2023 Big Sky Predictions

[Mvemjsunpx]

• 1. UC Davis ______________8-0____10-1_____ The Aggies looked like a top-10 team during the second half of last season
  2. Idaho___________________7-1_____9-2_____ The Vandals are loaded on offense, so their main focus should be avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ The 'Cats are contenders, of course, but they have too many tough road games
  4. Montana _______________5-3_____8-3_____ Will Bobby Hauck's game of assistant-coach musical chairs pay off?
  5. Weber State____________5-3_____6-5_____ Weber should still be decent, but it's probably "mental" to pick them at the top after their losses on offense
  6. Sacramento State ______5-3_____7-4_____ Having to play their successful, just departed coach in mid-September should make the Hornet non-conference nice & awkward
  7. Eastern Washington____4-4_____4-7_____ The Eags decide to commit schedule suicide again as an 0-5 start is plausible
  8. Portland State__________3-5_____4-7_____ Bruce Barnum looks to get his 8th. straight losing season
  9. Northern Arizona ______2-6_____3-8_____ Chris Ball figured out his employment situation as he brought in ≈30 FBS & FCS transfers
  10.Northern Colorado_____2-6_____2-9_____ The Bears enter witness protection after putting the McCaffrey Crime Family away
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ We've officially entered the mirror universe as Paul Wulff is now replacing Beau Baldwin
  12.Idaho State ____________0-8_____0-11____ One Hawkins at the top, the other Hawkins at the bottom…

[kalm]

• 1. UC Davis ______________8-0____10-1_____ The Aggies looked like a top-10 team during the second half of last season
  2. Idaho___________________7-1_____9-2_____ The Vandals are loaded on offense, so their main focus should be avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ The 'Cats are contenders, of course, but they have too many tough road games
  4. Montana _______________5-3_____8-3_____ Will Bobby Hauck's game of assistant-coach musical chairs pay off?
  5. Weber State____________5-3_____6-5_____ Weber should still be decent, but it's probably "mental" to pick them at the top after their losses on offense
  6. Sacramento State ______5-3_____7-4_____ Having to play their successful, just departed coach in mid-September should make the Hornet non-conference nice & awkward
  7. Eastern Washington____4-4_____4-7_____ The Eags decide to commit schedule suicide again as an 0-5 start is plausible
  8. Portland State__________3-5_____4-7_____ Bruce Barnum looks to get his 8th. straight losing season
  9. Northern Arizona ______2-6_____3-8_____ Chris Ball figured out his employment situation as he brought in ≈30 FBS & FCS transfers
  10.Northern Colorado_____2-6_____2-9_____ The Bears enter witness protection after putting the McCaffrey Crime Family away
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ We've officially entered the mirror universe as Paul Wulff is now replacing Beau Baldwin
  12.Idaho State ____________0-8_____0-11____ One Hawkins at the top, the other Hawkins at the bottom…

Very solid list, Mvem. It’s hard to see Davis having more than 2 total losses. And the conference schedule is highly favorable.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Very solid list, Mvem. It’s hard to see Davis having more than 2 total losses. And the conference schedule is highly favorable.

Thanks.

[SuperHornet]

Ain't no way the Manure Pile will be above Sac. While I'm not going to predict an undefeated season again, and it's been a while since I've seen the entire schedule, I see us as 8-3 or better.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Ain't no way the Manure Pile will be above Sac. While I'm not going to predict an undefeated season again, and it's been a while since I've seen the entire schedule, I see us as 8-3 or better.

My picks for Sac:

W - @ Nicholls (a loss wouldn't shock me since it's in Louisiana in the Summer)
W - Texas A&M-Commerce
L - @ Stanford (I would've picked a win here if Stanford's coach was somebody else)
L - @ Idaho
W - NAU
W - @ Northern Colorado
W - Montana St.
W - Idaho St.
L - @ Montana
W - Cal Poly
L - @ UC Davis

[SuperHornet]

Thanks for showing me the schedule, Venus. Based on THAT, I'm going 11-1. The only loss is Stanford, which gives us a shot at another undie record since they have a history of playing to the level of the opponent (though not as bad about it as OR State). I'm still going to call that a loss for now, though.

[SeattleGriz]

• 1. UC Davis ______________8-0____10-1_____ The Aggies looked like a top-10 team during the second half of last season
  2. Idaho___________________7-1_____9-2_____ The Vandals are loaded on offense, so their main focus should be avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ The 'Cats are contenders, of course, but they have too many tough road games
  4. Montana _______________5-3_____8-3_____ Will Bobby Hauck's game of assistant-coach musical chairs pay off?
  5. Weber State____________5-3_____6-5_____ Weber should still be decent, but it's probably "mental" to pick them at the top after their losses on offense
  6. Sacramento State ______5-3_____7-4_____ Having to play their successful, just departed coach in mid-September should make the Hornet non-conference nice & awkward
  7. Eastern Washington____4-4_____4-7_____ The Eags decide to commit schedule suicide again as an 0-5 start is plausible
  8. Portland State__________3-5_____4-7_____ Bruce Barnum looks to get his 8th. straight losing season
  9. Northern Arizona ______2-6_____3-8_____ Chris Ball figured out his employment situation as he brought in ≈30 FBS & FCS transfers
  10.Northern Colorado_____2-6_____2-9_____ The Bears enter witness protection after putting the McCaffrey Crime Family away
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ We've officially entered the mirror universe as Paul Wulff is now replacing Beau Baldwin
  12.Idaho State ____________0-8_____0-11____ One Hawkins at the top, the other Hawkins at the bottom…

Nice list. I second Kalm.

[BlackFalkin]

• 1. UC Davis ______________8-0____10-1_____ The Aggies looked like a top-10 team during the second half of last season
  2. Idaho___________________7-1_____9-2_____ The Vandals are loaded on offense, so their main focus should be avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ The 'Cats are contenders, of course, but they have too many tough road games
  4. Montana _______________5-3_____8-3_____ Will Bobby Hauck's game of assistant-coach musical chairs pay off?
  5. Weber State____________5-3_____6-5_____ Weber should still be decent, but it's probably "mental" to pick them at the top after their losses on offense
  6. Sacramento State ______5-3_____7-4_____ Having to play their successful, just departed coach in mid-September should make the Hornet non-conference nice & awkward
  7. Eastern Washington____4-4_____4-7_____ The Eags decide to commit schedule suicide again as an 0-5 start is plausible
  8. Portland State__________3-5_____4-7_____ Bruce Barnum looks to get his 8th. straight losing season
  9. Northern Arizona ______2-6_____3-8_____ Chris Ball figured out his employment situation as he brought in ≈30 FBS & FCS transfers
  10.Northern Colorado_____2-6_____2-9_____ The Bears enter witness protection after putting the McCaffrey Crime Family away
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ We've officially entered the mirror universe as Paul Wulff is now replacing Beau Baldwin
  12.Idaho State ____________0-8_____0-11____ One Hawkins at the top, the other Hawkins at the bottom…

Idaho State has renovated their stadium, so they’ll win at least a few games, if not more. Bank it!

[Mvemjsunpx]

Idaho State has renovated their stadium, so they’ll win at least a few games, if not more. Bank it!

ISU has maybe 3 winnable games on their schedule: vs. NoCo, vs. EWU, @ PSU. Their non-conference schedule is suicide.

Anything more than 2 wins would really surprise me.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Nice list. I second Kalm.

Thanks.

[BlackFalkin]

• 1. UC Davis ______________8-0____10-1_____ The Aggies looked like a top-10 team during the second half of last season
  2. Idaho___________________7-1_____9-2_____ The Vandals are loaded on offense, so their main focus should be avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ The 'Cats are contenders, of course, but they have too many tough road games
  4. Montana _______________5-3_____8-3_____ Will Bobby Hauck's game of assistant-coach musical chairs pay off?
  5. Weber State____________5-3_____6-5_____ Weber should still be decent, but it's probably "mental" to pick them at the top after their losses on offense
  6. Sacramento State ______5-3_____7-4_____ Having to play their successful, just departed coach in mid-September should make the Hornet non-conference nice & awkward
  7. Eastern Washington____4-4_____4-7_____ The Eags decide to commit schedule suicide again as an 0-5 start is plausible
  8. Portland State__________3-5_____4-7_____ Bruce Barnum looks to get his 8th. straight losing season
  9. Northern Arizona ______2-6_____3-8_____ Chris Ball figured out his employment situation as he brought in ≈30 FBS & FCS transfers
  10.Northern Colorado_____2-6_____2-9_____ The Bears enter witness protection after putting the McCaffrey Crime Family away
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ We've officially entered the mirror universe as Paul Wulff is now replacing Beau Baldwin
  12.Idaho State ____________0-8_____0-11____ One Hawkins at the top, the other Hawkins at the bottom…

Idaho starts the season @Lamar, @ Nevada, @ California
What’s up with that Mvem?

[BlackFalkin]

• 1. UC Davis ______________8-0____10-1_____ The Aggies looked like a top-10 team during the second half of last season
  2. Idaho___________________7-1_____9-2_____ The Vandals are loaded on offense, so their main focus should be avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ The 'Cats are contenders, of course, but they have too many tough road games
  4. Montana _______________5-3_____8-3_____ Will Bobby Hauck's game of assistant-coach musical chairs pay off?
  5. Weber State____________5-3_____6-5_____ Weber should still be decent, but it's probably "mental" to pick them at the top after their losses on offense
  6. Sacramento State ______5-3_____7-4_____ Having to play their successful, just departed coach in mid-September should make the Hornet non-conference nice & awkward
  7. Eastern Washington____4-4_____4-7_____ The Eags decide to commit schedule suicide again as an 0-5 start is plausible
  8. Portland State__________3-5_____4-7_____ Bruce Barnum looks to get his 8th. straight losing season
  9. Northern Arizona ______2-6_____3-8_____ Chris Ball figured out his employment situation as he brought in ≈30 FBS & FCS transfers
  10.Northern Colorado_____2-6_____2-9_____ The Bears enter witness protection after putting the McCaffrey Crime Family away
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ We've officially entered the mirror universe as Paul Wulff is now replacing Beau Baldwin
  12.Idaho State ____________0-8_____0-11____ One Hawkins at the top, the other Hawkins at the bottom…

UC Davis plays Oregon State, Eastern Wash, Weber State, Sac State and Montana. You have them going 10-1. You think they’ll go 4-1 or 5-0 against those five teams?

[SuperHornet]

• 1. UC Davis ______________8-0____10-1_____ The Aggies looked like a top-10 team during the second half of last season
  2. Idaho___________________7-1_____9-2_____ The Vandals are loaded on offense, so their main focus should be avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ The 'Cats are contenders, of course, but they have too many tough road games
  4. Montana _______________5-3_____8-3_____ Will Bobby Hauck's game of assistant-coach musical chairs pay off?
  5. Weber State____________5-3_____6-5_____ Weber should still be decent, but it's probably "mental" to pick them at the top after their losses on offense
  6. Sacramento State ______5-3_____7-4_____ Having to play their successful, just departed coach in mid-September should make the Hornet non-conference nice & awkward
  7. Eastern Washington____4-4_____4-7_____ The Eags decide to commit schedule suicide again as an 0-5 start is plausible
  8. Portland State__________3-5_____4-7_____ Bruce Barnum looks to get his 8th. straight losing season
  9. Northern Arizona ______2-6_____3-8_____ Chris Ball figured out his employment situation as he brought in ≈30 FBS & FCS transfers
  10.Northern Colorado_____2-6_____2-9_____ The Bears enter witness protection after putting the McCaffrey Crime Family away
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ We've officially entered the mirror universe as Paul Wulff is now replacing Beau Baldwin
  12.Idaho State ____________0-8_____0-11____ One Hawkins at the top, the other Hawkins at the bottom…

UC Davis plays Oregon State, Eastern Wash, Weber State, Sac State and Montana. You have them going 10-1. You think they’ll go 4-1 or 5-0 against those five teams?

No, I don't think the Manure Pile will beat EWU, Weber, Sac, or Montana. They MIGHT win HALF of those, but they certainly will NOT beat the Hornets. OR State? That's a different story. They have a history of playing to the level of the competition, and have lost to multiple Big Sky teams. I think even Davis has beaten OR State. They even lost to a UOP team that was in a I-A league that was probably equivalent to or even inferior to the Big Sky at the time, and that UOP team gave up the ghost after that season ended. The pressure of the Pac-12 implosion might also have an effect on OR State's season. I wouldn't be surprised to see Davis beat the Beavers, and then have problems getting through the conference season, simply because I see the entire top half of the Big Sky as better than OR State and Wazzu. (OK, I may be exaggerating that, but I would put Montana, MT State, BBQ, EWU, and Sac in that category.

[BlackFalkin]

UC Davis plays Oregon State, Eastern Wash, Weber State, Sac State and Montana. You have them going 10-1. You think they’ll go 4-1 or 5-0 against those five teams?

No, I don't think the Manure Pile will beat EWU, Weber, Sac, or Montana. They MIGHT win HALF of those, but they certainly will NOT beat the Hornets. OR State? That's a different story. They have a history of playing to the level of the competition, and have lost to multiple Big Sky teams. I think even Davis has beaten OR State. They even lost to a UOP team that was in a I-A league that was probably equivalent to or even inferior to the Big Sky at the time, and that UOP team gave up the ghost after that season ended. The pressure of the Pac-12 implosion might also have an effect on OR State's season. I wouldn't be surprised to see Davis beat the Beavers, and then have problems getting through the conference season, simply because I see the entire top half of the Big Sky as better than OR State and Wazzu. (OK, I may be exaggerating that, but I would put Montana, MT State, BBQ, EWU, and Sac in that category.

Oregon State still hasn’t completed their stadium renovation, so I agreed Davis will give ‘em a fight, but I’ll take the Beavers in that game. OSU better show up this season or they’ll get washed (along with Washington State) in Conference Realignment. I think they know that. I think this season sees Sacramento State, Weber State (renovation), EWU, or MSU at the top. Sac State may not just go away after last season, and Weber State may finally show up late. It’s hard to forecast.

[Mvemjsunpx]

Idaho starts the season @Lamar, @ Nevada, @ California
What’s up with that Mvem?

They don't like playing in the Kibbie Dome, I guess?

I still have them going 2-1: Lamar's terrible and both FBS games are winnable (especially Nevada).

[Mvemjsunpx]

UC Davis plays Oregon State, Eastern Wash, Weber State, Sac State and Montana. You have them going 10-1. You think they’ll go 4-1 or 5-0 against those five teams?

I have them losing to OSU and narrowly edging out Weber on the road. They get the other 3 at home (and I think they're better than those 3 anyway).

[BlackFalkin]

Idaho starts the season @Lamar, @ Nevada, @ California
What’s up with that Mvem?

They don't like playing in the Kibbie Dome, I guess?

I still have them going 2-1: Lamar's terrible and both FBS games are winnable (especially Nevada).

So that could be a 3-0 start to the Idaho’s 2023 campaign, YEAH Go VANDALS! In 2022 Idaho & UC Davis finish 4th & 5th, and this season they’re walking through 2 FBS teams on the road, and winning an FCS Championship. You’re either a genius or pickin up cow pies for 40 years has rotten you brain Mvem. Yoooo Hoo! Go Vandals!!

[Mvemjsunpx]

They don't like playing in the Kibbie Dome, I guess?

I still have them going 2-1: Lamar's terrible and both FBS games are winnable (especially Nevada).

So that could be a 3-0 start to Davis’ 2023 campaign, YEAH Go AGGIES! In 2022 Idaho & UC Davis finish 4th & 5th, and this season they’re walking through 2 FBS teams on the road, and winning an FCS Championship. You’re either a genius or pickin up cow pies for 40 years has rotten you brain Mvem. Yoooo Hoo! Go Aggies! Gunrock!

I didn't pick Davis to win an FBS game; I have them losing to Oregon State.

Davis & Idaho didn't lose much, and they get most all of their tough conference games at home. MSU has some difficult road games, while Sac/Weber lost a lot on offense as well as their successful head coaches. As for the Griz… I just don't see them being much (if any) better than last year overall.

[Caribbean Hen]

Big Sky has lots of good teams until the playoffs start

Media darlins

[kalm]

Big Sky has lots of good teams until the playoffs start

Media darlins

Something’s never change…

[BlackFalkin]

Big Sky has lots of good teams until the playoffs start

Media darlins

Something’s never change…

Speaking of Brandon Kaufman diving into the endzone, Delaware really hasn’t recovered from that loss in Frisco. Have they Caribbean Hen?

[Mvemjsunpx]

• 1. UC Davis ______________8-0____10-1_____ The Aggies looked like a top-10 team during the second half of last season
  2. Idaho___________________7-1_____9-2_____ The Vandals are loaded on offense, so their main focus should be avoiding the dreaded sophomore slump
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ The 'Cats are contenders, of course, but they have too many tough road games
  4. Montana _______________5-3_____8-3_____ Will Bobby Hauck's game of assistant-coach musical chairs pay off?
  5. Weber State____________5-3_____6-5_____ Weber should still be decent, but it's probably "mental" to pick them at the top after their losses on offense
  6. Sacramento State ______5-3_____7-4_____ Having to play their successful, just departed coach in mid-September should make the Hornet non-conference nice & awkward
  7. Eastern Washington____4-4_____4-7_____ The Eags decide to commit schedule suicide again as an 0-5 start is plausible
  8. Portland State__________3-5_____4-7_____ Bruce Barnum looks to get his 8th. straight losing season
  9. Northern Arizona ______2-6_____3-8_____ Chris Ball figured out his employment situation as he brought in ≈30 FBS & FCS transfers
  10.Northern Colorado_____2-6_____2-9_____ The Bears enter witness protection after putting the McCaffrey Crime Family away
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ We've officially entered the mirror universe as Paul Wulff is now replacing Beau Baldwin
  12.Idaho State ____________0-8_____0-11____ One Hawkins at the top, the other Hawkins at the bottom…

• 1. Montana _______________7-1____10-1_____ +2/+2 vs. my predictions
  2. Idaho __________________6-2_____8-3_____ -1/-1 vs. my predictions
  3. Montana State__________6-2_____8-3_____ Nailed It!
  4. Northern Arizona ______5-3_____5-6_____ +3/+2 vs. my predictions
  5. UC Davis_______________5-3_____7-4_____ -3/-3 vs. my predictions
  6. Sacramento State ______4-4_____7-4_____ -1/0 vs. my predictions
  7. Portland State__________4-4_____5-6_____ +1/+1 vs. my predictions
  8. Weber State____________4-4_____6-5_____ -1/0 vs. my predictions
  9. Idaho State ____________3-5_____3-8_____ +3/+3 vs. my predictions
  10.Eastern Washington____3-5_____4-7_____ -1/0 vs. my predictions
  11.Cal Poly _______________1-7_____3-8_____ Nailed It!
  12.Northern Colorado_____0-8_____0-11____ -2/-2 vs. my predictions

I only nailed 2 teams, one less than last year, but I did get the overall records for 3 other teams (all won a non-conference game I didn't expect).
It's the second-straight year I've nailed the records for MSU and Cal Poly.
The Griz went from looking much worse than I expected in September to looking a bit better than I figured in October/November.
Davis wasn't as good as I expected—even with Larison available the whole season, I doubt they would've gone 10-1
Chris Ball almost certainly keeps his job if his team bothers to show up for Utah Tech.
Ed Lamb has even more work to do than I thought.

[dbackjon]

Ain't no way the Manure Pile will be above Sac. While I'm not going to predict an undefeated season again, and it's been a while since I've seen the entire schedule, I see us as 8-3 or better.

Well...

[Mvemjsunpx]

Ain't no way the Manure Pile will be above Sac. While I'm not going to predict an undefeated season again, and it's been a while since I've seen the entire schedule, I see us as 8-3 or better.

Well...

SH mysteriously hasn't logged in since August, so I have no idea if he'll see this.