Which game will we find out how good our team really is?

[weberwildcat]

Ive seen a lot of comments about this team is ranked too high, this team too low, this one isn't ranked...

The preseason rankings don't mean much when we don't really know how good all the teams really are until they actually step onto the field.

At what point in your season will you really know?

I think for Weber State it will be week 3, at Sacramento State.

We start at FBS BC then host Northern Colorado. I don't think either of those games will tell me much (that is unless we lose to UNC). I think the Sac game will tell us how good Weber will be. Everyone is saying Sac is gonna be really good. After Sac (Sep 18) we don't have another road game until Nov 6th (unless you coun't Idaho State).

September 4: @ Boston College
September 11: Northern Colorado
September 18: @ Sacramento State

[kuntryboimike]

Liberty will have a really good idea how good they are after the game at Ball State and we will know exactly what kind of team we're looking at after the JMU game.

[weberwildcat]

For Idaho State it is possible they will know week 1, Sep 4. They host Montana Western which is a DII or NAIA. Last year ISU lost at home to a DII.

[weberwildcat]

I think EWU we will know after the first game on the red turf. They have the toughest 1st half of conference this year.

@ Nevada
DII (neutral field)

Montana (ranked)
@ Montana St (ranked)
@ Weber (ranked? maybe)
NAU (ranked)

[Mountaineer]

Week #1 against an improving Nooga team.

I can already see dback's "If App doesn't beat Chatty by 35 should they be out of the Top 25?" thread.

[clenz]

The first 5 games of the year for UNI are the toughest


NDSU
Stephan F. Austin
@Iowa State
South Dakota State
Southern Illinois


That is an FBS, 3 top 20 FCS, and NDSU who should be alittle better than last year

[BearIt]

For Montana I would say game 3 VS EWU. It will be in Cheney with a team all jacked up about their red field. That game will be our toughest road game of the regular season.

Our 1st two games are Western State and Cal Poly. After CP's season last year, I really can't see that game determining how good MT is.

[SDHornet]

I think for Weber State it will be week 3, at Sacramento State.

I agree. I think this game will tell a lot about both teams. We then follow that game with a trip to Missoula.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

I think EWU we will know after the first game on the red turf. They have the toughest 1st half of conference this year.

@ Nevada (8-5)
CWU (DII #3 end of last year)

Montana (4)
@ Montana St (20)
@ Weber (16)
NAU (9)

Our schedule is definitely top heavy, and probably the toughest or one of the toughest starting schedules in FCS. Unless we beat or keep it close against Nevada, game 3 against Montana will definitely tell us where we stand.

[JayJ79]

Of course, a team could go all bipolar like UNI last year, so no one really knows for sure how good the team is, even by the end of the year.

[kdinva]

For the Keydets, I believe it will be game #2, at W&M....

[g-webb1994]

The game with Western Carolina in week three will set the tempo for the season IMHO. Win that one and G-W has good mojo going on the road for a month.

[Big McLargehuge]

For the Griz its hard to tell with the new coach and system being installed...this is one time I don't actually mind opening the season with a powderpuff team for that reason, but the next two games are on the road and will be much more difficult (Cal Poly is a huge question mark as to where they'll be, but Montana should still beat them...@ Eastern Washington in the third week will be the closer question...but at the same time if Montana loses either of the games it may just be growing pains...hosting Sac State in week 4 should be the latest we could see what we have).


By the end of week 4 Montana should know where we stand under Pflugrad this year though.

[Seawolf97]

Discounting our opener at USF I would say home against UMass on 9/25. Prior to that we have D2 AIC at home and Brown on the road. A win or a close one against UMass will be an important test since they have owned us up until now.

[MSUBear42]

We'll learn a lot just from the first game on Sept. 2nd against Eastern Kentucky.

Our second game is against K-State so hard to judge based on that.

Our first conference game could be one HELLUVA game!!! 9/25 in Normal, Illinois against the fighting redbirds!

[guinzone]

September 25 vs. Southern Illinois.

We got two winnable one's before that after the presumed loss at Ohio State. A win and we are in the playoff hunt, a close loss we are showing signs of being a solid team, and a blowout loss we may be another year or two away.

[DKHardee]

Towson... that should let me know how the rest of the season will go.

[McNeese75]

October 2nd at Northwestern State

By then the Cowboys will have played, Lamar, Missouri and Cal Poly. We should know something

[clenz]

Of course, a team could go all bipolar like UNI last year, so no one really knows for sure how good the team is, even by the end of the year.

Bipolar doesn't explain last season for us.


A bipolar, paranoid schizophrenic on crack would come close though

[Keenan]

Liberty will have a really good idea how good they are after the game at Ball State and we will know exactly what kind of team we're looking at after the JMU game.

Forget Ball St even though it would be nice to beat a lowly FBS team. Liberty will know exactly where they're at after visiting Harrisonburg on 09/25/10.

[SUUTbird]

For us our whole season will be a test as we have no bye weeks and a very rough road, very much hoping we didnt schedule ourselves out of the playoffs this year. However i think the games that will show how good we are asap are:

-@ Texas State
-vs NAU

Think these games will tell us the most since we open with 2 FBS opponents and Pioneer Conference Member San Diego (unless we lose to San Diego). We have had the bobcats number for the past few years and always seem to come out and play our best vs them. The past few seasons we have come up just short against the Lumberjacks but we have them at home this year so hopefully that will give us an edge.

For Idaho State it is possible they will know week 1, Sep 4. They host Montana Western which is a DII or NAIA. Last year ISU lost at home to a DII.

You have to give the Bengals a break though. They lost to Central Washington who is a very good D2 football team who almost beat the Griz in Missoula the year before .

[ODUalum11]

For the Keydets, I believe it will be game #2, at W&M....

same with ODU, the Monarchs will figure out how good they are when we have game #3 (if I remember correctly) against WM.

[JALMOND]

For Portland State, we should have a good idea after the September 11 game at Davis. If we get blown out of that game, it may not be until October 9 at Montana State.

The rest of the Big Sky...

EWU---Sept 18 vs Montana. Starting conference play with the conference top dog. Good early indication for both teams.
ISU---Oct. 2 at Portland State. Bengals beat the Vikings at Pocatello last year. A good indication would be to follow it up with a win in Hillsboro.
UM---Sept 11 at Cal Poly. Most publications have the Mustangs in their top 25 which makes this matchup for the Griz very interesting, right before the conference tussle with EWU.
MSU---Sept 25 vs Eastern Washington. Bobcats are supposed to be good this year, which means a win over the Eagles in Bozeman is a must.
NAU---Oct 2 at Southern Utah. Jacks will need to stay focused for this game and not look forward to the next game at EWU.
UNC---Sept 11 at Weber State. If this is a breakout year for the Bears, it has to start here.
Sac State---Sept 18 vs Weber State. If this truly is the Hornets' year, they cannot stumble at home to anyone.
WSU---Sept 18 at Sacramento State. This win on the road would keep the Wildcats in the upper part of the conference.

Many questions surrounding the conference should be answered by the end of September in my opinion. Of course, it all could be muddled worse then than now, too.

[mcveyrl]

For JMU it will probably be the two week stretch of Liberty and Delaware. While it's possible that one of these teams will not be as good as advertised/predicted, I don't think both of them will be, so our performance during that two week stretch will tell us what we need to know.

[bluehenbillk]

For UD, it's October 2nd at JMU. We should be 4-0 coming into that game, and JMU stuck it to our OL last season.