Bobcats Gain Respect in Polls
7/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Most college football fans enjoy a pair of summertime rituals.
First, denizens of America’s autumnal obsession race to bookstores and news stands just as the weather begins heating up, scraping for tidbits of information on the upcoming season. Polls, preseason all-conference teams, information on rival schools… any available information is devoured.
Next comes the inevitable question: what does it all mean.
“Nothing,” says Tony Moss, who in July relinquished his role as the Division I-AA football editor for The Sports Network to become the organization’s director of NFL coverage. In his time at TSN, Moss enhanced his organization’s reputation as the primary national source for I-AA football information, and although he’s passed to torch to Matt Dougherty for the upcoming season he remains one of the two or three most authoritative voices in the nation on the subject.
“It’s just build-up for the season,” Moss said of preseason prognostications, the most thorough of which – his – is at www.sportsnetwork.com. “It’s a reason for people to get excited about football, which hasn’t been around for eight months. It’s just fun.”
Still, Bobcat coach Mike Kramer gets a kick out of the preseason polls. "They have no bearing on what transpires on the field," Kramer said. "Absolutely none. Yet, they capture peoples' imagination during a time of the year that the appetite is building. People are starving for football information, and the enthusiasm in Bobcat Nation is at an all-time high. It's rolling at high tide. And our people are interested in (preseason polls)."
If the preseason polls are correct, the upcoming season may be fun for the Bobcats. Moss has MSU ranked 10th nationally, and the consensus of preseason polls (see below) has MSU ranked 13th. Northern Arizona is ranked 11th by consensus, and is ranked as high as third by Street & Smith’s.
Montana State, UM and NAU are the only Big Sky schools in the consensus poll, but sees things differently. He brings Idaho State (20th) and Weber State (26th) into the top 30, with NAU (34th) and Eastern Washington (43rd) also registering in the top 50. Portland State is ranked 52nd, and Sacramento State 59th. “The Big Sky top to bottom is as good as any (I-AA) league in the country,” Moss said. “I don’t see any weak link in the league.”
Moss uses key indicators in making his forecasts. “Experience is a big thing,” he said. “You can see who is back, you can tell on paper how talented a team should be, but there are a lot of other factors that figure in.”
Still, Moss knows that none of this matters once footballs fill the September sky. “By then, this will all be forgotten.”
CONSENSUS I-AA POLL (compiled by www.I-AA.org)
1. Delaware; 2. Southern Illinois; 3. Montana; 4. Wofford; 5. Colgate; 6. Georgia Southern; 7. Furman; 8. Northern Iowa; 9. Villanova; 10. Maine; 11. Northern Arizona; 12. McNeese State; 13. MONTANA STATE; 14. Northwestern State; 15. Western Illinois; 16. Western Kentucky; 17. Northeastern; 18. Stephen F. Austin; 19. UMass; 20. Grambling State; T21. Appalachian State and Eastern Kentucky; 23. Bethune-Cookman; T24. North Carolina A&T, Lehigh, Southern; 27. Nicholls State; T28. Illinois State, Gardner-Webb, Samford, Yale.
THE SPORTS NETWORK NATIONAL
1. Delaware; 2. Southern Illinois; 3. Montana; 4. Villanova; 5. Furman; 6. Wofford; 7. Northern Iowa; 8. Grambling State; 9. Colgate; 10. MONTANA STATE; 11. McNeese State; 12. Georgia Southern; 13. Maine; 14. Northwestern State; 15. Eastern Kentucky; 16. North Carolina A&T; 17. Lehigh; 18. Western Illinois; 19. Penn; 20. Idaho State; 21. Appalachian State; 22. Western Kentucky; 23. Northeastern; 24. Norhtern Colorado; 25. Harvard; 26. Weber State; 27. UMass; 28. Hampton; 29. Stephen F. Austin; 30. Jacksonville State; 31. Gardner-Webb; 32. Yale; 33. Southern; 34. Northern Arizona; 35. Bethune-Cookman.
Preseason All-America
2nd Team: Roger Cooper, LB; Honorable Mention: Ray Sebestyen, DT
STREET & SMITH’S BIG SKY RANKINGS
1. NAU, 2. Montana, 3. MSU, 4. Eastern Washington, 5. Idaho State, 6. Weber State, 7. Sacramento State, 8. Portland State.
Top Defensive Player: Roger Cooper, LB, MSU
Games to Watch: EWU at MSU on Nov. 13, MSU at UM on Nov. 20
LINDY’S BIG SKY RANKINGS
1. Montana; 2. Montana State; 3. Northern Arizona
ATHLON BIG SKY RANKINGS
1. Montana, 2. Montana State, 3. Northern Arizona
First, denizens of America’s autumnal obsession race to bookstores and news stands just as the weather begins heating up, scraping for tidbits of information on the upcoming season. Polls, preseason all-conference teams, information on rival schools… any available information is devoured.
Next comes the inevitable question: what does it all mean.
“Nothing,” says Tony Moss, who in July relinquished his role as the Division I-AA football editor for The Sports Network to become the organization’s director of NFL coverage. In his time at TSN, Moss enhanced his organization’s reputation as the primary national source for I-AA football information, and although he’s passed to torch to Matt Dougherty for the upcoming season he remains one of the two or three most authoritative voices in the nation on the subject.
“It’s just build-up for the season,” Moss said of preseason prognostications, the most thorough of which – his – is at www.sportsnetwork.com. “It’s a reason for people to get excited about football, which hasn’t been around for eight months. It’s just fun.”
Still, Bobcat coach Mike Kramer gets a kick out of the preseason polls. "They have no bearing on what transpires on the field," Kramer said. "Absolutely none. Yet, they capture peoples' imagination during a time of the year that the appetite is building. People are starving for football information, and the enthusiasm in Bobcat Nation is at an all-time high. It's rolling at high tide. And our people are interested in (preseason polls)."
If the preseason polls are correct, the upcoming season may be fun for the Bobcats. Moss has MSU ranked 10th nationally, and the consensus of preseason polls (see below) has MSU ranked 13th. Northern Arizona is ranked 11th by consensus, and is ranked as high as third by Street & Smith’s.
Montana State, UM and NAU are the only Big Sky schools in the consensus poll, but sees things differently. He brings Idaho State (20th) and Weber State (26th) into the top 30, with NAU (34th) and Eastern Washington (43rd) also registering in the top 50. Portland State is ranked 52nd, and Sacramento State 59th. “The Big Sky top to bottom is as good as any (I-AA) league in the country,” Moss said. “I don’t see any weak link in the league.”
Moss uses key indicators in making his forecasts. “Experience is a big thing,” he said. “You can see who is back, you can tell on paper how talented a team should be, but there are a lot of other factors that figure in.”
Still, Moss knows that none of this matters once footballs fill the September sky. “By then, this will all be forgotten.”
CONSENSUS I-AA POLL (compiled by www.I-AA.org)
1. Delaware; 2. Southern Illinois; 3. Montana; 4. Wofford; 5. Colgate; 6. Georgia Southern; 7. Furman; 8. Northern Iowa; 9. Villanova; 10. Maine; 11. Northern Arizona; 12. McNeese State; 13. MONTANA STATE; 14. Northwestern State; 15. Western Illinois; 16. Western Kentucky; 17. Northeastern; 18. Stephen F. Austin; 19. UMass; 20. Grambling State; T21. Appalachian State and Eastern Kentucky; 23. Bethune-Cookman; T24. North Carolina A&T, Lehigh, Southern; 27. Nicholls State; T28. Illinois State, Gardner-Webb, Samford, Yale.
THE SPORTS NETWORK NATIONAL
1. Delaware; 2. Southern Illinois; 3. Montana; 4. Villanova; 5. Furman; 6. Wofford; 7. Northern Iowa; 8. Grambling State; 9. Colgate; 10. MONTANA STATE; 11. McNeese State; 12. Georgia Southern; 13. Maine; 14. Northwestern State; 15. Eastern Kentucky; 16. North Carolina A&T; 17. Lehigh; 18. Western Illinois; 19. Penn; 20. Idaho State; 21. Appalachian State; 22. Western Kentucky; 23. Northeastern; 24. Norhtern Colorado; 25. Harvard; 26. Weber State; 27. UMass; 28. Hampton; 29. Stephen F. Austin; 30. Jacksonville State; 31. Gardner-Webb; 32. Yale; 33. Southern; 34. Northern Arizona; 35. Bethune-Cookman.
Preseason All-America
2nd Team: Roger Cooper, LB; Honorable Mention: Ray Sebestyen, DT
STREET & SMITH’S BIG SKY RANKINGS
1. NAU, 2. Montana, 3. MSU, 4. Eastern Washington, 5. Idaho State, 6. Weber State, 7. Sacramento State, 8. Portland State.
Top Defensive Player: Roger Cooper, LB, MSU
Games to Watch: EWU at MSU on Nov. 13, MSU at UM on Nov. 20
LINDY’S BIG SKY RANKINGS
1. Montana; 2. Montana State; 3. Northern Arizona
ATHLON BIG SKY RANKINGS
1. Montana, 2. Montana State, 3. Northern Arizona
Wednesday, August 19
Wednesday, June 10
Monday, March 23
Friday, March 13
