysioux]

I'm kind of surprised by all of the love for SUU. I expected them to be very good last season and possibly get a playoff bid, but they basically flopped except for the UNLV upset. They have a brutal conference slate with both Montana schools, PSU, Weber, UND, and Eastern. I can't see them finishing in the top 4.

 

[getgrizzy]

I'm kind of surprised by all of the love for SUU. I expected them to be very good last season and possibly get a playoff bid, but they basically flopped except for the UNLV upset. They have a brutal conference slate with both Montana schools, PSU, Weber, UND, and Eastern. I can't see them finishing in the top 4.

i see they were 3-0 vs. bsc teams last year and beat unlv, but just 1-3 vs. gr.west teams. how does that happen? i see und in there with psu and sac state. isu, no. colo., usd and nau are hurting, but i wouldn't count any of the other nine out at this point.

instead of picking the order of finish, how about which teams go to the playoffs? i say we get four teams in this year. i'll go with um, msu, cal poly and suu.

 

[WaGriz4life]

I'm kind of surprised by all of the love for SUU. I expected them to be very good last season and possibly get a playoff bid, but they basically flopped except for the UNLV upset. They have a brutal conference slate with both Montana schools, PSU, Weber, UND, and Eastern. I can't see them finishing in the top 4.

I can't see you guys finishing anywhere near the top 4, to be honest.

 

[AllWeatherFan]

I think UND will finish in the top half, and maybe the top five.

 

[bincitysioux]

instead of picking the order of finish, how about which teams go to the playoffs? i say we get four teams in this year. i'll go with um, msu, cal poly and suu.

Montana, Montana St., Cal Poly, North Dakota...........

 

[getgrizzy]

I think UND will finish in the top half, and maybe the top five.

agreed. und is going to be a tough road trip for everyone. i'm sure they're energized to keep up with ndsu and probably have a fan base eager to support a winner. we have und, ewu and asu all on the road this year.

 

[SloStang]

i see they were 3-0 vs. bsc teams last year and beat unlv, but just 1-3 vs. gr.west teams. how does that happen?

It might go to show that the Great West teams are better than a lot of Big Sky fans think.

SUU is a tough team. They are physical with a great QB and have a chance against any FCS team they play, more so in Cedar City. SUU played most years in the FCS with just over 40 scholarships. They are now fully funded (I think that happened in the last 3 or 4 years) and it is starting to show.

 

[getgrizzy]

i see they were 3-0 vs. bsc teams last year and beat unlv, but just 1-3 vs. gr.west teams. how does that happen?

It might go to show that the Great West teams are better than a lot of Big Sky fans think.

SUU is a tough team. They are physical with a great QB and have a chance against any FCS team they play, more so in Cedar City. SUU played most years in the FCS with just over 40 scholarships. They are now fully funded (I think that happened in the last 3 or 4 years) and it is starting to show.

you won't get an argument from me on that.

 

[PlayerRep]

i see they were 3-0 vs. bsc teams last year and beat unlv, but just 1-3 vs. gr.west teams. how does that happen?

It might go to show that the Great West teams are better than a lot of Big Sky fans think.

SUU is a tough team. They are physical with a great QB and have a chance against any FCS team they play, more so in Cedar City. SUU played most years in the FCS with just over 40 scholarships. They are now fully funded (I think that happened in the last 3 or 4 years) and it is starting to show.

you won't get an argument from me on that.

I agree that SU has been good in recent years and has the potential to be even better. Pretty good for a "community" college, "directional" school, "D-II" school, etc.--as some egriz posters have called it.

 

[Tokyogriz]

I agree that SU has been good in recent years and has the potential to be even better. Pretty good for a "community" college, "directional" school, "D-II" school, etc.--as some egriz posters have called it.

They still are all of those things. UNC was a supposed powerhouse in their division before the move up as well are a utter failure in all aspects. I will give UNC credit for making national headlines with the whole kicker stabbing fiasco though.

SUU is overhyped atm and will most likely fall flat next year as well. At least they will pop out quite a few mormon missionaries next year so thats helpful to our conference.

But in your universe SUU is our PEER in academics, support, and athletics. Keep carrying that torch playa!

You crack me up! :lol:

edit - for grammar nazis

 

[getgrizzy]

i see they were 3-0 vs. bsc teams last year and beat unlv, but just 1-3 vs. gr.west teams. how does that happen?

It might go to show that the Great West teams are better than a lot of Big Sky fans think.

SUU is a tough team. They are physical with a great QB and have a chance against any FCS team they play, more so in Cedar City. SUU played most years in the FCS with just over 40 scholarships. They are now fully funded (I think that happened in the last 3 or 4 years) and it is starting to show.

you won't get an argument from me on that.

I agree that SU has been good in recent years and has the potential to be even better. Pretty good for a "community" college, "directional" school, "D-II" school, etc.--as some egriz posters have called it.

good point pr. kind of like boise state used to be a jc school and didn't become a 4-yr school until 1965. schools like that never go anywhere. :roll: :lol:

 

[getgrizzy]

[They still are all of those things. UNC was a supposed powerhouse in their division before the move up as well are are a utter fail in all aspects.

you can't use fail in a sentence like this. you just can't.

 

[Tokyogriz]

[They still are all of those things. UNC was a supposed powerhouse in their division before the move up as well are are a utter fail in all aspects.

you can't use fail in a sentence like this. you just can't.

Oh dear typo police help! :roll: :lol:

 

[getgrizzy]

[They still are all of those things. UNC was a supposed powerhouse in their division before the move up as well are are a utter fail in all aspects.

you can't use fail in a sentence like this. you just can't.

Oh dear typo police help! :roll: :lol:

haha, i'm just messing with you. i do the same isht all the time. you have to admit that was a bad one though.

 

[wbtfg]

How many teams does the big sky put into the playoffs? It's got to be at least three now right? Possibly four?

 

[getgrizzy]

How many teams does the big sky put into the playoffs? It's got to be at least three now right? Possibly four?

with 13 teams in the conference it will be hard not to have at least three teams with 7 d1 wins. i would say probably four and possibly five.