The Bobcat Nation

any comments about this ranking?

gfallscat wrote:any comments about this ranking?

Link?

I think its the most realistic poll so far. Not that polls can be all that realistic anyways.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.as ... dexpic.htm

WOW! I really hate these preseason polls, but I will definately take #12. Hell, its better than being at the bottom of the pile.

Eastern Washington at #2.........?

Sorry Eags, I just don't see it. Not yet anyway. They haven't proved anymore than the 12th seeded Cats and that's about where they should be put IMNSHO. Also, I think the Griz are a little over-rated without a proven qb.

Cat-theotherwhitemeat wrote:Eastern Washington at #2.........?

Sorry Eags, I just don't see it. Not yet anyway. They haven't proved anymore than the 12th seeded Cats and that's about where they should be put IMNSHO. Also, I think the Griz are a little over-rated without a proven qb.

This is kinda scary, but "Meat" I have to agree with everything you said.

Knocking off the #1 seed in the playoffs last year didn't prove anything?...

We have a tendancy to know our conferences strengths and weaknessess. We don't know the eastern conferences as well though. Given the nature of preseason rankings, all you can go on is last years performance of this this years returning players. With that said, I think Eastern's, MSU's, & UM's positions are justified.

Talk to me after 2-3 games in the season and we can re-discuss.

CelticCat wrote:Knocking off the #1 seed in the playoffs last year didn't prove anything?...

One game doesn't prove much to me. SHS beat the Griz once as well.....once. They need to do it all, in an entire season...or two, or three.....

2 or 3 seasons is most likely going to mean different players for most ballclubs. If EWU is going to be good, it is goig to be next year with Kimble and Meyer being seniors.

One game beating the #1 seed doesn't mean that much...heck you guys should have won the EWU game just as we should have put away SHSU. I'm not that keen on ratings but EWU will be a much better team than last season for these reasons; 1) We will have a better running game than last season(R. Cole is good). 2) All receivers are back including a prop player and a red shirt frosh that will surprise some. 3) O-Line will be as strong if not stronger than last season especially with the return of All-Conference TE Tim Calhoun(6'4 250) from injury who is in the mold of Dan Curly(drafted three years ago). 4) One player who sat out last year who transferred won Offense MVP this Spring who will take Roos place. Defense will be much improved but will have a young D-Line. 5) Special teams a ? especially after last weeks car accident injuring four players.

Obzerver, what happened? I hope nothing too tragic.

Their 4Runner flipped seven times, it was so fortunate nobody died. It happened 40 miles outside Spokane(Ritzville) at 11:00 in the morning. Driver suffered three broken vertebra's in his neck and a bad tendon injury in his wrist. Passenger in front had some major surgery on one of his wrists. One in the back suffered a knee injury and the other looks as if he lost an Ultimate Fighting match that didn't get stopped. All, of course, are all cut up and extremely bruised and swollen.

Wow. Very scary.

BleedsBlue&Gold wrote:We have a tendancy to know our conferences strengths and weaknessess. We don't know the eastern conferences as well though. Given the nature of preseason rankings, all you can go on is last years performance of this this years returning players. With that said, I think Eastern's, MSU's, & UM's positions are justified.

Absolutely no one would question that the 'Sky is one of the "power 5" conferences of I-AA (along with the Southland, Gateway, A-10, and SoCon). But, whenever a team from the 'Sky gets a top 5 ranking everyone goes bananans about how that team shouldn't be ranked in the top 5, isn't as good as those other schools in I-AA, etc. Big Sky should have 3 teams ranked in the top 15 (in the preseason) consistently. Eastern Washington 2, Montana 4, Montana State 12 seems very reasonable for the top three pre-season schools in the 'Sky.
The East Coast bias that pervades football is one thing, but we should know better.

theblackgecko wrote:

BleedsBlue&Gold wrote:We have a tendancy to know our conferences strengths and weaknessess. We don't know the eastern conferences as well though. Given the nature of preseason rankings, all you can go on is last years performance of this this years returning players. With that said, I think Eastern's, MSU's, & UM's positions are justified.

Absolutely no one would question that the 'Sky is one of the "power 5" conferences of I-AA (along with the Southland, Gateway, A-10, and SoCon). But, whenever a team from the 'Sky gets a top 5 ranking everyone goes bananans about how that team shouldn't be ranked in the top 5, isn't as good as those other schools in I-AA, etc. Big Sky should have 3 teams ranked in the top 15 (in the preseason) consistently. Eastern Washington 2, Montana 4, Montana State 12 seems very reasonable for the top three pre-season schools in the 'Sky.
The East Coast bias that pervades football is one thing, but we should know better.

not to be negative towards the big sky, but it has only been the past few years that the big sky has started to show itself for having more programs then the one at UM that seemed to be in the playoffs every year. keep in mind that when the cats won the conference a couple of years ago and played mcneese st, it was the first time that two big sky teams made the playoffs in one year in an extremely long time. i agree with you in that the big sky doesn't get enough respect, but i think it is going to take some time and consistancy out of all the programs before that happens. with MSU and UM making the playoffs two years ago and UM and EWU making the playoffs last year and eastern knocking off the one seed, it left a huge impression on the rest of the I-AA. When the cats make the playoffs this year along with one or two teams from the sky, people will finally start giving respect. if other teams don't take notice of the big sky, they will end up being the ones sitting home for thanksgiving dinner as it is.

*forgot to add that i feel that the positions are justified looking at last season and the current players. we need a big year out of all three i feel for the respect to finally start to show itself*

Don't forget NAU knocking off #1 seed McNeese two years ago

Ponycat wrote:Don't forget NAU knocking off #1 seed McNeese two years ago

Yep, the Big Sky has more than held it's own the last 3-4 years. Consider that most if not all the playoff games the Big Sky teams have played in have been AWAY (unless your the the Griz of course) and that is awesome that we have knocked off the the #1 seed 2 out of past 3 years. And in 2002, the Cats almost knocked off #1 seed Mcneese down there that year too. I think the Big Sky's top 4 teams lately can compete with any 1-AA team in the Nation regardless of where they are ranked. This year I think it will again be MSU/EWU/UM/PSU at the top again.

I thought that the BSC had sent 3 teams to the 1-AA playoffs in 2002 & 2003…
I think that people are starting to recognize that the BSC is a powerhouse football conference. The problem is that we don’t have any other 1-AA conferences nearby, so we all play the same teams every year- Cal Poly, UC Davis, Southern Utah, St. Mary, ect. In the past you didn’t see very many games pitting BSC Schools with eastern and southern 1-AA teams. We didn’t have a measuring stick. Now since a lot of the BSC Schools are expanding their travels to the eastern and southern parts of the country we will see more respect for our conference’s ability to play football, and thus more respect in the polls.

Although, as a counterpoint (not a disagrement), the regionalization of the playoffs has made BSC teams play fewer opponents in the playoffs. Montana has played Northwestern State thrice and Sam Houston twice in 4 regional playoffs. 6/11 (for Montana) and 4/7 (rest of 'Sky) games have been against Southland teams.