Griz picked second, Bobcats fourth in Big Sky Polls

On the final day of the 2021 Big Sky Kickoff in Spokane, it was unanimous, the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats are both Top 5 Big Sky teams, and the league thinks very highly of four-time Big Sky champion Weber State.

While the Wildcats were picked to win the league title this fall in both the Big Coaches Preseason Poll and the Big Sky Media Preseason Poll, both polls also tabbed the Grizzlies to finish second and the Bobcats to finish fourth, with Eastern Washington in between.

The Bobcats and Grizzlies tied for third in the Big Sky in 2019, both going 6-2. Both squads also reached the FCS playoffs that season with the Griz falling to Weber in the quarterfinals, and the Cats losing to North Dakota State in the semifinals.

Of course, the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, and the Griz and Cats both opted out of the Big Sky spring season. Montana did play two games against Central Washington and Portland State, while the Cats opted for a normal spring after head coach Jeff Choate left for the University of Texas. MSU is now headed by former NDSU and Wyoming offensive coordinator Brent Vigen.

As for the remainder of the polls, they agreed on Sacramento State at No. 5, followed by UC Davis, Northern Arizona, Idaho, Idaho State, Portland State and Southern Utah. Cal Poly and Northern Colorado were picked 12th and 13th in the Coaches Poll and the order was flipped in the media poll.

Also at the Big Sky Kickoff, five Grizzlies and a pair of Bobcats were named to the Preseason Big Sky All-Conference Team.

TV schedules by ESPN and Root Sports were also announced at the event. Root is downsizing its Big Sky coverage, likely due to its new deals with the Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Kraken. The Bobcats and Grizzlies will each play two Root games, including the Nov. 21 Brawl of the Wild in Missoula. Other Root games include Montana State hosting Cal Poly on Oct. 9 and Montana hosting Southern Utah on Oct. 30. The Griz will also have its road game at Eastern Washington nationally televised on ESPNU Oct. 2, while the Bobcats will play at Weber State Friday, Oct. 15, on ESPNU as well.

The remainder of the Cats and Griz TV schedules and kickoff times have yet to be announced. The Grizzlies open their season at Washington Sept. 4, while the Cats play at Wyoming that same night to open their season.