Big Sky Conference is so bad

[Kobezoey]

Montana and Montana State are running the conference currently but it wasn’t always like this. It wasn’t that long ago when Cooper Kupp and EWU was the best team in the conference after Bobby left to UNLV. Eastern was supposed to be the team from the Big Sky to compete with NDSU but they would always lose early in the playoffs in Cheney where it is cold and wet, not conducive to their pass happy offense. Weber State beat Montana in the playoffs not that long ago either. The way things are shaping up though it appears to be the Griz and Cats above the rest moving forward. Fan support means more monetary support and money talks in the modern college football era. It is obvious looking at the attendance statistics Montana and Montana State have way more fans than the other teams in the conference.

I think the Griz and the Cats will continue to dominate, moving forward. Everyone else has been dropping off significantly since about 2022-2023. The talent level just does not seem even close to what it was as recently as even 2015-2020. A big reason is fan support. . .or lack of it. In the FCS, there are very few teams that draw any fan support at all. In the Southeast they just have way too many other Division One options and FCS teams get the shaft, no matter how many great players they may have. The east coast is not much different. Truly, only the Dakotas and the Montana schools can produce fans. Mostly, because the FCS teams are really their only option in those states. The only other FCS programs that get fans and have a fun fan experience are the HBCU teams. This is a whole other world for college football. If a player is looking to have crowds cheer and and a nice game day experience in the FCS, they really only have Montana schools, Dakota schools, and many of the HBCUs. That's it. With the transfer portal as robust as it is now, I would expect Montana to greatly benefit with those kids that don't get the FBS opportunities, but are ballers that want to play and be seen. The challenge will be to keep the top players that will have chances to play at FBS schools. Any talented player that could get a shot at an FBS opportunity should take it. . .especially if they are offering money. I don't really agree with the money being paid to players these past couple of years, but I don't blame any of them that can get paid or try to get paid. The sad part is that the FCS may never have the financial support that many FBS schools have, so it will never be close to a fair playing field. I am a little frustrated with the state of college football these days, but I guess it is what it is. Much of the heart and intensity seems to have diminished significantly, as the paychecks have become an open part of the college football landscape. So, ya, the Big Sky is not what it used to be to me either. Shoot, it may never be.