LongTimeCatFan said:
The Big Sky is only getting 2 maybe 3 bids. What makes you think the 4th or 5th best BSC team will be invited? You have to win out or only lose to MSU by a few, but win the other 3. That's provided that MSU beats EWU.
GPI has the BSC at 5th this year. MSU losing to SFA really screwed us all.
Very doubtful the Big Sky will only get 2. Only way that happens is if NAU falls apart, the Griz don't play well enough to make it, Sac loses their 5th and SUU drops their 5th.
Chances are we'll end up with EWU, MSU and NAU for sure, and depending on how Sac and the Griz do, either Sac or the Griz. How I see it is the Griz get in if they beat Sac, USD, and Weber but lose to the cats. No problem getting in then.
I do agree though that the Sac game is almost certainly a must win (depending on how Sac does with their remaining games). If the Griz beat USD, Weber, but lose to Sac and the Cats, AND Sac ends up at 8-4 (tied with the Griz in record) then it gets very iffy and I bet Sac would be the 4th team in due to 2 of their losses being to FBS teams. Plus their conference record would only have 1 loss, unlike the Griz with 4 losses... Highly unlikely a 5th Big Sky teams gets in then, so the Griz would be out
Now, if instead of losing to Sac the Griz drop the non-conference game against SD and beat Sac, then Sac is out for sure. I could then see the Griz squeaking in as the 4th Big Sky team...then again I could see them being left out and only 3 Big Sky teams getting in.
Anyway, the TL;DR version of this - To be safe & definitely in the playoffs with no worrying about it the Griz need to win 3 of their next 4 games. If they drop 2, it gets very iffy, especially if one of those 2 is against Sac & Sac ends up 8-4 also, meaning we'd need 5 big sky teams to make it (doubtful even with the expanded field). Personally I think the Griz will beat Sac, finish 9-3 and be in the playoffs