FARMINGTON, Utah (Aug. 22, 2024) – Big Sky football officially returns this Saturday, as Montana State travels to New Mexico for Week 0 action. Below are news and notes for Week 0 of the football season.
Big Sky Football Weekly Notebook (Week 0)
Montana State Opens Season at New Mexico
The Montana State Bobcats will travel to FBS-foe New Mexico to officially kickoff the 2024 season.
Montana State and New Mexico have faced off two times in program history, with the Bobcats winning the first matchup 34-7 in 1923 before the two teams tied 13-13 in 1947 to round out the series history.
Big Sky Opens 2024 Season With Four Top 10 Teams
Three major preseason rankings (Stats Perform, AFCA and Hero Sports) feature four Big Sky teams consistently in the Top 10 prior to the 2024 season, with Montana, Montana State, Idaho and Sacramento State all slotted amongst the best in the FCS. All four of those teams made last season's playoffs and three of the four will be featured on ESPN2 games this year for the Big Sky.
Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 (Big Sky Teams)
3. Montana
4. Montana State
7. Idaho
8. Sacramento State
18. UC Davis
22. Weber State
RV: Eastern Washington
AFCA FCS Preseason Top 25 (Big Sky Teams)
3. Montana
4. Montana State
7. Idaho
10. Sacramento State
17. UC Davis
RV: Weber State, Northern Arizona, Eastern Washington
Hero Sports FCS Preseason Top 25 (Big Sky Teams)
3. Montana
4. Montana State
7. Idaho
8. Sacramento State
21. UC Davis
22. Weber State
Nine Big Sky Standouts Named to Preseason Award Watchlists
Nine Big Sky standouts were named to the preseason watchlists for the Walter Payton Award and Buck Buchanan Award, as the league garners more national recognitions.
The Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List featured five standouts from the Big Sky, with 2023 Big Sky Offensive MVP and 2024 Preseason Offensive MVP Lan Larison of UC Davis highlighting the list. Montana State garnered two selections on the watch list after quarterback Tommy Mellott and offensive lineman Marcus Wehr were tabbed. Rounding out the list was Montana's Junior Bergen and Eastern Washington's Efton Chism III.
The Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List featured four honorees from the Big Sky, with 2024 Preseason Defensive MVP Brody Grebe of Montana State leading the way. Cal Poly's Elijah Ponder, Montana's Riley Wilson and UC Davis' Rex Connors joined Grebe as Big Sky representatives on the watch list.
2024 Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List
Big Sky honors only // Full List Here
QB – Tommy Mellott, Montana State, Sr.
RB – Lan Larison, UC Davis, Sr.
WR/PR – Junior Bergen, Montana, Sr.
WR – Efton Chism III, Eastern Washington, Sr.
OL – Marcus Wehr, Montana State, Sr.
2024 Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List
Big Sky honors only // Full List Here
DL – Brody Grebe, Montana State, Sr.
DL – Elijah Ponder, Cal Poly, R-Sr.
LB – Riley Wilson, Montana, Jr.
DB – Rex Connors, UC Davis, Jr.
Montana Picked by Coaches and Media to Win Big Sky
Defending Big Sky champion Montana was picked by coaches and media to win the league once again, as the Grizzlies were voted first in both preseason polls. The Grizzlies, who received 26 first-place votes from the media and 10 from the league's head coaches, won the Big Sky title last season after a 7-1 mark in conference play. The Grizzlies return a roster that is looking to have another deep run in the FCS Playoffs after concluding last season as the national runner-up.
Preseason Media Poll
1. Montana (26) - 442
2. Montana State (9) - 414
3. Idaho (2) - 342
4. UC Davis (1) - 332
5. Sacramento State - 324
6. Eastern Washington - 240
7. Weber State - 234
8. Idaho State - 174
9. Northern Arizona - 172
10. Portland State - 169
11. Cal Poly - 74
12. Northern Colorado - 47
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Montana (10) - 120
2. Montana State (1) - 110
3. Idaho - 95
4. UC Davis (1) - 88
5. Sacramento State - 82
6. Weber State - 74
7. Northern Arizona - 55
8. Eastern Washington - 47
9. Portland State - 45
10. Idaho State - 31
11. Northern Colorado - 23
12. Cal Poly - 22
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Upcoming Big Sky Football Games (Week 0-1)
Saturday, Aug. 24
#4/4 Montana State at New Mexico // FS1 // 2:00 p.m. MT
Thursday, Aug. 29
Monmouth at #RV/RV Eastern Washington // ESPN+/SWX // 7:00 p.m. MT
#8/10 Sacramento State at San Jose State // TruTV // 8:00 p.m. MT
Saturday, Aug. 31
Portland State at Washington State // The CW // 1:00 p.m. MT
Lincoln (CA) at #NR/RV Northern Arizona // ESPN+ // 2:00 p.m. MT
#18/17 UC Davis at Cal // ACC Network // 3:00 p.m. MT
Idaho State at Oregon State // The CW // 4:30 p.m. MT
Northern Colorado at #14/15 Incarnate Word // ESPN+ // 5:00 p.m. MT
#7/7 Idaho at Oregon // Big10 Network // 5:30 p.m. MT
Cal Poly at San Diego // ESPN+ // 6:00 p.m. MT
Missouri State at #3/3 Montana // ESPN+/Scripps // 7:00 p.m. MT
#4/4 Montana State at Utah Tech // ESPN+ // 8:00 p.m. MT
#22/RV Weber State at Washington // Big Ten Network // 9:00 p.m. MT
FCS Rankings: Stats Perform/AFCA