George Ferguson: Griz must win big road games for a true Return to Dominance

Fresh off of a bye, the likes of which head coach Bobby Hauck never likes, the Montana Grizzlies return to the friendly confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium Saturday afternoon for a rivalry game against the University of Idaho.

And it’s with that game that the real test begins for the undefeated and third-ranked Grizzlies.

Sure, it’s been fun watching Montana dominate most of its games to this point. The Griz hammered the teams they were supposed to, and took care of arguably their toughest two opponents thus far — South Dakota and Portland State. And yet, Montana hasn’t played a team with a winning record.

That’s not a criticism. Everybody plays the schedule that’s laid out for them, and the Griz are no different. It’s absolutely not Montana’s fault if other teams on their schedule aren’t good, so fans of opposing programs always pointing that out, look really silly when they do. They honestly act like Griz players should be ashamed of wins. It’s stupid, and it’s part of what makes opposing fan bases look stupid sometimes. Because, in college football, a win is a win. Period, the end. Done, over, finished. There’s no arguing it. A win is a win. And the Griz enter Saturday’s battle for the Little Brown Stein at 5-0 and they have nothing to be ashamed of, or regret.

Having said that, the gauntlet is coming for Montana. And it’s in this next three games where the Griz, and their fanbase, will find out just how for real they are.

This is easily the best team Idaho has had in a decade. It’s a wonder what a new coach can do for a program. Then, the Griz will play the toughest two-game road stretch of any FCS team in the country, and it’s not up for debate.

Assuming the Griz get by the Vandals, they’ll likely be No. 3 in the country heading into next Saturday’s ESPN showdown at No. 5 and undefeated Sacramento State. The Hornets were picked to repeat as Big Sky champions and they’ve shown no signs that they didn’t deserve the preseason hype.

And Montana will get no reprieve either. To finish the month of October, the Griz travel to current No. 6 Weber State, another unbeaten Big Sky powerhouse who looks like they could very well be one of the best teams in the country as well. That’s a brutal back-to-back stretch right there.

So to the schedule haters, in three week’s time, they won’t be able to criticize any longer. The combined record of Montana’s next three opponents 13-2 with the Vandals having two of those losses, so no more weak schedule talk for the Griz.

Of course, if Montana happens to win even two of those three, the haters will still hate and say Idaho or the Hornets or the Wildcats weren’t for real. Montana will never, ever get credit for the wins in the eyes of at least some opposing fans.

But, none of that matters. It isn’t about perception, it’s about reality, and for the Griz, this is as real as it gets. Go 3-0 and Montana has a chance to win the Big Sky championship and be a top seed in the FCS playoffs. Go 2-1 and the same might be true. Go 1-2 or worse, with games against Eastern Washington and a juggernaut of a Montana State squad still coming, and it’s probably another year of the Griz not quite reaching their goals.

So, now is the time Montana. You want to finally prove #RTD (Return to Dominance), win on the road. Win those two huge games on the road against great teams. That’s what great teams do, and that’s what Montana used to do all the time.

Now it’s time for the Griz to start doing it again.

Griz RTD? We’ll find out in three short weeks.

Note: The Griz host Idaho Saturday at 1 p.m. in Missoula. The game will be telvised on MTN affiliates. No 4 Montana State travels to Northern Colorado Saturday. The game starts at 1 p.m. and is also televised on MTN.