Predicting the Frontier Conference is fun, and we all have our own methods

Prognosicating is fun. Football fans especially love to do it, and that’s what the month of August is all about. When July ends, it’s always time to start looking ahead to the next college football season.

And that’s what I’ve been doing as it pertains to the Frontier Conference for over a month now.

But the looking ahead is almost over. The wait is almost over. The Montana State University-Northern Lights kick off the 2013 season Thursday night in Dickinson, N.D., so it’s almost game time.

And for the second straight Frontier season, I will be running my own weekly Frontier Conference Power Rankings. There will be no ties in my rankings, and it will be based soley on my opinion as a Frontier beat writer and no one else’s.

Brand new this year, especially since the league doesn’t do their own, I’m also releasing my Frontier Preseason All-Conference list in this column, complete with my picks for the league’s offensive and defensive MVP’s.

So here is the week one HDN Power Rankings, as well as my own all-conference list. Enjoy, debate, disagree. That’s what the football season is all about for fans.

And in the mean time, it’s almost game time.

HDN Week One Frontier

Power Rankings

1. Montana Tech

2. Carroll College

3. Southern Oregon

4. MSU-Northern

5. Rocky Mountain

6. Eastern Oregon

7. UM-Western

8. Dickinson State

HDN Frontier Preseason

All-Conference Team

Offense

QB Austin Dodge, SOU; QB Derek Lear, MSU-N; RB Pat Hansen, TECH; RB Dustin Rinker, CC; OL Rostyn Pace, MSU-N; Sonny Akhui; RMC; Drew Gibson, SOU; Levi Coughlin, CC; Ryan Armstrong, CC; WR Andre McCullouch, RMC; WR James Roberts, TECH, WR Jace Billingsly, EOU; WR Orin Johnson, MSU-N; TE Clay Sierra, SOU; P Travis Farewell, TECH.

Defense

DL Wes Orr, EOU; DL Jacob Workman, TECH; DL Dakota Amy, CC; DL Mike Waldman, TECH; LB Sean Blomquist, CC; Mike Touzinsky, TECH; LB Kasey Griffith; UM-W; LB Jordan Van Voast; MSU-N; LB Josh Johnson, RMC; DB Travis Bertelsen, RMC; Mike Siegersma, CC; Josh Baum, MSU-N; Corey Brummer, RMC; Josh Leff, SOU; K Matt Berg, TECH; RS Kedrick Starr, EOU.

Offensive MVP: Austin Dodge, SOU

Defensive MVP: Josh Johnson, RMC

Game Week

Here's a look ahead at our MSU-N coverage of the opening game.

Tuesday: Preview of the MSU-N defense and special teams.

Wednesday: Preview of the MSU-N offense.

Thursday: Lights/Blue Hawks game preview.

Friday: Complete wrapup of Thursday night's game at DSU.