Week 7 Big Sky Power Rankings
The latest Big Sky power rankings are here as conference play takes full effect. The Week 7 conference slate is headlined by No. 16 Montana traveling to face No. 3 Idaho in the battle for the Little Brown Stein.
Each week we will release updated power rankings for the Big Sky. Week 7 Big Sky Power Rankings are listed below.
No. 12 Cal Poly (2-4)
Cal Poly lost in blowout fashion to Idaho last weekend 42-14. The Mustangs drop to 0-3 in Big Sky play and continue to have issues putting points on the board. Only Weber State has a worse offense statistically and in conference play, Cal Poly has only averaged 259 yards per game. The bright spot has been defensive end Elijah Ponder, who added two more sacks to his season total of five. The Mustangs continue to play the top of the conference as the Mustangs travel to Bozeman to play Montana State in Week 7.
No. 11 Northern Colorado (0-5)
Northern Colorado fell to Weber State in heartbreaking fashion two weeks ago. The Bears held a 21-7 lead going into halftime and maintained that lead until late in the fourth quarter, but a pair of costly turnovers secured the win for the Wildcats. Looking forward, the Bears still have the worst defense in the Big Sky and are allowing over 500 yards per game. The Bears had a much-needed bye week this past weekend and the quest for the first win of the season will continue this week against Sacramento State.
No. 10 Weber State (3-3)
Weber State drops again after a humbling home loss to Northern Arizona last weekend. The Wildcats are a mess offensively right now as the Wildcats rank last in yards per play, yards per game, points per game, total touchdowns, and passing yards in conference play. Weber State has only scored four touchdowns in three games, including one defensive touchdown. Running Back Damon Bankston has missed time with an injury, but there are bigger issues as the offense only averaged 3.3 yards a play against Northern Arizona. The schedule does not get any easier as Weber State plays two playoff contenders in UC Davis and Eastern Washington in the next two weeks.
No. 9 Idaho State (1-4)
Idaho State lost a competitive 28-20 game against Montana in Week 5 before a bye week last weekend. The Bengals jump a spot to No. 9 because of Weber State’s poor play and the promise of freshman quarterback Jordan Cooke. The Bengals have a huge opportunity this week as Eastern Washington comes to town. Idaho State has an excellent opportunity to climb the rankings with an upset win over the Eagles. This team needs to capitalize on some of the momentum built in Missoula two weeks ago.
No. 8 Portland State (2-3)
Portland State drops to No. 8 during their bye week after Montana’s big win at UC Davis. The Vikings have a big opportunity on the road at Northern Arizona this Saturday to jump into the top half of the rankings. The potential of this team is still unknown as the Vikings have played the worst team in the conference (Cal Poly) and the best team (Montana State). This week will be an opportunity to evaluate the rushing offense (2nd in the conference) against Northern Arizona's top rushing defense. If Dante Chachere and Jobi Malary can consistently move the ball on the ground, Portland State has a chance to pull off the upset.
No. 7 UC Davis (3-3)
UC Davis drops to No. 7 after a tough home loss last Saturday against Montana and is now 1-2 in conference play. The Aggies are still ranked in the top five in both total defense and total offense, but the offense has struggled to execute without running Lan Larison. The Aggies only scored three second-half points against Montana. Offensive coordinator Mike Cody and veteran quarterback Miles Hastings need to come up with some creative options to score if the Aggies want to stay alive in the playoff hunt. UC Davis travels to Weber State this Saturday in a must-win game for both teams.
No. 6 Montana (5-1)
Montana makes a jump in this week’s edition of the Big Sky power rankings after a huge road win against UC Davis. The defense played an excellent second half after holding the Aggies to only three points and forcing a turnover that clinched the game. Montana found an answer to the quarterback situation in Clifton McDowell as he looked more relaxed and made some big throws. Running back Eli Gillman continued to generate explosive plays with an 85-yard touchdown that changed the momentum of the game. The offense still has room to grow as the Grizzlies only averaged 4.6 yards per carry last Saturday. Montana travels to the Kibbie Dome seeking to avenge last year’s rivalry loss. The defense will need to create turnovers, Junior Bergen will need to be special as a returner, and the offense needs to break some explosive plays.
No. 5 Northern Arizona (2-4)
Northern Arizona might be 2-4 but with a 27-10 road win over Weber State, the Lumberjacks move to 2-1 in the conference with wins over two playoff teams from a year ago. The Lumberjacks have been impressive defensively and boast the No. 1 rushing defense and the No. 2 overall defense in the Big Sky this season. Defensive end Eloi Kwete had another big game against Weber State and added to his conference-leading total of 6.5 sacks. Northern Arizona continues to steadily improve on offense as the Lumberjacks rank No. 6 in total offense. The Lumberjacks have a big matchup against Portland State this Saturday as the conference’s best-rushing defense faces one of the best-rushing offenses in the conference. This game will be an opportunity for Northern Arizona to solidify itself as a top-half Big Sky team or fall back to the pack near the bottom.
No. 4 Eastern Washington (2-3)
Eastern Washington comes off a bye week hoping to be healthier than a week ago at the quarterback spot. Kekoa Visperas missed the Idaho game and the Eagles will want him to be healthy for an upcoming matchup against Idaho State. This upcoming matchup will be a good test for this team to cement its place in the top five of the conference. The main area of improvement for Eastern Washington is the run defense, which ranks last in the Big Sky.
No. 3 Sacramento State (4-1)
Sacramento State comes off a bye week to face Northern Colorado on the road. The bye week came at an opportune time as the Hornets are coming off two straight one-score games. Saturday’s game should be a good warm-up as the Hornets prepare to welcome Montana State to Sacramento the week after. Look for Sacramento State to get the running game going this weekend.
No. 2 Idaho (5-1)
Idaho remains at No. 2 after a routine 42-14 win over Cal Poly. Up next is the rivalry game with Montana at a sold-out Kibbie Dome. Idaho’s passing game has struggled over the last couple of weeks and will face an opportunistic Montana secondary. Look for Gevani McCoy to get in rhythm early and look to Jermaine Jackson and Hayden Hatten for big plays down the field. The good news is the rushing attack continues to shine behind Anthony Woods and Nick Romano.
No. 1 Montana State (4-1)
Montana State remains in the No. 1 spot after a bye week. The Bobcats host Cal Poly on Saturday before a top-10 matchup against Sacramento State. Colorado State transfer Ty McCullouch will be a player to watch after seeing his first action against Portland State and had a couple of catches as well as a couple of punt returns. The speedy slot receiver could give the Bobcats' offense exactly what it needs: another proven target in the receiver group. The Bobcats have been dominant on both sides of the ball and should not have trouble against Cal Poly. It will be fun to see if Coach Brett Vigen put in any new wrinkles to one of the most creative offenses in all of college football.
