Week 6 Big Sky Power Rankings

The FCS football season moves to Week 6 and we take a look at the updated Big Sky football power rankings after the first five games.

The latest Big Sky power rankings are here a week after conference play has kicked off. The Week 6 conference slate is headlined by No. 17 Montana traveling to face No. 20 UC Davis, which is one of the biggest games in the FCS this weekend. 

Each week we will release updated power rankings for the Big Sky. Week 6 Big Sky Power Rankings are listed below.

No. 12 Cal Poly (2-3)

Cal Poly lost to UC Davis as the Mustangs have now lost back-to-back conference games. The Mustangs continue to have struggles on offense as quarterback Bo Kelly only completed 51% of his passes and the rushing attack only averaged 0.5 yards per carry on the ground. The defense played well for most of the game, but the Aggies were able to pull away as the Cal Poly offense struggled. The Cal Poly defense has quietly worked its way to being one of the better defenses in the Big Sky. The Mustangs will need a lot more than an improved defense if this team wants to get their first Big Sky win as Idaho travels to San Luis Obispo this weekend.

No. 11 Northern Colorado (0-5)

Northern Colorado fell to Weber State 28-21 in heartbreaking fashion. The Bears held a 21-7 lead going into halftime and maintained that lead until late in the fourth quarter, but a pair of costly turnovers secured the win for the Wildcats. Looking forward, the Bears still have the worst defense in the Big Sky and are allowing over 500 yards per game. The quest for the first win of the season will continue to Oct. 14 against Sacramento State.

No. 10 Idaho State (1-4)

Idaho State lost a competitive 28-20 to Montana this past weekend. Despite the loss, Bengal fans have a lot to feel good about after last week’s performance. Freshman quarterback Jordan Cooke looks to be the real deal as playing in Missoula as a freshman is no easy task and Cooke did well throwing for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns. The two interceptions were costly, but the improvement from the freshman is promising for the future. Cooke spread the ball around as four different receivers finished the game with five or more receptions. The defense still ranks No. 11 in the Big Sky in total defense, which is something that must improve if this team expects to contend throughout conference play. Idaho State will look to build over the bye week before a matchup against Eastern Washington in Week 7.

No. 9 Weber State (3-2)

Weber State escaped with a 28-21 victory over Northern Colorado, but the Wildcats still dropped three spots in this week’s rankings. Weber State was fortunate to win at Northern Colorado and needed an Abraham Williams interception to tie the game and a Winston Reid pick-six to win the game. The Wildcats were facing the worst defense in the Big Sky and still struggled to score 14 points offensively. This team now ranks last in the Big Sky in yards per game, yards per play, and touchdowns scored. Weber State’s offense ranks among the worst offenses in the entire FCS. This team is nowhere near good enough to compete in the playoffs right now and it is a shame because the Wildcats have plenty of talented difference-makers on the defensive side of the ball. The Wildcats welcome Northern Arizona to Ogden this Saturday.

No. 8 Montana (4-1)

Montana moves up one spot this week to No. 8 after defeating Idaho State 28-20 in a tight, back-and-forth game last Saturday. The quarterback situation still does not seem settled and neither Clifton McDowell nor Sam Vidlak look confident running the offense. The rushing attack continued to struggle last week as the Grizzlies averaged only 3.4 yards per carry against an Idaho State defense that has struggled at times. Junior Bergen continued a stellar season as the standout on the offensive side of the ball with seven receptions for 100 yards. The defense is still one of the best in the Big Sky but until this team shows more offensively, I do not expect Montana to compete with the top teams in the conference. Montana will have a big opportunity to build confidence on Saturday when the Grizzlies travel to UC Davis.

No. 7 Portland State (2-3)

Portland State jumps up a spot to No. 7 despite a 38-22 loss to Montana State last Saturday in Bozeman. The Vikings were massive underdogs on the road in Bozeman but competed well throughout the game. Quarterback Dante Chachere continued to show his ability to be a dynamic athlete with 83 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Portland State gained over 200 yards on the ground against the Bobcat defense. The Viking passing game still needs to improve if this team wants to finish in the top half of the conference. Portland State has a bye week and will prepare for a big Week 7 road matchup against Northern Arizona.

No. 6 Northern Arizona (1-4)

Northern Arizona moves up again this week to No. 6 in the Big Sky power rankings after a close road loss to Sacramento State. Not many teams can reach a No. 6 conference ranking with a 1-4 record, but the Lumberjacks continue to play at the level of a top-half of the conference team. Last week I mentioned that Sacramento State had only allowed two sacks the entire season and the Lumberjacks doubled that number with four sacks against the Hornets last weekend. Northern Arizona made things uncomfortable for the Hornets all night and won the battle at the line of scrimmage. The defense held the Hornets to 3.4 yards per carry and averaged over five yards per carry on offense, led by running back Devon Starling (117 yards and 2 TDs). Interceptions continue to plague quarterback Ada Damante and his late-game interception in the end zone ended Northern Arizona’s chances to pull off the upset on the road. The Lumberjacks face another road test in Week 6, traveling to face Weber State. Northern Arizona has a great opportunity to take advantage of a struggling Weber State offense and remain in the top half of these rankings.

No. 5 UC Davis (3-2)

UC Davis remains at No. 5 this week after defeating Cal Poly 31-13 last Saturday. The Aggies got a win in their first game without running back Lan Larison and Trent Tompkins did a solid job as his replacement with 89 yards and two touchdowns. The defense continues to play well and now ranks No. 3 in the Big Sky in total defense. Nick Eaton had a great game Saturday with three tackles for loss and two sacks, while safety Rex Connors continued his stellar season with another interception. This team still has Big Sky title and FCS playoff aspirations, but in order to make those things happen the passing game needs to improve. The Aggies have the second-worst passing offense in the Big Sky and need to find their rhythm soon. The Aggies welcome Montana to town this Saturday in the conference’s only ranked matchup of the weekend.

No. 4 Eastern Washington (2-3)

Eastern Washington remains at the No. 4 spot after a tough 44-36 loss to Idaho last Saturday. The Eagles played really well despite quarterback Kekoa Visperas missing the game due to injury. Jared Taylor stepped in and played well in the difficult spot. Taylor utilized his dual-threat ability and totaled 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles were able to take advantage of Idaho’s defense being unprepared for Taylor’s dynamic play on the ground. The good news for the Eagles is that Eastern Washington gets a well-timed bye week and more time for Visperas to get healthy before a game against Idaho State. The main concern for Eastern Washington is the rush defense. The Eagles are allowing over 250 yards per game on the ground. For the second week in a row, a running back has surpassed the 200-yard mark against the Eagle defense. Eastern Washington has navigated one of the most difficult schedules in the country and needs to start racking up wins if this program wants to stay in contention for the FCS playoffs.

No. 3 Sacramento State (4-1)

Sacramento State remains at the No. 3 spot after escaping with a 31-30 win over Northern Arizona in Week 5. Kameron Rocha sealed the win with an interception in the end zone to keep the Hornets from being upset at home. The Hornets were coming off a close loss to Idaho the week before and seemed to be sluggish early against the Lumberjacks. Quarterback Kaiden Bennett continued a stellar season with 257 yards passing and another 76 yards on the ground. The only main concern with this team moving forward is the lack of a rushing attack as Marcus Fulcher battles injuries. The Hornets struggled for a second straight week to get things going on the ground and only averaged 3.4 yards per carry. The Hornets will need to improve if this team wants to compete with Montana State in a couple of weeks. Sacramento State will enjoy a week off and prepare to travel to Northern Colorado in Week 7.

No. 2 Idaho (4-1)

Idaho remains at No. 2 after another big victory on the road against Eastern Washington. The Vandals got its first-ever victory on the red turf and were in control most of the second half. The vaunted Idaho passing game struggled to get off the ground on Saturday, but the rushing attack was able to carry the offense on the road. As a team, the Vandals gained 398 yards and were led by an incredible performance by running back Anthony Woods. Woods finished the game with 211 yards and five touchdowns, while Nick Romano added another 129 yards as the Vandals pummeled the Eagles on the ground. It is an encouraging sign to see that Idaho can win in multiple ways even if the passing game does not show up. This kind of performance is what you expect to see from teams that can compete for a national championship. Idaho travels to face Cal Poly as the Vandals look to continue to build momentum before a huge matchup against Montana State at the end of October.

No. 1 Montana State (4-1)

Montana State remains in the No. 1 spot after a 38-22 win over Portland State. The Bobcats only led 17-14 but it never seemed like the Bobcats were not in control of the game. Montana State churned out another 300-yard performance on the ground and quarterback Sean Chambers made plays all over the field including an 88-yard touchdown run. Montana State now leads the Big Sky in sacks after racking up five sacks against Portland State. Brody Grebe (4.5 sacks) leads the Big Sky in sacks after adding another two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss against the Vikings. The Bobcats continue to show dominance and until someone else knocks Montana State off, this team will remain at No. 1. Montana State enters a much-needed bye week as the Bobcats prepare to host Cal Poly in Week 7 before a huge two-week stretch where the Bobcats will play Sacramento State and Idaho in back-to-back weeks.

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