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Big Sky Now
2026 Big Sky Conference Football Preview: Can Anyone Stop Montana State?
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Big Sky Now returns with our full 2026 Big Sky Conference football season preview! Host Luke Schmit is joined by Fritz Neighbor, Jon Allen, Mark Nelke and Mike Maynard to break down all twelve teams, from defending national champion Montana State to newcomers Utah Tech and Southern Utah.
The panel digs into Montana State's roster after their national title run, Bobby Kennedy's first season leading Montana, health questions for Idaho's Joshua Wood, Idaho State's "prove it" year with Jordan Cook, Eastern Washington's search for consistency under Nate Bell, UC Davis's wide-open quarterback battle, Northern Arizona's Ty Pennington as a breakout candidate, new-coach storylines at Weber State and Portland State, and where Utah Tech and Southern Utah fit as first-year Big Sky members. The show closes with each analyst's preseason offensive and defensive MVP picks and their pick to win the conference championship.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:33 - Panel Check-In & Offseason Catch-Up
06:38 - Big Sky Conference 2026 Overview: New Teams & Coaches
07:18 - Montana State Bobcats Preview
12:56 - Montana Grizzlies Preview
18:16 - Idaho Vandals Preview
20:07 - Idaho State Bengals Preview
23:29 - Eastern Washington Eagles Preview
27:56 - UC Davis Aggies Preview
29:38 - Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Preview
31:34 - Utah Tech & Southern Utah: The New Additions
33:37 - Cal Poly Mustangs Preview
34:17 - Weber State Wildcats Preview
37:26 - Eastern Washington & Conference-Wide Storylines
39:10 - Preseason MVP & Big Sky Champion Picks
45:15 - Closing Thoughts
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On this episode of Big Sky Now, the panel is all back together and we discussed our 2026 season preview of the Big Sky Conference. We give our preseason MVP picks, our champion of the year, and dive into each team to talk about what to expect this upcoming season. Before we start, I'd like to give a special thank you to MNC Tires for sponsoring this podcast. Let's not waste any time and get right to it. Welcome back everyone to the Big Sky Now podcast. I am your host, Lou Guzman, and I am very thrilled to be back for the 2026-2027 season. Along as my panel, I will introduce them in a second. I just wanted to say how excited I am and appreciate everyone tuning into our podcast. We were able to go to Spokane a few weeks ago and catch up with a few players on a couple different teams, and that was just eye-opening for me. So just wanted to thank everyone for tuning into that also. But without further ado, let me introduce my panel. First from the Daily Interlakes Sports Editor, I have Fritz Neighbor. Then I have Daily Interlake Sports Reporter John Allen. And next, Columbia Basin Herald Sports Reporter Mike Maynard. And last but not least, we have Mark Nelke from the Quarterlane Press. Guys, I just want to thank you all for being on time today. That's what we were talking about before. We're ready to go. Everyone's jumping at the bit to talk football. Fritz, I'm gonna talk to you, you know, first, you know, tell me how your summer's been and uh maybe what you've been up to, and then if you want to talk about uh maybe something you're excited about this season for football.
SPEAKER_04Until recently, I was just breathing a lot of smoke for the last three weeks, and then we finally got some rain. And uh you know, um just I I think we all uh we all try to get our PTO in during the summer because you know once uh once September comes around, it's all over. We don't have much time to uh take off. Um so uh I can't say it's been real productive. You know, until we got to Spokane anyway.
SPEAKER_01That's right, Spokane at least at least saved a little bit of the smoke. We we were having some some fun there for sure. Uh I'm gonna go to John next. John's had uh last year was pretty perfect for him football-wise, but I'll let him talk. John, talk to us what you've been up to, and you know what do you think about this big sky football season?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I've uh like you kind of mentioned last year with uh podcasts getting the all the pick the the Pigs championship. Can't say that I'll do that again this year, but gonna have to try. But uh personal fandom as well, you know, with the Seattle Seahawks winning the Super Bowl was a great season. So um I'm uh I've I've been riding that high throughout the summer, but I'm excited for a new year. Uh get to talk some big sky football with you guys again. And just uh I'm I'm really interested just to see, maybe not inside the big sky totally, but just how the FCS looks with North Dakota State gone. I think that's my my biggest thing that I want to look into this year.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. Making that jump up to FBS as well as last year's Big Sky team, Sacramento State, also making that jump. And don't want to sell John too short. He also won our fantasy football league as well. So he had quite the fall last year. John, I have one more question for you. Have you been watching Hard Knocks? And if so, uh, have you seen Patrick O'Connell? He's been getting featured on there quite a bit.
SPEAKER_02I have not been watching hard knocks. I'm I have I'm honestly have not really been into the show too much.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, I'll I'll definitely encourage you to check it out there. Uh Cooper Cup's on there, of course, receiver, and there's a lot of big sky players on there. There's a clip of Marshawn Lynch and Ty Okada talking uh on the sideline of a practice. This there's some cool big sky uh clips in there. If anyone's interested, I would very recommend the HBO Hard Knocks. But enough about that. Let's get out to Mark Nelke here. Mark, how have you been this summer? And uh just tell us, you know, football season's got to be the best time of the year, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, first to speak to John's Seahawks, I'm I'm a 49ers fan, so it I it wasn't quite the same postseason as John enjoyed. So I suffice it is to say is I I I have not watched hard knocks and and won't watch hard knocks this year. So but as far as the big sky goes, the one thing I was thinking about early, it'll be curious to see whether all these teams or whoever or most of them that play their first game is a conference game to see how how big a deal that turns out to be at the end. I know they have you know seven more after that after a few weeks, but it'll it'll just be kind of curious because usually a first game is you know when a lot of crazy things happen and upsets happen, and you you wonder if something that happens in the first game is gonna um you know have an impact on the final standings and postseason and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and there's some good matchups week one that we get to talk about next week on the podcast. Very excited to dive into those games. Uh, because usually we're not talking big sky football for four or five weeks, maybe even two months, but we have the pleasure now of uh week one being the official Big Sky game uh for the schedule right now. Last but not least, Mike Maynard here. Mike, you know, saw you, met you in Spokane. It was really great to do that. Really glad you're back this year. You know, how's your summer been? And uh as the new guy of Big Sky, what are you excited for this year?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I uh summer was kind of slow, but you know, with all the high school sports slowing down, you kind of get more time to get creative and pursue some unique stories that you don't always get to. Uh some summer ball and catching up with players that are in college and and whatnot. Just wrote a story on a softball player from Idaho State, uh, Fritz's Bengals. Um so that was that was a fun time writing that story. And um cousin got married, so we got to go back to Ohio and go go have fun at a wedding. Um, other than that, um ever since I've gotten back from that wedding trip, I've been itching for football. Um so that Big Sky Conference media weekend was a lot of fun getting to kind of see all the the big players and coaches um in the Big Sky Conference that make a big difference and are gonna be making a lot of noises here, I imagine. Um learned a lot. Uh so I'm looking forward to seeing, you know, if Montana State can run it back, um, you know, repeat as national champions. Um, yeah, I'm I'm excited to see, you know, who rises to the occasion. We got two new additions to the conference, see how they fare, because I think um Utah Tech that played a lot of our teams last year and gave a lot of them a run for their money. So I'm I'm excited to see how they actually fare officially in the conference.
SPEAKER_01And three new coaches as well, you know, with Montana, Bobby Kennedy taking over. And then we also have new coaches at Weaver State and uh Portland State. So lots new around the conference. We're gonna dive into it all with our team previews uh coming up here. I'm gonna start with John. We're gonna go to Montana State. If uh any of you guys want to jump in, give an opinion, feel free to do so. I'll leave a little bit of space for discussion. Uh, but John, I wanted to let you go first. It was your season last year. I know uh might not be the biggest uh bobcat advocate of the world, but I love hearing your take about Montana State. You know, let's start with the champs. Uh Montana State enters the season with the target on their back this year. You know, do you think they could even be better? And let's hear what other thoughts you have.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, like I kind of mentioned at the beginning with what I'm looking for with North Dakota State gone. I feel like the target's well and truly on Montana State's back now. Um, they rightfully, in my my opinion, we're unanimous number one and a very big margin over Montana. It's uh when you just look at their roster, I kind of took a look over it again yesterday, and I'm gonna leave out probably way too many players, but there's just so many people back this year from that team last year that that you know rattled off that they started off 0-2 and then rattled off all the victories to get to get to the national championship game and and pulled out that uh overtime win over a tough Illinois state team that had proved a lot of doubters wrong. So um, but like you look at the offense, you got Justin Lampson, Adam Jones, you've got both Dowlers, Caden and Taco back. Um, Rocky Lancioni made some big plays down the stretch, Miles Sandset in the kicking games back, Titan Fleischman in the trenches, and I think the biggest addition that they had this year was a transfer, and that's Bruin Fleischman, Titan's brother, who came in from Air Force. And while maybe the stats don't look, you know, great for him if you're just looking at numbers, he had 21 catches, six touchdowns, but um you know they're solid. And then you think Air Force runs a triple option offense, so that those 21 catches were of 95 total completions by the Falcons last year. His six touchdowns led the team. Uh, so you know, to kind of show that to Liam Zarka, the the starting quarterback for the Falcons, only threw 120 pass attempts. He ran the ball 190 times. So um he definitely was a major player in that Air Force offense. The wins may not have come last year, but I think he's gonna be a big addition for this Montana State offense again. Um, and you know, Justin Lamson settled in now for another year. He he's the got continuity now for a season. Um, I just I don't see any way that this Montana State team loses on their own. I think that it's gonna take some inspired play from other teams this season to, you know, get that target and knock them off their peg.
SPEAKER_01It's gonna be an uphill task for any team in the big sky, especially if they're going to Bozeman. That's just gonna be an unreal scene this year, especially their first home game. Uh, can't imagine the scenes there. It's gonna be quite the entrance for the Bobcats return after that thrilling national championship game. Uh like last season, we were talking about, you know, Montana State started 0-2. And for some people that know, you know, they were playing harder schools as they had to go to Oregon and stuff like that. But I really think talking to the guys in the offseason and listening that, you know, that brought them into a realization of what they can do. And this year, I think the sky's the limit for them. John, I have one more question for you, and then you know, anyone else can feel free to give their take about Montana State. Um, you know, if they don't repeat, is there is there something you could see maybe why, or if there's a maybe a weakness on the roster you've seen? I know there's a lot of names and there's a lot of uh preseason accolades for the team, but it maybe there's something that we could maybe pinpoint here.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, um I I've really just looking at it from an outsider's perspective, it to me it just feels like if things get running their way, I don't really see too many weaknesses in general on their team. Uh and that, like I mentioned, it is gonna take, you know, an inspired performance from other teams, especially when they go on the road and play in Bozeman. Um, but you know, this team now has the experience. They have the playoff experience that they, you know, getting the win in the national championship again. And so I I just think it'll be a difficult situation for anybody to knock them off. Yeah, Fritz, do you have anything to add?
SPEAKER_04Well, you know, I just I just don't see a weakness. Um, I have I have some questions about, you know, Adam Jones can't be a guy. I don't think that will get 20 or 25 carries a game, so they need to figure out who um, you know, RB2 is or RB3. And they've got some guys that really had some big games coming back, um, besides Jones. Um, I just think it's notable that in years past they lost a bunch of talent off their own line and it didn't seem to matter. Um, and they lost only one guy um to the portal last year, Cedric Jefferson, since last year. So I just don't I just don't see a weakness with that team. I just think that uh you know, they got through the the wars of the postseason and won the big game. They won that game with with uh their two running backs getting five carries apiece. I still uh I still haven't really uh uh made that math work out and how they still won that game. You know, they blocked two kicks at the end, that helped. Um so you know, they've gotten some big game wins that uh didn't come for them in the past. Uh and uh I just don't see a witness. They're gonna be very tough to be.
SPEAKER_01They're gonna be very tough to beat, and and I'm right there with you, Fritz and John. It's it's gonna take evidence, you know, that we see on Saturdays for us to really change our opinion. Um, you can see how glorified they are in the preseason rankings and accolades, as I already said. So yeah, we know who the favorite is this year. So let's keep going on to our next team. Fritz, I'll jump it right back at you. I know you've been going to practices in Missoula, and I think there's been a little bit more of uh coverage on a couple of the coaches and players this year with uh a new staff or I should say Bobby Kennedy at the helm. Talk to me what your thoughts are about Grizz training camp so far.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you know, um I think we're all maybe a little surprised that they're number two in the country in that in those preseason uh FCS polls. I did rank them, uh I did vote on number two behind MSU in the Big Sky Media poll. And I don't vote in the FCS, you know, the the stats perform polls. I don't uh I don't do that anymore. It's a little bit of a time suck, so I don't miss that at all. Um yeah, train cat's been interesting. They've uh they bring over uh coaches yesterday. It was Eric Sanders of DC came over and talked, and uh he talked a little bit about um you know having those linebackers that are gonna play up to three spots depending on the fronts they play. You know, uh at the last few years under Bobby Hop, we we had that on-man front that they liked. Um we're gonna see four more four-man stuff, but then you have a guy like Solomon Tulia Pupu who will play uh outside backer or inside backer in a three-four look and then move up to uh the buck end when they go with four-down linemen, and they have a couple guys like Justin Eklund from Bowling Green, transferred in. Um he's gonna be one of those guys, Clay Ovin. Um, linebackers and obviously really strong spot. Um the big questions are up front, you know, how do you uh how do you get that O-line and D-line going? I I think um I think when Bob Stitt left, the O-line was kind of in shambles at the University of Montana. Um Bobby Hawk got it uh partially fixed, but I don't think they're quite all the way back where uh he would have liked or a lot of people would have liked. So now you have um now you pretty much have the same team that made it to the semifinals, minus I mean, the only people at the portal were Bobby Hawk and a couple of his assistants, really. I mean, everybody else is back, and then they added six guys at the sort of training camp, and uh they've got some really good skill players. Um it's been interesting to see um there's been quite a few players where they haven't uh there's been a couple practices where they haven't had Ayod uh running 11 on 11, and they bring in uh the number two and three quarterbacks, and number three right now is Columbia Falls, uh uh Cody Schriker. And he's uh looked pretty good. So um they got some great receivers led by Brooks Davis. Obviously, you got Eli Gilman's back, he's a preseason player of the year. Um I also voted Southern Utah number three in the media poll for Big Sky, and that's who the careers opened with. And uh they're gonna be tough. I think that that uh might be the toughest game they have before uh you know the third week in November.
SPEAKER_01Mark, before we talk Idaho, Idaho State, you know, I wanted to get maybe your thoughts about Montana this year. And then Mike, if you want to join in, feel free to do so afterwards.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I think Montana State and Montana are one, two in the conference and by by a fair margin. Um, the one thought I had about Montana State is you look back to their championship game and they went into it, you know, they're playing Illinois State, and it's like, oh, they're gonna win this. They're they should win it, they're gonna be the dominant national champion. As the game played out, they I mean they they almost lost it. They they needed like a block field goal at the end. I mean, people were getting ready for them to lose, and and it's so it's funny how the narrative has changed about Montana State. If that you know, if if Illinois State wins that game, then everybody's looking at Montana State going, what happened to them? And why can't the big sky win the big one and stuff like that? So it it's it's very interesting. And as far as like who who could beat Montana State this year, I guess the it's kind of the same thing is just you play the game. I mean, they were favored to beat Illinois State, and Illinois State almost beat them, maybe should have beat them. But so that that would be the the thing is you just get in a game and you lose, you know, and you lose it, and you're not the national champ. So, but you know, on obviously on paper, they're they're the best team in the country going in.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, anything, Mike, uh Montana, Montana State, before uh I let Mark get to these Idaho teams.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I actually kind of liked hearing what Fritz was saying about Adam Jones, probably not being uh a running back that's gonna get 20 plus carries a game, uh, maybe needing a second back there to kind of rotate in and out. And I feel like football in general, game plan wise, is kind of drifting in that way where you have multiple running backs in the room that could come in at any time and it adds this new wrinkle to what any football team can do on their offense. If if the the Bobcats can find that guy to contrast Adam Jones in the right way, I've the I I could see them only getting stronger and in a moment where we don't find many weaknesses for them. That's kind of a scary thought.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, definitely the scary thought. I agree with you, Mike, on that. And I wanted to hit one thing uh about Montana. You know, this this new staff, I'm really interested. I keep saying staff, new head coach Bobby Kennedy. I'm really interested to see, you know, how the team looks to come out the year because there's been so much talk, and he's got an extension in the offseason already as well. So I want to see what the hype's all about for Montana because he seems like he can lead a group of guys, he's been all around the country, coached at Texas and you know, Penn State, and he's been in the Big Ten. And so that experience I'm interested to see in the big sky. Let's jump over here to Mark now. Mark, I got to hear about Idaho, and then after that, we'll get into Fritz's Bangles.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, okay. You want to start with Idaho? Okay. Um, I think the key is having a healthy Joshua Wood all season. I think they they struggled without him, and even even with him, they had inexperienced receivers, and we're kind of, you know, the talent level dropped a little bit and stuff like that. Um, maybe the coaching, I don't, I mean, it wasn't an accident that they changed coordinators and stuff like that, and they actually had somebody else calling the plays toward the end of last season. So I think you got a healthy Joshua Wood. You got lots of O linemen back. The um the receivers who didn't have any experience last year have some now. Um, they went out and got three um guys with a lot of experience in the portal, so that kind of tells you what they thought of their returning receivers. Um, but like I said, they got a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator. And you know, they they should be better, but a lot of it has to do with keeping keeping Joshua Wood healthy.
SPEAKER_01For Idaho, it's it's for me, it's can they get back to that container, uh, not container, I can't contender and being able to be that national team that was recognized in the past. And, you know, I think they have the foundation, uh, with uh like you said with Joshua Wood, the health comes into a concern as well. And offensive line is gonna be a big strength for them. I know, um, I know they have Henson and Vining back. I remember I was reading up on, and and they finished top four in the sack uh in sacks last year. So I thought, you know, there is some potential there, and then they've got some guys coming back. The question is, can they get back to being that contender that they were used to they used to be? Gonna jump over now to let's talk about Fritz's Bengals here. Uh Mark, I'll have you kind of touch on that, and then uh we can see if anyone else wants to jump in.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, it's funny, it's kind of this is Idaho State's prove-it year. I mean, usually they're kind of they're laying in the weeds or below the weeds, you know, maybe you know, three feet underground and stuff like that. You know, in the last couple of years, they've surprised some people. Last year they were really good and finished strong, beat Idaho and stuff like that. So now we'll see what it's like, you know, for Idaho State when people think they're gonna do well. You know, that's a whole different pressure now. Um, their quarterback cook is back, Dayson Brooks is back, the running back, they lost some pretty good wide receivers. So that'll that'll be interesting. I know they brought in a pretty good transfer. So, and I think um Cody Hawkins said something about their they didn't don't have any linemen back or something. They're really new on that. So that's a big question, Mark. And it's that's you don't notice linemen until you notice the linemen aren't blocking and stuff like that. So that'll it'll be an interesting season for Idaho State to you know see how they do with the expectations and some of the guys back and some holes to fill on the line.
SPEAKER_01I'm excited to see Desam Brooks. Uh, he's on that preseason Walter Payton watch list. That's one player I'm gonna be looking for every single time Idaho State has the ball. That's gonna be fun this year. And I believe I saw they have seven home games this year. So uh it looks like it's gonna be uh might be the year Fritz's Bengals. Fritz, what do you think about that? Let's you get chime in.
SPEAKER_04Well, I agree with Mark. I mean, um I think I think when they hired Cody Hawkins, I had a feeling they were gonna get some some momentum, uh, the kind of momentum they haven't had since Larry Lewis was there. And uh, you know, there's a year in there where um the Bengals were eight and three or eight and four and didn't make the playoffs, and I thought they should have. And I um, but as well as years where the uh big sky wasn't good, and you only took 16 teams to the playoffs, not like now.
SPEAKER_03Um
SPEAKER_04I'm glad Cook is back. I know Brooks is really good. They got a couple quarterbacks who I whose names I can't spell much less pronounce. So I'm hoping Cook doesn't get hurt. And um I noticed uh they've had some injuries on the outside in the receiver group. So uh I think there's a guy named Elijah Beam and who could wind up being a really uh a plus player for him when uh when Jordan Cook gets out gets out and throws the ball.
SPEAKER_01John, I feel like I I want to ask you, make sure you know you're still involved here. That's my fault. Um, what is your opinion, maybe if you had one on the Idaho versus Idaho State? I know we're leaning a little bit Idaho State, but I wanted to hear from you as well.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, uh the one thing that has kind of come to my head when when hearing the these two talk about how Idaho State's gonna be this year, is it just makes me feel kind of like how Northern Arizona was supposed to be last year. You know, they seem like they were ready to take that next step, and things just didn't come together to go as far as they wanted to. So I'm wondering if Idaho State is going to be able to, you know, take advantage of all this talent that they do have, maybe take that next step and you know, put themselves firmly into the playoffs and not just on a, you know, needing to win the last week to get into the playoff situation.
SPEAKER_01I think that's a perfect comparison. Yeah, that's a great Northern Arizona last year. I mean, that was what we were calling your team last year, um, was John's team was Northern Arizona, and they had the players, you know, we'll talk about them here soon, but you know, can they put it all together and let the egos decide when there are multiple players on the team to come together as one? So that'll be interesting to watch as well. Let's go over to Mike here. Mike, you're our Eastern Washington guy. I know you've uh got integrated and finally uh I think we yeah, you were able to have a couple interviews at Big Sky Media Day, if I'm not uh mistaken.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. I got to talk to Coach Best, uh, who made me really quickly, figured, figuring me out really fast, knew it was I was new to this pretty quickly. He's like, as soon as I sat down, he's like, This is your first year, huh? You know, so he was giving me a hard time as soon as I met him, but it was a great interview. Talked a lot about the upcoming season. He feels very optimistic about um what this team could have to offer. He talked about some of the coaching changes that he made, including hiring Mike Perez as a new strength and conditioning coach, has brought uh a lot of improvement in terms of team speed, strength, and overall preparation. And you know, you hear coaches talk a lot about you know how important the little details are. Wouldn't be surprised if we see some of this play out when they hit the gridiron this fall. Um, they also bring back a lot of experienced players, uh, two of which have been recognized in a few preseason All-American publications uh throughout the summer, Isaiah Perez and Jalen Jenkins, who I, you know, I identified as a breakout defensive player last year and wouldn't be surprised if he took another step uh this upcoming season. And then returning from injury is Malik Dotson, who um before last season put over 500 yards rushing on the ground. I mean, that's a big loss. He played two seasons, two games and was out the rest of the year with the foot injury. Um, he's eager to be back. Um, feels like that running back room has a lot of experience and explosiveness that could really help out Nate Bell, who is likely to be back as a starting quarterback and provides a dual threat element to the Eagles offense, which throughout the year was very, very productive. Um found themselves in a lost, a lot of close games when they lost. Um, so that kind of falls into you know some of the key additions in the in the offseason. A lot of defensive transfers brought in. Um Bess mostly kind of uh uh credited to, you know, that's just where they lost more players. But um, you know, he I asked him sort of, you know, these close losses to, you know, Montana, um, that they almost upset them uh last season on the road, I believe. Um and he kind of was just like they don't really matter if we can't figure out how to close games. So I'm sure that's a key point of emphasis as they get ready for the upcoming season. And uh they're gonna have a chance to really start off strong in the big sky like they did last year, three and one, um, when they faced Northern Arizona in week one. So uh this team might be kind of a sleeper this year. I I wouldn't I'm I'm I'm anxious to see how it kind of shows up on the field, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're making some noise this year and they take at least a step.
SPEAKER_01If they do take that step, Mike, last question I'll ask here, then we'll get to the rest of the teams. If they do take that step, you know, back to how they used to look, Eastern Washington used to be a wagon of a program winning national championships. But where do you see that step coming from if it's if it's to be there, if that makes sense?
SPEAKER_00Uh like in terms of play on the field?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, like where we obviously we know where they stand. They need to stay healthy, they need to make sure that they buy together, like you said. But where could you see that take an upgrade and where would it come from?
SPEAKER_00Um, well, I think a definitely place where it needs to take an upgrade is on the defensive side of the ball. They gave up a lot of yards per game, which I think kind of played a key factor in a lot of their losses because the offense um was doing a lot there. But and then on the flip side, I think I think if this team really takes a step, um, it'll be really because the offensive line takes a step. I mean, last year Bess talked a lot about, you know, if the pocket collapses, it forces Nate Bell to feel like he has to run more often than he should. Um, if they could get him to feel more comfortable to just stay in the pocket and throw more often, um, I mean, this that offense could take another step that we haven't even seen yet. So yeah, I think the offensive line in the trenches in general will will make a big difference if they can.
SPEAKER_01Spot on, Mike. And Coach Bess, I know he's got the mantra behind him and the staff for that. So we'll see if they can return to those glory days over there for the Eagles. Uh, I'm gonna jump really quick and talk about uh two of the other big teams in the big sky and then uh maybe add a little bit on some other teams, but we really have dove into uh the main teams we cover. I want to talk about UC Davis really quick. They are the biggest, I would say, threat to Montana, Montana State at the top of the big sky. Uh, they're ranked sixth nationally. They lost last year at Montana State uh 38-17 in the quarterfinals. But there's some big names to go for UC Davis this year. Uh they have a preseason first team All-American, Samuel Batu Jr. receiver. Uh, he's gonna be one of the best receivers to watch every Saturday in the FCS. So if anyone's out there trying to find a uh speedy receiver, that's one. Uh running back Jordan Fisher is gonna be on the preseason all big sky selection team. So he's another offensive name to look out for. And tight end Winston Williams also on the big sky team. The biggest question mark for UC Davis this year is where's the quarterback? They had a freshman phenom Caden Pinnock last year, uh, was amazing, really was a lot of the offense, and there was a lot of injuries last year for the Aggies. But Caden Pinnock has now transferred to Washington State. So the big question mark is you know, who's gonna play quarterback on a team with some loaded positions? Um, the last information I have about that is they have three different guys taking snaps in their first scrimmage. We have trainer Cleeland, Jackson Kulak, and Alex Eason. So to be determined on the quarterback for UC Davis, but jumping to the defensive side, we have the Connors brothers back. Uh both were hurt last year. Elite defensive backs in the FCS. I think it's gonna be fun to see them have a healthy season along with some big offensive names. And uh overall, I think they are just trying to make sure they steady pace as well, kind of like Montana, Montana State. Take care of business each week, see where they end up in the winter. And the last team I really want to dive deep into really quick here is Northern Arizona. Uh, John, I'm gonna take Northern Arizona as the team I'm rooting for this year. I was able to actually meet with their coach and talk to Ty Pennington at Big Sky Media Day. I was impressed. Uh, I was going over there, I was a little shy. It was my first Big Sky Media Day, and they sat me down and were super nice and gave me a full interview, all of their attention. So I figured why don't I uh pay the respect back this year and and take it from John and do the Northern Arizona? But in the big picture, you know, they're like we were saying earlier, they were projected last year to maybe be that dark horse team that makes a lot of noise. They didn't. Um, they missed the playoffs, and they enter this year, though, as number 25 in the rankings. Uh, like I said, Ty Pennington's gonna be the leader. Uh, he was invited to the Manning Passing Academy. I thought that was cool. It's not something you see a ton of at the FCS level. So he's got some people looking at him for NFL and uh just a veteran quarterback, he'll lead the team. And also, someone I wanted to bring up was the tight end Jeter Purdy. 415 yards, 30 catches last year. Uh, preseason all big sky. He was a freshman All-American in 2025. And the last name I have is Shoes Brinkley. It's gonna be a safety for the Lumberjacks. First of all, it's a great name. Had had to, of course, say that. Uh, transfer from McNeese and led McNeese in tackles and also had three double-digit tackle games. So he's gonna be all over the place for the Lumberjacks. Um, I'm buying NAU because I don't think they wanted to be exactly where they were last year. So there's some motivation to be better, and having a quarterback at the helm, unlike UC Davis, is gonna make me more confident in the team. I'm gonna jump it back to Fritz here, actually. Fritz, you know, we have two new teams in the big sky this year, Utah Tech, Southern Utah. Um, if you want what's your history with those schools, and if you had maybe anything on those?
SPEAKER_04Well, uh, Utah Tech has just kind of been cannon fodder as a non-conference fall for a lot of big sky schools. Now they're in the big sky. And I picked them pretty low. I picked him 13th out of 13 teams. Uh Southern Utah, on the other hand, used to be in the big sky, and they were a handful under uh under Coach Lamb, who's now at uh northern Colorado. They beat the Grizz in uh in Washington Grizzly Stadium. Um and last year they had a running back named uh Joshua Dye, who scored 28 touchdowns. And he graduated, which I'm glad I think the Grizz are probably glad for, but uh they got a couple guys that came in as transfers, uh a guy named Camry Reed out of Western Carolina and a guy named Floyd Chuck out of Southern San Jose State. And uh I imagine uh their MO is gonna be the same. They're gonna run the ball through the A and B gap and and make you stop them. And uh and uh yeah, we'll see how far of a step down there is from Josh O'Dye. There's gotta be some, but uh, I think there's still gonna be a handful. And uh I like I said before, I picked them third in the big sky, they're gonna be good.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was reading they might have a couple of running backs just. I mean, like you're saying, and being able to replace that isn't gonna be the easiest for production, but you know, there is some athleticism on the offensive ball, and then I was looking at the roster, their secondary also has has some sneaky, sneaky players coming in, you know. Um, Lando Brown left last year for them, so I think that'll be a hole to fill. But uh, I think it's it's interesting, Fritz. That you put him third, and I'm excited to see uh maybe they'll support that for you. For Utah Tech, yeah, you know, it's it's not gonna be it's gonna be a season of establishing themselves in the big sky. It's their first year. Uh didn't have a ton of accolades or anyone. Besides, I gotta give a shout out because special teams matter. Uh, they have a legit punter, Ryan Marks, averaged 46.5 per punt last year. So I wanted to make sure I added something uh for Utah Tech. But yeah, they're gonna be building uh slowly, and I'm excited to see willing they stay in the big sky if uh years to come they start improving. Uh next team I wanted to hit on really quick is Cal Poly. Um way I'm identifying this year is uh they have great linebackers. We have Mikey Diamato, uh first team all big sky, first team all American in the preseason, and Kenny Olson, both combined for 254 tackles last year. So that Cal Poly defense will be fun to watch. And they open against Idaho. I think that's one of the games that'll actually be pretty interesting to start. Idaho needs to establish a win, as we were talking about with Mark. Cal Poly also, are they going to be able to make their name for themselves? And we talk about it next week. Uh Janon, I wanted to ask you, you know, there's two new coaches in in the big sky, and I'm not saying you have to, you know, precisely know uh who and where, but you know, coming to this conference and Weber State is whole resetting their roster, and Eric Char is the new coach, won seven uh high school state championships in Utah. What does that say to you, John? I just want to hear what you think about that.
SPEAKER_02No, actually, I was uh uh Weber State was one of the teams that I had uh a fair bit of interest in when looking over it this year because, like you mentioned, I think it's like 75 new players on their roster this year. And and just how the coaching staff is going to uh going to look. He got you were talking earlier about Bobby Kennedy coming into Montana and all the experience he brings from FPS level and Power Five schools, and then you look at Weaver State this year and char and he's he's got high school experience. This is his first college job. So um he's definitely made a name for himself at Corner Canyon and Draper um these past few years, like you mentioned, seven state championships. Um, I'll be interested to see how that kind of works itself out with Weaver State. I'm also interested to see how Devin Brown's gonna play at quarterback. I don't know if any of you are too familiar with him, but he he was at Ohio State for a couple of years. I believe he lost out to Will Howard for the starting job. Um then he spent a year at Cal. Now he comes back. He played four uh jar at um at Corner Canyon in 2022, won a state championship there, I believe, together. So there's that uh familiarity between coach and quarterback there. Um also just uh a little fun note um non-traditional quarterback number. We're listed as number 33 on the Weaver State roster. So uh gonna be that'll be an interesting one, uh not the typical uh one to 19.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna go to Mike here if he's got anything to say. And then uh we've pretty much hit up on all the teams. I didn't get to Portland State. I think that'll be a fun conversation for next week, but we are running some thin on time. Uh Mike, go ahead.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'll try to make it quick. I'm kind of just gonna be echoing a lot of what John just said about Devin Brown, uh Ohio Native, so I am kind of familiar with Devin Brown. Um, but I mean, in his coming out of high school, uh number five quarterback in the nation, four-star recruit. Um, I think for a first-time head coach at the college level, I think he's got the right quarterback to kind of help him get into the flow of things and and transition a lot of these new transfers in and a lot of these new players in. Uh, he might be a sleeper as a player in in the big sky conference. I would not be surprised if uh Devin Brown, you know, gives Weber State a new a new reputation this fall.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and we'll see if that that high school glory can carry over for Coach Char. I'm excited to actually watch him this year. Last year when Weber was on, uh I can't tell you that I was you know, I always try to tune in every game, but when Weber last year, it felt like there was something missing and the team wasn't bought in when you'd watch um personally. Um, Fritz, Mark, do you guys have anything else about the teams before uh we go over to picks?
SPEAKER_03No, I was I was gonna weigh in on Eastern a little bit, kind of piggybacking on what Mike said. It's kind of I think it would be kind of cool if all all five of our quote unquote area teams are in contention for the conference title and/or playoff burst, the two Montanas, the two Idahos, and Eastern. Um, I think Eastern has gotten better at defense um since a couple of years ago. I know maybe they weren't as good as as they wanted to be last year, but that was all that was still better than the year before. I think the other question mark with them is that there's their quarterback. I mean, they have Nate Bell, who's a runner who passes, and then they have their other guy, that Jake um Schockle, however you pronounce it, that um he's a he's a passer through you know, the Grizz fans know what he did to them and stuff like that. So I'm curious to see how they they sort that out. It's not like Bell's going to be the quarterback, but it seems like when they've had running quarterbacks the last couple years that weren't named Eric Berrier, they they weren't quite as effective. I mean, so it we'll see if maybe you know Bell can pass, you know, passes a little more than he runs, then maybe maybe he'll work out. But if he just kind of becomes a runner, then you know, maybe maybe they need to go to Jake.
SPEAKER_01The history of Montana versus Eastern Washington quarterbacks is a fun one, and for some fans not, but we'll get that to uh to another episode on that. Um, let's get to our preseason picks, guys. We love our pick segment, we're here for it. Um, I gotta let John start this year. John's the winner. Once we start getting uh the weekly picks um and some more, stay tuned on that. Uh we'll start going in order from leader. But as of now, John's our champ. John, let's hear your offensive, defensive MVP, and your big sky champion.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well, I wanted to be a little different than the uh the picks that came in uh in Spokane a couple weeks ago. Um, I think for the champion, that one I'll just get out of the way. I'm not gonna go against Montana State. Um, until proven otherwise, I will believe that Montana State is uh going to win this uh championship and has a good chance of repeating as national champions. Um, I did stay in uh the same teams uh for offensive and defensive MVP. With the offensive MVP, though, I'm going with Keelee Ayat. I think he's gonna take another step forward uh this year for um Montana and just kind of get that offense rolling. Having a receivers coach that's become his head coach now, that kind of helps out with that um position group as well. So I think Ayat's gonna step forward. As for defensive MVP, I think Caden Daller, of course, is the obvious choice. I'm gonna go with Zach Cruz. Uh I think he's gonna step up on the defensive side for for the Bobcats, uh, get some good pressure and off the edge, uh and and he's gonna you know show up.
SPEAKER_01Love it, John. Let's go right on over to Fritz. Fritz, what you got?
SPEAKER_04Well, I think yeah, you have to go with the Bobcats to win the conference championship again. Um my offensive MVP, I think I I think I need to go with Justin Lampsen only because you know he matched up with the uh the all big sky first team quarterback Keely Ayot twice and uh outplayed him both times. So I think it's Lampson for my offensive MVP. And uh Ayod could certainly prove me wrong in late November. Um defensive MVP. Um I'm gonna go with Peyton Wing. I'm I was uh quizzing him yesterday about having to learn another off another defensive look, you know. Uh two in two years. He pointed out it's this will be his fifth in five years because he had uh three DCs at Portland State before he transferred over. So but uh he's uh you know a preseason pick for first team, all big sky. He's a good player, Rangy, and uh he's my uh he's my pick for defensive MVP.
SPEAKER_01Mike, we'll go over to you next.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm gonna kind of piggyback off Fritz a little bit. I got Justin Lampsen uh taking offensive MVP as well, just coming back with an experienced roster. And um, you know, typically when a team does really well, these kind of awards will favor a quarterback too, just in past experience. But I think he's gonna excel in his role with the team. And then on the defensive side, uh I'm gonna go with a little bit of a hot take here. If if Eastern can take a step, uh I wouldn't be surprised to see Jalen Jenkins in there. I would I have to think if they did better last year, you know, would it be would he have been held in a higher regard than he already was? Um had a really big breakout year and is poised to take it even further this year. So dark horse pick there. But uh, and then yeah, I got Montana State repeating as big time champs.
SPEAKER_01That'll be something we track uh all this season, Mike. Glad glad you definitely had that thought. We'll we'll pay attention to it. Uh Mark, we'll go on over to you.
SPEAKER_03Okay, I went a little different direction with offensive MVP. I I picked Joshua Wood from Idaho, and the reason being is because I think for Idaho to be really good, he's gonna have to make a lot of plays, either with his arm or with it or with his legs. And so he might have more to do with them offensively. Nothing against Lamson and Ayat. They're obviously really good, but they also have other weapons they have running backs to hand it to and good receivers to throw to. So all those you know, really talented people on Montana and Montana State might cancel each other out a little bit. So it might come down to how people how people vote for that award, whether they just you know pick the quarterback on the best team and and and you know go from there. But I think Joshua Wood, if if I know it's a good year, it's it's probably gonna be because of what he did with his arms and his feet. Um defensive MVP. Um, I don't think he expected to be back this year, but because of injury, Rex Connors is back. I think he was the preseason defensive player of the year last year. And I think he the way they play, he's he's you know, he makes he comes up on the line of scrimmage a lot and he makes a lot of plays. Hopefully, they do they don't try to hand him the ball this year. So and then my um my big sky champion is you no, it's not Utah tech, it's uh Montana State.
SPEAKER_01Oh well, I'm already gonna let you know I picked Montana State as well. Once we can all see the evidence in front of us uh that they're not the best team, then that's a different conversation for a different day. As we know, though, they're picked one for the reason in the big sky. The offensive MVP, I really, really did think about this. I didn't want to go with my pick just because of uh where I went to college. I went to Montana, obviously. If you guys didn't know that, but I wanted to go to Son Brooks, was really close to picking him. But the fact that Eli Gilman's got all these records he's chasing this year, and I know I talked to him uh at Big Sky Media Day. That's not why he's playing, but it it's obtainable for him to go down as the best running back in Grizz history. Uh, and this is it for him. This is his last year to do it. I think Eli's gonna have uh a terrific season, and uh just very, very thrilled to see if he can come down in the record books for Montana. And then I thought I was gonna be the only one that brought up Rex Connors, but Mark got it before I did. I'm going with Rex Connors. He's gonna be healthy this year. I definitely know that they're him and his brother have some vengeance for the big sky, not being able to play in those playoffs last year. So very excited to see. Uh, there's a couple different brothers we have. We have the Connors brothers and the Dowler brothers. So excited to see how those guys pair out, but I'm going with Rex Connors. We've gone uh longer than I would have thought today, so I'm gonna uh wrap it up now. I want to appreciate my panel for being here on time, always having the best information and always giving me a smile. They're great guys. So thank you to you guys for being here today. Uh, we will be back next week to preview week one of Big Sky Conference Football. And it's actually Big Sky Conference Football, it's not just uh any random game. So please tune in for that. Uh please like, subscribe, share the video with your friends, leave a comment below. Uh, give us your picks as well. We'd love to read and engage with you guys uh that are watching this video. But that'll be all the time we have on this episode of Big Sky Now. Big thank you to MNC Tires for sponsoring this podcast, and we will catch you guys next time.