When I'm not covering one or the other, it's certainly no secret where my in-state loyalties lie as it pertains to Montana and Montana State University football.
    And that's why it's painful, like nails on a chalkboard to say that it looks more and more like the best college football team in the state this fall resides in Bozeman, and not Missoula.
    It was bound to happen sooner or later, but the Bobcats are playing like a team who is not only going to win a Big Sky Conference championship, but like a squad which could go deep into the FCS playoffs this winter.
    Coming into the season, I knew the Bobcats were going to be good. They are talented all over the field, and head coach Rob Ash's decision to start redshirt freshman Denarius McGhee in a spread offense looks like the move that has put MSU over the top.
    For the last few seasons, Montana State has possessed one of the best offensive lines in the FCS, not to mention a great defense. The Bobcats play hard-nosed, physical football that's actually a joy to watch.
    But Ash has added skill, speed and talent to that mix and it's paying big dividends this season.
    With McGhee at the helm, and with a bevy of talented receivers, led by Julius Lloyd and Everett Gilbert, the MSU passing game is as dynamic as it has been in years. McGhee and the Cat receivers are making MSU fans finally quit clinging to the Travis Lulay days.
    But what's made MSU even more explosive (the Cats are second in the FCS in scoring and third in total offense) is the emergence of running back Orenzo Davis. He's exploded onto the scene in a season when it looked as though MSU's running game was thought to be a weak point.
    But with all of that, the Cats have been talented in the past and still they managed to underachieve. The Bobcats could always be counted on to follow up great wins with silly and head-scratching losses.
    Not this season.
    MSU is a different team, and   it doesn't appear that the Bobcats will falter any time soon. Not only does it seem like they have all the pieces in place, but it looks as though they have the intangibles too — something they've been missing the last few 6-5 seasons.
    In their last two games, the Bobcats have outlasted Sacramento State in a 66-63 thriller and came back from an 18-3 deficit against Portland State at home. The old Bobcats, the ones I used to count on to choke those games away, would have done just that.
    But this is a different year in Bozeman, and at the halfway point in the season, I have to say, the Bobcats are top dog in Montana.
    And for now, albeit painful to do, I'll have to give the Bobcats and their fans their due.
    Ouch.