Where are the Griz Picked to Finish in Big Sky Football?

As head coach Bob Stitt put it, "We're probably where we should be after the way we finished last season."

At the annual Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff event today in Park City, Utah, it was announced that the University of Montana Grizzlies have been picked to finish sixth in the 2017 conference standings in both the coaches and the media polls. Coach Stitt says the team will use the use the polls as motivation to play a "complete" season and finish where they want to be at the end.

Why will Montana finish much higher than that? While being picked sixth doesn't show much respect, it's interesting to note that of the five teams picked ahead of the Griz, only one of those opponents is a road game for Montana this year, that being Weber State, who was picked to finish fifth. And the other three conference road games are against teams picked to finish in the bottom half of the league standings.

The Media Poll:

1. North Dakota (Griz home game)

2. Eastern Washington (Griz home game)

3. Northern Arizona (Griz home game)

4. Cal Poly (not on schedule this year) 

5. Weber State (Griz road game)

6. Montana

7. Southern Utah (not on schedule this year)

8. Montana State (Griz road game)

9. Northern Colorado (Griz home game)

10 Portland State (Griz road game)

11. UC Davis (not on schedule this year)

12. Sacramento State (not on schedule this year)

13. Idaho State (Griz road game)

The only difference between the media poll and coaches poll is coaches picking Portland State 9th and Northern Colrado 10th. Motivation indeed. Can't wait to see how the team responds for Griz Nation this year.

DB