When you take a look at the 2023 Big Sky Conference football preseason surveys, it’s important to understand that in 2022, the Montana Grizzlies were the choice, and ended up 8-5.
Montana State, chose 2nd and 3rd by the media and coaches, and Sacramento State were co-champions.
In 2021 Weber State and Montana were 1-2 in both surveys, and Sac State and MSU ended up initially and second.
So this is all quite unscientific, though it’s noteworthy that this year the Cats are consentaneous favorites while the Griz are chosen 6th by the coaches and 3rd by the media.
Montana coach Bobby Hauck noted it, anyhow, at the Big Sky Kickoff media occasion in Spokane over the weekend.
“I told (KTMF’s Shaun) Rainey, ‘As much as it hurts me to say this, the last four or five years you guys have been more right,’” Hauck said Monday.
Hauck is changing a quarterback on offense, requires a punter (once again) and saw 3 All-America protectors — protective end/linebacker Patrick O’Connell, cornerback Justin Ford and safety Robby Hauck — graduate, however understands how programs can refill.
An example would be his senior-laden 2007 group that got in the FCS playoffs unbeaten and lost a first-round home video game. The Grizzlies refilled and made the next 2 championship games.
The existing Griz are not at that level, most likely, however you can’t actually understand this in July.
“I think we’ve got a good team,” Hauck said. “Let’s not forget that we’ve won darn near 30 video games the last 3 years, we won in the playoffs in 2015, we were ranked 2nd in October. It’s not like we’ve gone any location.
“We didn’t win as many games the second half of the season as we wanted to, for a variety of reasons. One of them is, probably I didn’t do a good enough job.”
A couple of tables away, Montana State coach Brent Vigen was sitting conveniently in the favorite’s chair. The Bobcats got in last fall needing to change 3 men who would make NFL lineups as novices, and didn’t miss out on a beat.
“I think we have a group that understands it had better show up consistently each day and each week, and better not take anything for granted,” Vigen said. “I think the way it ended up for us last year was humbling enough” — MSU lost 39-18 at ultimate nationwide champ South Dakota State — “to be able to enter into the offseason and actually work.
“Our guys want to achieve big, but at the same time they know playing in December is something you have to earn.”
Having Sean Chambers back for a 6th season to play along with “Touchdown” Tommy Mellott provides the Cats another year with a vibrant quarterback tandem — part of a winningthe- Big Sky formula. Just ask Sacramento State.
But as both Vigen and Hauck state, absolutely nothing is ensured.
“Nobody in this room knows how many games they’re going to win,” Hauck said. “Weber doesn’t know, we don’t know. I think we have a chance to win every week. I always do. I like our team — a lot. Because I’m with them every day.”
