How do Cats stack up against Griz

[MrGoodKat]

Equally funny was how they all predicted the cats being at the bottom of the conference without Tommy.

Honestly this has been my favorite part of the season. Some acted as if there was NO way we could be good after losing Tommy. And they said our defense wouldn't be as good either. I've maintained since the summer I felt like this team would be better overall than last year, despite losing some really great players on both sides of the ball.

Though to be fair to griz fans, some of our own were acting the same way after we started 0-2. Some acted like I was crazy saying we'd win out until the Brawl.

This is a very good team getting better every week.

They said the same thing about Troy. Our success was supposed to just be a function of him being elite and once he left we would crumble. There was some cognitive dissonance there, seeing as how we blew their doors off in the Brawl without Troy.

[Prodigal Cat]

Equally funny was how they all predicted the cats being at the bottom of the conference without Tommy.

Honestly this has been my favorite part of the season. Some acted as if there was NO way we could be good after losing Tommy. And they said our defense wouldn't be as good either. I've maintained since the summer I felt like this team would be better overall than last year, despite losing some really great players on both sides of the ball.

Though to be fair to griz fans, some of our own were acting the same way after we started 0-2. Some acted like I was crazy saying we'd win out until the Brawl.

This is a very good team getting better every week.

They said the same thing about Troy. Our success was supposed to just be a function of him being elite and once he left we would crumble. There was some cognitive dissonance there, seeing as how we blew their doors off in the Brawl without Troy.

Bobby Hauck, The only person who used the other team being without their best player as a reason for losing. Its really his Mona Lisa.

[ilovethecats]

Equally funny was how they all predicted the cats being at the bottom of the conference without Tommy.

Honestly this has been my favorite part of the season. Some acted as if there was NO way we could be good after losing Tommy. And they said our defense wouldn't be as good either. I've maintained since the summer I felt like this team would be better overall than last year, despite losing some really great players on both sides of the ball.

Though to be fair to griz fans, some of our own were acting the same way after we started 0-2. Some acted like I was crazy saying we'd win out until the Brawl.

This is a very good team getting better every week.

They said the same thing about Troy. Our success was supposed to just be a function of him being elite and once he left we would crumble. There was some cognitive dissonance there, seeing as how we blew their doors off in the Brawl without Troy.

Ya I've never bought that line of thinking, especially in football; the ultimate team sport. Maybe in hoops if you lose an All-American who did literally everything I could see a dropoff the following season.

What people failed to recognize, or in the case of griz fans chose to ignore, is we were a very good TEAM last season with many young players getting a ton of valuable playing time. That is what good programs do. So while we lost some very good players coming into this season, we also brought back some very good players and maybe more importantly some very good playing experience.

[ilovethecats]

Equally funny was how they all predicted the cats being at the bottom of the conference without Tommy.

Honestly this has been my favorite part of the season. Some acted as if there was NO way we could be good after losing Tommy. And they said our defense wouldn't be as good either. I've maintained since the summer I felt like this team would be better overall than last year, despite losing some really great players on both sides of the ball.

Though to be fair to griz fans, some of our own were acting the same way after we started 0-2. Some acted like I was crazy saying we'd win out until the Brawl.

This is a very good team getting better every week.

They said the same thing about Troy. Our success was supposed to just be a function of him being elite and once he left we would crumble. There was some cognitive dissonance there, seeing as how we blew their doors off in the Brawl without Troy.

Bobby Hauck, The only person who used the other team being without their best player as a reason for losing. Its really his Mona Lisa.

But remember, that was only half of it. Not only was he shocked that Troy sat out that game; he was even more perplexed because for whatever reason he had his team prepare to see Troy at quarterback that game. Despite the fact that Troy played about 97% of his snaps that season as his actual position....linebacker.

[tetoncat]

When you look at this, it would be pretty difficult to not place the Cats as the premier team in the conference.

Interesting stats. Are Cats so much better on D because we haven't played 2-5 top offensive teams or are they there because they have not faced the Cats.

[ilovethecats]

Those stats are very interesting.

Besides the Cat-Griz stats I always love this time of year, I found it very interesting that the awful Weber offense is ranked exactly the same as their very sneaky good defense.

[PapaG]

Thanks for the research, Mr. Good Jack!

[MrGoodKat]

Equally funny was how they all predicted the cats being at the bottom of the conference without Tommy.

Honestly this has been my favorite part of the season. Some acted as if there was NO way we could be good after losing Tommy. And they said our defense wouldn't be as good either. I've maintained since the summer I felt like this team would be better overall than last year, despite losing some really great players on both sides of the ball.

Though to be fair to griz fans, some of our own were acting the same way after we started 0-2. Some acted like I was crazy saying we'd win out until the Brawl.

This is a very good team getting better every week.

They said the same thing about Troy. Our success was supposed to just be a function of him being elite and once he left we would crumble. There was some cognitive dissonance there, seeing as how we blew their doors off in the Brawl without Troy.

Ya I've never bought that line of thinking, especially in football; the ultimate team sport. Maybe in hoops if you lose an All-American who did literally everything I could see a dropoff the following season.

What people failed to recognize, or in the case of griz fans chose to ignore, is we were a very good TEAM last season with many young players getting a ton of valuable playing time. That is what good programs do. So while we lost some very good players coming into this season, we also brought back some very good players and maybe more importantly some very good playing experience.

They’ve been in denial about the fact that MSU has been dominating in state recruiting for a while now. The Cats win a lot more than they lose when they go head to head and the Griz decide not even to try for some really good players.

That’s really the difference on the LOS. If the 4-6 really good big people on the Cats’ lines in any given season were in Missoula, it would totally change the dynamic.

[coloradocat]

Equally funny was how they all predicted the cats being at the bottom of the conference without Tommy.

Honestly this has been my favorite part of the season. Some acted as if there was NO way we could be good after losing Tommy. And they said our defense wouldn't be as good either. I've maintained since the summer I felt like this team would be better overall than last year, despite losing some really great players on both sides of the ball.

Though to be fair to griz fans, some of our own were acting the same way after we started 0-2. Some acted like I was crazy saying we'd win out until the Brawl.

This is a very good team getting better every week.

They said the same thing about Troy. Our success was supposed to just be a function of him being elite and once he left we would crumble. There was some cognitive dissonance there, seeing as how we blew their doors off in the Brawl without Troy.

Ya I've never bought that line of thinking, especially in football; the ultimate team sport. Maybe in hoops if you lose an All-American who did literally everything I could see a dropoff the following season.

What people failed to recognize, or in the case of griz fans chose to ignore, is we were a very good TEAM last season with many young players getting a ton of valuable playing time. That is what good programs do. So while we lost some very good players coming into this season, we also brought back some very good players and maybe more importantly some very good playing experience.

It's not a crazy assumption for over 90% of the FCS. I imagine if most teams had an all time great on the roster he was probably most of their production and once he leaves the revert to the median. However, that doesn't work for the top 5 or so programs. They are programs, not just one star and a bunch of guys. We were never going to fall apart after Troy and Tommy. It has been surprisingly impressive how we seem to get better after we lose all time greats though.

[tetoncat]

Equally funny was how they all predicted the cats being at the bottom of the conference without Tommy.

Honestly this has been my favorite part of the season. Some acted as if there was NO way we could be good after losing Tommy. And they said our defense wouldn't be as good either. I've maintained since the summer I felt like this team would be better overall than last year, despite losing some really great players on both sides of the ball.

Though to be fair to griz fans, some of our own were acting the same way after we started 0-2. Some acted like I was crazy saying we'd win out until the Brawl.

This is a very good team getting better every week.

They said the same thing about Troy. Our success was supposed to just be a function of him being elite and once he left we would crumble. There was some cognitive dissonance there, seeing as how we blew their doors off in the Brawl without Troy.

Ya I've never bought that line of thinking, especially in football; the ultimate team sport. Maybe in hoops if you lose an All-American who did literally everything I could see a dropoff the following season.

What people failed to recognize, or in the case of griz fans chose to ignore, is we were a very good TEAM last season with many young players getting a ton of valuable playing time. That is what good programs do. So while we lost some very good players coming into this season, we also brought back some very good players and maybe more importantly some very good playing experience.

They’ve been in denial about the fact that MSU has been dominating in state recruiting for a while now. The Cats win a lot more than they lose when they go head to head and the Griz decide not even to try for some really good players.

That’s really the difference on the LOS. If the 4-6 really good big people on the Cats’ lines in any given season were in Missoula, it would totally change the dynamic.

They do have to be developed.

[MrGoodKat]

Equally funny was how they all predicted the cats being at the bottom of the conference without Tommy.

Honestly this has been my favorite part of the season. Some acted as if there was NO way we could be good after losing Tommy. And they said our defense wouldn't be as good either. I've maintained since the summer I felt like this team would be better overall than last year, despite losing some really great players on both sides of the ball.

Though to be fair to griz fans, some of our own were acting the same way after we started 0-2. Some acted like I was crazy saying we'd win out until the Brawl.

This is a very good team getting better every week.

They said the same thing about Troy. Our success was supposed to just be a function of him being elite and once he left we would crumble. There was some cognitive dissonance there, seeing as how we blew their doors off in the Brawl without Troy.

Ya I've never bought that line of thinking, especially in football; the ultimate team sport. Maybe in hoops if you lose an All-American who did literally everything I could see a dropoff the following season.

What people failed to recognize, or in the case of griz fans chose to ignore, is we were a very good TEAM last season with many young players getting a ton of valuable playing time. That is what good programs do. So while we lost some very good players coming into this season, we also brought back some very good players and maybe more importantly some very good playing experience.

They’ve been in denial about the fact that MSU has been dominating in state recruiting for a while now. The Cats win a lot more than they lose when they go head to head and the Griz decide not even to try for some really good players.

That’s really the difference on the LOS. If the 4-6 really good big people on the Cats’ lines in any given season were in Missoula, it would totally change the dynamic.

They do have to be developed.

Also a good point. Players in the Griz program don’t put on size like they do in Bozeman.

[cats2506]

And right on time:

The FCS playoff committee ranks MSU #2.

They don't count. The only ones that count are the ones that rank the Griz ahead of the Cats.

huh?
only thing that matters is the brawl.
Cats win and stay #2.

Ha! I was poking fun at the Griz fan that keeps bragging about the polls that show the Griz ahead of the Cats, while ignoring those (The Committee, Akem) that are saying the Cats are better than the Griz right now.

On one side are the coaches and the beat writers for 129 FCS programs, who rank the Griz ahead of the Cats. On the other side are 11 university administrators and Sammy, who rank the Cats higher. LOL. It’s not exactly crazy to view the collective opinion of more than 200 coaches and writers as credible. Sammy and the 11 administrators are credible, too, but 12 is a very small set of eyes.

Are you aware that there are only 56 voters in the stats poll.

[RockyBearCat]

@Prodigal Cat --- What is the gris record against the spread this year. Same question for CATS?

Gris are 4-5 versus the spread. The only game they have covered comfortably was the Indiana State game. The other 3 they covered are Sac St, Weber and Cal Poly, the latter 2 were by .5.

Cats are 5-4 versus the spread. The non-conference wasn't good as the only game they covered was the San Diego game (if you think about it Ducks rolled, SDSU won when the Cats were favored, and Mercyhurst). In conference though they are 4-1 with only Cal Poly covering. They covered very big numbers versus NAU, Idaho St, EWU, and UNCU easily.

Thanks for the details. I do appreciate it. I had seemed as though gris were not covering but those close ones maybe slipped by me.

[TomCat88]

Those stats are very interesting.

Besides the Cat-Griz stats I always love this time of year, I found it very interesting that the awful Weber offense is ranked exactly the same as their very sneaky good defense.

Over last six games wsu, which gave up 1,551 yards on 210 plays in its first three games, is fourth in the BSC in yards allowed per game and fourth in yards allowed per play.

[ilovethecats]

Those stats are very interesting.

Besides the Cat-Griz stats I always love this time of year, I found it very interesting that the awful Weber offense is ranked exactly the same as their very sneaky good defense.

Over last six games wsu, which gave up 1,551 yards on 210 plays in its first three games, is fourth in the BSC in yards allowed per game and fourth in yards allowed per play.

And has the 10th overall defense and10th overall offense.

[TomCat88]

Those stats are very interesting.

Besides the Cat-Griz stats I always love this time of year, I found it very interesting that the awful Weber offense is ranked exactly the same as their very sneaky good defense.

Over last six games wsu, which gave up 1,551 yards on 210 plays in its first three games, is fourth in the BSC in yards allowed per game and fourth in yards allowed per play.

And has the 10th overall defense and10th overall offense.

Yes, that’s BSC only stats. WSU has played 3 of the top five offenses during that stretch which obviously skews the numbers.

And I never said that wsu was sneaky on defense. I said that about UNC and CP in general.

[BgCATfan]

Found this on the Big Sky Conference website. You'd think it could help gris fans understand the rankings, especialy from the playoff commitee.
Only two 2 loss teams in the top 20 teams with the toughest schedule in the FCS.

Toughest Schedules in the FCS (via Massey Ratings)
Team (Conference) - Record
1. Portland State (Big Sky) - 1-8
2. Murray State (MVFC) - 0-9
3. Northern Iowa (MVFC) - 2-7
4. Abilene Christian (UAC) - 5-4
5. Indiana State (MVFC) - 3-6
6. Northern Arizona (Big Sky) - 5-4
7. Montana State (Big Sky) - 7-2
8. Idaho State (Big Sky) - 3-6
9. North Dakota (MVFC) - 6-3
10. Utah Tech (UAC) - 2-7
11. Youngstown State (MVFC) - 5-4
12. Weber State (Big Sky) - 3-6
13. Idaho (Big Sky) - 4-5
14. Eastern Washington (Big Sky) - 4-5
15. Cal Poly (Big Sky) - 3-6
16. Northern Colorado (Big Sky) - 3-6
17. South Dakota (MVFC) - 6-4
18. Southern Illinois (MVFC) - 6-3
19. South Dakota State (MVFC) - 7-2
20. UC Davis (Big Sky) - 6-2

[BelligerentBobcat]

Found this on the Big Sky Conference website. You'd think it could help gris fans understand the rankings, especialy from the playoff commitee.
Only two 2 loss teams in the top 20 teams with the toughest schedule in the FCS.

Toughest Schedules in the FCS (via Massey Ratings)
Team (Conference) - Record
1. Portland State (Big Sky) - 1-8
2. Murray State (MVFC) - 0-9
3. Northern Iowa (MVFC) - 2-7
4. Abilene Christian (UAC) - 5-4
5. Indiana State (MVFC) - 3-6
6. Northern Arizona (Big Sky) - 5-4
7. Montana State (Big Sky) - 7-2
8. Idaho State (Big Sky) - 3-6
9. North Dakota (MVFC) - 6-3
10. Utah Tech (UAC) - 2-7
11. Youngstown State (MVFC) - 5-4
12. Weber State (Big Sky) - 3-6
13. Idaho (Big Sky) - 4-5
14. Eastern Washington (Big Sky) - 4-5
15. Cal Poly (Big Sky) - 3-6
16. Northern Colorado (Big Sky) - 3-6
17. South Dakota (MVFC) - 6-4
18. Southern Illinois (MVFC) - 6-3
19. South Dakota State (MVFC) - 7-2
20. UC Davis (Big Sky) - 6-2

Their point, which is fair, is that MSU’s SOS is only as high as it is because we played Oregon.

[ilovethecats]

Those stats are very interesting.

Besides the Cat-Griz stats I always love this time of year, I found it very interesting that the awful Weber offense is ranked exactly the same as their very sneaky good defense.

Over last six games wsu, which gave up 1,551 yards on 210 plays in its first three games, is fourth in the BSC in yards allowed per game and fourth in yards allowed per play.

And has the 10th overall defense and10th overall offense.

Yes, that’s BSC only stats. WSU has played 3 of the top five offenses during that stretch which obviously skews the numbers.

And I never said that wsu was sneaky on defense. I said that about UNC and CP in general.

I'm just having fun TC.

But your comment has me thinking about the discussions that happen around now every single season. Was Weber just really unlucky with the scheduling that they happened to play all these really good offenses? Or are all these offenses lucky because their numbers start looking better after getting to play against Weber?

I'm thinking we'll be having this discussion in abundance the next couple weeks. Will the "amazing" griz offense look that way when they go up against the best D they've seen this year? Does the Cat defense only look unstoppable because they haven't played such a prolific offense?

[MrGoodKat]

The thing that amazes me about the comparison of the Cats and the Griz is that this is a building/ascending year for the Cats in terms of youth and eligibility, whereas the Griz are really, really senior-laden. Based on roster composition, this is a year in which the Griz ought to be head and shoulders above MSU and yet it's a total controversy who is actually better and deserves to be ranked higher.

UM's SR/GR players:

-2nd and 3rd leading rushers (Wortham and Rocker).

-Their 1st, 3rd, and 4th leading wide receivers (Wortham, Bohannon, and Deck).

-Their 1st and 2nd tight ends (Gale and Shafer).

-Six of the ten guys on their OL 2-Deep, including five starters (Panfiloff, Brown, Klimzcak, Matan, Botner, Jemtegaard).

-Two starting defensive linemen (Detrick and Peck).

-Their top rush linebacker plus the backups at MIKE and WILL (Tuliaupupu, Tolbert, Leonard).

-Every starter in the secondary outside of nickel and Loud (Lawler, Ford, Harper, Rausch).

That's 21 guys. 15/44 guys on the current 2-Deep are Freshmen or Sophomores-- 34%.

MSU's:

-Their lead rusher by yardage (Davis).

-Their 4th and 5th leading receivers (King, Long).

-One offensive lineman from the 2-Deep, a starter (Reed).

-Their starting defensive line (Eiden, Parsons, Brott, Eckert).

That's 8 total players. 26/45 guys on the current 2-Deep are Freshmen or Sophomores-- 58%.

This is just a huge testament to Vigen and his staff and their ability to get young guys developed and ready to compete at a high level really quickly.