The Bobcat Nation

Looking at the standings in the Big Sky the griz are currently in 6th. If they lose to EWU they would be 2-3 in the Big Sky and 5-3 overall. If UNC beats PSU, and the griz lose they would be in 7th place in the Big Sky. If they were to win out after that they could be 8-3 and could finish tied for 6th in the Big Sky.
Would that get them into the play offs?

Interesting dilemma for the selection committee. Does it take a team that can bring in 25,000 despite it only finishing in sixth place in its own league? A couple questions: first, who all would be ahead of UM? I see EWU, WSU, UND, Cal Poly and NAU ahead of them and the Griz tied for sixth with UNC. Is that what you have? The Griz would have lost to three of the five teams ahead of them and would have a worse record than the two it didn't play. Second, can No. Iowa win out? The Griz would have to be rooting hard for No. Iowa to finish strong (beat NDSU?) to boost their chances. The selection committee would then need to select six teams from the BSC, which would be a record. I think the MVFC had five teams just two years ago.

CPACAT wrote:Looking at the standings in the Big Sky the griz are currently in 6th. If they lose to EWU they would be 2-3 in the Big Sky and 5-3 overall. If UNC beats PSU, and the griz lose they would be in 7th place in the Big Sky. If they were to win out after that they could be 8-3 and could finish tied for 6th in the Big Sky.
Would that get them into the play offs?

At 8-3 they are in no matter where they stand in the Big Sky.

The Butcher wrote:

CPACAT wrote:Looking at the standings in the Big Sky the griz are currently in 6th. If they lose to EWU they would be 2-3 in the Big Sky and 5-3 overall. If UNC beats PSU, and the griz lose they would be in 7th place in the Big Sky. If they were to win out after that they could be 8-3 and could finish tied for 6th in the Big Sky.
Would that get them into the play offs?

At 8-3 they are in no matter where they stand in the Big Sky.

I believe this as well. Unfortunately it all has to do with $$.... or to put another way, Denny W buying the Griz into the playoffs. It wouldn't be based on their on field performance.

Just did a post on the remaining teams with a shot and their strength of schedule ahead.

Presumably an 8-3 Griz team would be in, also you've got most of the rest of the teams in the mix, especially Weber, UND, NAU, and Poly all playing each other over that stretch.

http://egriz.com/grizboard/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=75214

iaafan wrote:Interesting dilemma for the selection committee. Does it take a team that can bring in 25,000 despite it only finishing in sixth place in its own league? A couple questions: first, who all would be ahead of UM? I see EWU, WSU, UND, Cal Poly and NAU ahead of them and the Griz tied for sixth with UNC. Is that what you have? The Griz would have lost to three of the five teams ahead of them and would have a worse record than the two it didn't play. Second, can No. Iowa win out? The Griz would have to be rooting hard for No. Iowa to finish strong (beat NDSU?) to boost their chances. The selection committee would then need to select six teams from the BSC, which would be a record. I think the MVFC had five teams just two years ago.

The only realistic way NAU gets in is by getting the autobid. I don't see the BSC getting five teams.

UM probably needs to get ahead of WSU in the committee's eyes.

The Butcher wrote:

CPACAT wrote:Looking at the standings in the Big Sky the griz are currently in 6th. If they lose to EWU they would be 2-3 in the Big Sky and 5-3 overall. If UNC beats PSU, and the griz lose they would be in 7th place in the Big Sky. If they were to win out after that they could be 8-3 and could finish tied for 6th in the Big Sky.
Would that get them into the play offs?

At 8-3 they are in no matter where they stand in the Big Sky.

Spot on. It has NOTHING to do with conference standings at all. The only part where conference standings come into play is with who wins it all and secures an auto bid for the playoffs. Especially in a 13 team Big a Sky with an unbalanced schedule where some teams miss playing teams like EWU and UM all together.

Look at SUU last year. They won the conference, avoided playing UM or EWU, and got bounced in the first round after having to travel for their playoff game. Same thing this year, UND and Weber are both undefeated in conference play but both avoid facing EWU and UM.

This is exactly why the 24 team field is based on overall record and strength of schedule (Simple Rating System). Heck, last year a 6-5 team got in for the first time due to their strong SRS rating. An 8-3 Griz team is in all day, any day.

Grizaddict wrote:

The Butcher wrote:

CPACAT wrote:Looking at the standings in the Big Sky the griz are currently in 6th. If they lose to EWU they would be 2-3 in the Big Sky and 5-3 overall. If UNC beats PSU, and the griz lose they would be in 7th place in the Big Sky. If they were to win out after that they could be 8-3 and could finish tied for 6th in the Big Sky.
Would that get them into the play offs?

At 8-3 they are in no matter where they stand in the Big Sky.

Spot on. It has NOTHING to do with conference standings at all. The only part where conference standings come into play is with who wins it all and secures an auto bid for the playoffs. Especially in a 13 team Big a Sky with an unbalanced schedule where some teams miss playing teams like EWU and UM all together.

Look at SUU last year. They won the conference, avoided playing UM or EWU, and got bounced in the first round after having to travel for their playoff game. Same thing this year, UND and Weber are both undefeated in conference play but both avoid facing EWU and UM.

This is exactly why the 24 team field is based on overall record and strength of schedule (Simple Rating System). Heck, last year a 6-5 team got in for the first time due to their strong SRS rating. An 8-3 Griz team is in all day, any day.

Based on what I've seen from UM, I wouldn't be so sure that it isn't UM that's fortunate to be avoiding UND and WSU.

TomCat88 wrote:

Grizaddict wrote:

The Butcher wrote:

CPACAT wrote:Looking at the standings in the Big Sky the griz are currently in 6th. If they lose to EWU they would be 2-3 in the Big Sky and 5-3 overall. If UNC beats PSU, and the griz lose they would be in 7th place in the Big Sky. If they were to win out after that they could be 8-3 and could finish tied for 6th in the Big Sky.
Would that get them into the play offs?

At 8-3 they are in no matter where they stand in the Big Sky.

Spot on. It has NOTHING to do with conference standings at all. The only part where conference standings come into play is with who wins it all and secures an auto bid for the playoffs. Especially in a 13 team Big a Sky with an unbalanced schedule where some teams miss playing teams like EWU and UM all together.

Look at SUU last year. They won the conference, avoided playing UM or EWU, and got bounced in the first round after having to travel for their playoff game. Same thing this year, UND and Weber are both undefeated in conference play but both avoid facing EWU and UM.

This is exactly why the 24 team field is based on overall record and strength of schedule (Simple Rating System). Heck, last year a 6-5 team got in for the first time due to their strong SRS rating. An 8-3 Griz team is in all day, any day.

Based on what I've seen from UM, I wouldn't be so sure that it isn't UM that's fortunate to be avoiding UND and WSU.

They've had one bad game, against NAU. Their loss to cal poly they still looked pretty good if you ask me. So I think your statement is a little undeserved, but to your point we will never know these things bc our conference is too big and the unbalanced scheduling is ridiculous. Folks said the same last year about the Griz, but they were the only Big Sky team to get into the 2nd round after beating a pretty good SDSU team. Unfortunately they met the buzz saw they is NDSU after that, with a chip on its shoulder. That one still hurts.

Grizaddict wrote:

TomCat88 wrote:

Grizaddict wrote:

The Butcher wrote:

CPACAT wrote:Looking at the standings in the Big Sky the griz are currently in 6th. If they lose to EWU they would be 2-3 in the Big Sky and 5-3 overall. If UNC beats PSU, and the griz lose they would be in 7th place in the Big Sky. If they were to win out after that they could be 8-3 and could finish tied for 6th in the Big Sky.
Would that get them into the play offs?

At 8-3 they are in no matter where they stand in the Big Sky.

Spot on. It has NOTHING to do with conference standings at all. The only part where conference standings come into play is with who wins it all and secures an auto bid for the playoffs. Especially in a 13 team Big a Sky with an unbalanced schedule where some teams miss playing teams like EWU and UM all together.

Look at SUU last year. They won the conference, avoided playing UM or EWU, and got bounced in the first round after having to travel for their playoff game. Same thing this year, UND and Weber are both undefeated in conference play but both avoid facing EWU and UM.

This is exactly why the 24 team field is based on overall record and strength of schedule (Simple Rating System). Heck, last year a 6-5 team got in for the first time due to their strong SRS rating. An 8-3 Griz team is in all day, any day.

Based on what I've seen from UM, I wouldn't be so sure that it isn't UM that's fortunate to be avoiding UND and WSU.

They've had one bad game, against NAU. Their loss to cal poly they still looked pretty good if you ask me. So I think your statement is a little undeserved, but to your point we will never know these things bc our conference is too big and the unbalanced scheduling is ridiculous. Folks said the same last year about the Griz, but they were the only Big Sky team to get into the 2nd round after beating a pretty good SDSU team. Unfortunately they met the buzz saw they is NDSU after that, with a chip on its shoulder. That one still hurts.

UM is undersized at DT which is why CP and NAU did what they did. They would struggle with UND and WSU and will vs UNC and MSU.

LongTimeCatFan wrote:

Grizaddict wrote:

TomCat88 wrote:

Grizaddict wrote:

The Butcher wrote:

CPACAT wrote:Looking at the standings in the Big Sky the griz are currently in 6th. If they lose to EWU they would be 2-3 in the Big Sky and 5-3 overall. If UNC beats PSU, and the griz lose they would be in 7th place in the Big Sky. If they were to win out after that they could be 8-3 and could finish tied for 6th in the Big Sky.
Would that get them into the play offs?

At 8-3 they are in no matter where they stand in the Big Sky.

Spot on. It has NOTHING to do with conference standings at all. The only part where conference standings come into play is with who wins it all and secures an auto bid for the playoffs. Especially in a 13 team Big a Sky with an unbalanced schedule where some teams miss playing teams like EWU and UM all together.

Look at SUU last year. They won the conference, avoided playing UM or EWU, and got bounced in the first round after having to travel for their playoff game. Same thing this year, UND and Weber are both undefeated in conference play but both avoid facing EWU and UM.

This is exactly why the 24 team field is based on overall record and strength of schedule (Simple Rating System). Heck, last year a 6-5 team got in for the first time due to their strong SRS rating. An 8-3 Griz team is in all day, any day.

Based on what I've seen from UM, I wouldn't be so sure that it isn't UM that's fortunate to be avoiding UND and WSU.

They've had one bad game, against NAU. Their loss to cal poly they still looked pretty good if you ask me. So I think your statement is a little undeserved, but to your point we will never know these things bc our conference is too big and the unbalanced scheduling is ridiculous. Folks said the same last year about the Griz, but they were the only Big Sky team to get into the 2nd round after beating a pretty good SDSU team. Unfortunately they met the buzz saw they is NDSU after that, with a chip on its shoulder. That one still hurts.

UM is undersized at DT which is why CP and NAU did what they did. They would struggle with UND and WSU and will vs UNC and MSU.

Well we'll get to find out on 2 of those 4. I'm impressed you guys still have that kind of confidence in your team. I have confidence in mine as well, but I'm also realistic. I don't think we will beat EWU tomorrow, but I don't have many worries about UNC or MSU, regardless of our DT size. Which, btw Davidson is 6'3 295 lbs and Peevey is 6'3 275 lbs. Sims is a bit undersized at 255 lbs but has been extremely impressive. And you must have watched a different CP game than me. Griz were killed on the outside run option game. CP did nothing running up the gut. I think Protheroe was held to 45 yards less than his average.

When was the last time there was no Montana team in the playoffs! At the end of the 3rd quarter of the EWU vs griz looks like that is pretty likely.

The Butcher wrote:When was the last time there was no Montana team in the playoffs! At the end of the 3rd quarter of the EWU vs griz looks like that is pretty likely.

If the griz lose today but beat UNC and MSU, I'm sure they're in. And they'll be heavy favorites in both those games.

91catAlum wrote:

The Butcher wrote:When was the last time there was no Montana team in the playoffs! At the end of the 3rd quarter of the EWU vs griz looks like that is pretty likely.

If the griz lose today but beat UNC and MSU, I'm sure they're in. And they'll be heavy favorites in both those games.

Hey don't forget they have to play ISU Bengals too.

Actually Bengals are playing kind of tough today against So UT

Joe Bobcat wrote:

91catAlum wrote:

The Butcher wrote:When was the last time there was no Montana team in the playoffs! At the end of the 3rd quarter of the EWU vs griz looks like that is pretty likely.

If the griz lose today but beat UNC and MSU, I'm sure they're in. And they'll be heavy favorites in both those games.

Hey don't forget they have to play ISU Bengals too. [emoji38] [emoji38] [emoji38] [emoji38]

Actually Bengals are playing kind of tough today against So UT

Oh right, 3 more games. Forgot about them.

91catAlum wrote:

Joe Bobcat wrote:

91catAlum wrote:

The Butcher wrote:When was the last time there was no Montana team in the playoffs! At the end of the 3rd quarter of the EWU vs griz looks like that is pretty likely.

If the griz lose today but beat UNC and MSU, I'm sure they're in. And they'll be heavy favorites in both those games.

Hey don't forget they have to play ISU Bengals too. [emoji38] [emoji38] [emoji38] [emoji38]

Actually Bengals are playing kind of tough today against So UT

Oh right, 3 more games. Forgot about them.

Yeah maybe the Griz will too.

91catAlum wrote:

The Butcher wrote:When was the last time there was no Montana team in the playoffs! At the end of the 3rd quarter of the EWU vs griz looks like that is pretty likely.

If the griz lose today but beat UNC and MSU, I'm sure they're in. And they'll be heavy favorites in both those games.

UNC is out if they lose to the Griz (or the Griz are out if they lose to the Bears, but I'm not holding my breath). NAU is already out of the playoffs with 4 losses (and one of their 4 wins is against a D2 school).

Weber still has games against NAU & Cal Poly. Weber-Poly is loser out for sure. If Poly loses to EWU, Poly is on the bubble, even with a win over Weber.

EWU could lose 3 in a row and still get in. UND could lose both remaining games & still get in.

So, 2 playoff spots go for sure to UND & EWOO. If Poly, Weber, or the Fizz win out, they are in. Griz might even make it in if they lose one. A Griz team with 7 D1 wins in in every day of the week and twice on Sunday, with a home game to boot.

If I were a betting man, I'm going with EWOO, UND, and UM as playoff locks. Weber or Poly are both a coin toss at this point. No way the BSC get 5 team in though.

With the UND (6-0) win over WSU and the UM (2-3) loss to EWU, the Griz are mathematically eliminated from winning the league title. UM hasn't won a league title since 2009 a string of seven consecutive seasons after winning the league 12 straight times from 1998 to 2009.

iaafan wrote:With the UND (6-0) win over WSU and the UM (2-3) loss to EWU, the Griz are mathematically eliminated from winning the league title. UM hasn't won a league title since 2009 a string of seven consecutive seasons after winning the league 12 straight times from 1998 to 2009.

Except for when they won it in 2011. I suppose you don't count that though. Ha that tells me a lot.

The league, UM and the NCAA don't count it.

UM finishes in the past seven years are:
2010 - Tied for 3rd with WSU and SSU
2011 - 2nd
2012 - Tied for 8th with UND and UC-Davis
2013 - 3rd
2014 - Tied for 2nd with ISU and MSU.
2015 - Tied for 2nd with PSU.
2016 - ? Currently 8th.