The State of Montana is generally considered part of the Mountain West region, but I realized that I don’t remember the last time the Griz played a Mountain West Conference opponent. Since the Mountain West hit 12 teams in 2013, 11 seasons, Montana and Montana State have each played Wyoming one time a piece. That is the extent of our football relationships with the Mountain West.
But even historically, the Montana teams haven’t played the Mountain West teams much. Only the series against Boise State, Utah State, and MSU vs Fresno State and Wyoming eclipse 20 games all time.
This raises a question: why haven’t the Montana teams played these regional foes more often?
Nevada (and to a lesser extent Boise State) perplexes me, because Nevada joined the Big Sky in 1979 and played there for 12 years until moving up to the Big West in 1992. Chris Ault is still among the winningest head coaches in Big Sky history. Boise State joined the conference in 1969 and then joined Nevada in the Big West in 1996 (taking Idaho with them). This is interesting to me because, with the general dearth of teams out west, there would be more interest in playing teams you have some history with.
Now, I could see an argument that, in the modern era, Montana and Montana State are two the only programs for whom home game gate attendance make up a significant chunk of their athletic department revenue. So, play one “buy-game” against the Northwest Pac-12 teams every 3-4 years but otherwise stack your non-conference with as many home games as possible, especially if you don’t need the money. Additionally, with the exception of Utah State and maybe Wyoming and Boise State, it is generally easier to get to Seattle and Pullman and Oregon than it is to any of the college towns in the Mountain West. And Montana has played the 4 PNW Pac schools more than the MWC schools for that reason and ancient conference membership in the PCC.
I bring this up today, the day the Pac-12 has died, because I find it really odd that UM and MSU haven’t cultivated more football relationships with the only Western FBS conference left. With the possibility of revenue sharing agreements, the NCAA getting bodied in the supreme court, and recent consolidation, we are not far away from the tippy top end of the sport splitting off from the FBS or the NCAA entirely. A new line will be drawn. And while I like the Big Sky - which comes with winning lots of games, and playing regional opponents and our historic rivals EWU, Idaho, and you all - seeing Jacksonville State, James Madison, Sam Houston State, and now Delaware and Missouri State moving up, along with Appalachian State and Wyoming featuring so prominently in the new EA College Football 25 trailer: https://youtu.be/W1QDaXkufCo?si=kFugAZmxNEPqv5DD; it all makes me wonder what our athletic department/s are doing to make sure we are on the right side of the line when it is inevitably drawn. Maybe we don’t want to be on that side of the line either. It costs a lot of money and community resources to support that endeavor. The big issue to me is I’m not clear on what UM and MSU actually want to do. It also doesn’t seem like there’s any interest from the Mountain West either. It seems like there’s a divide between Montana and the rest of the Rockies and I’d like to hear from people who know or understand why that is.
