Bobcats Second, Fourth in Preseason Polls
7/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Quick, name the winner of the 2003 World Series?
If your answer was the Yankees, your thinking was along the same lines as the experts polled to predict the 2004 Big Sky Conference football champion. Like New York's American League entry, the Montana Grizzlies enter most seasons as favorites to win a championship. And Like the Yankees, Montana didn't win a championship last year.
Technically, the Grizzlies were Big Sky tri-champions, a title they've shared with MSU the past two seasons, but each time MSU won the automatic berth by beating Montana in the season's final game. Last year, MSU beat both the teams with which it was tied.
But like the Florida Marlins, that didn't mean much to the experts this year. Montana State was picked to finish fourth in the Big Sky by the league's coaches and second by media members at the Big Sky Football Kickoff in Park City, Utah, on Monday.
"Perfect," said MSU coach Mike Kramer. "I'm comfortable right where they picked us. On paper, Eastern Washington is the superior team in the conference. The conference is balanced and I think it will be an exciting year."
Bobcat All-America linebacker Roger Cooper was fine with the selections, as well. "To be honest, I don't pay a lot of attention to preseason polls," he said. "They don't matter."
Big Sky Conference Pre-Season Polls
Media Poll (First Place Votes in parenthesis)
1. Montana (16) 206
2. Montana State (6) 183
3. Northern Arizona (5) 182.5
4. Eastern Washington (2) 146.5
5. Idaho State (1) 133
6. Weber State 98
7. Sacramento State 67
8. Portland State 61
Coaches Poll (First Place Votes in parenthesis)
1. Montana (5) 44
2. Eastern Washington (2) 40
3. Northern Arizona (1) 32
4. Montana State 31
5. Weber State 28
6. Idaho State 20
7. Sacramento State 17
8. Portland State 12
If your answer was the Yankees, your thinking was along the same lines as the experts polled to predict the 2004 Big Sky Conference football champion. Like New York's American League entry, the Montana Grizzlies enter most seasons as favorites to win a championship. And Like the Yankees, Montana didn't win a championship last year.
Technically, the Grizzlies were Big Sky tri-champions, a title they've shared with MSU the past two seasons, but each time MSU won the automatic berth by beating Montana in the season's final game. Last year, MSU beat both the teams with which it was tied.
But like the Florida Marlins, that didn't mean much to the experts this year. Montana State was picked to finish fourth in the Big Sky by the league's coaches and second by media members at the Big Sky Football Kickoff in Park City, Utah, on Monday.
"Perfect," said MSU coach Mike Kramer. "I'm comfortable right where they picked us. On paper, Eastern Washington is the superior team in the conference. The conference is balanced and I think it will be an exciting year."
Bobcat All-America linebacker Roger Cooper was fine with the selections, as well. "To be honest, I don't pay a lot of attention to preseason polls," he said. "They don't matter."
Big Sky Conference Pre-Season Polls
Media Poll (First Place Votes in parenthesis)
1. Montana (16) 206
2. Montana State (6) 183
3. Northern Arizona (5) 182.5
4. Eastern Washington (2) 146.5
5. Idaho State (1) 133
6. Weber State 98
7. Sacramento State 67
8. Portland State 61
Coaches Poll (First Place Votes in parenthesis)
1. Montana (5) 44
2. Eastern Washington (2) 40
3. Northern Arizona (1) 32
4. Montana State 31
5. Weber State 28
6. Idaho State 20
7. Sacramento State 17
8. Portland State 12
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
