University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Photo by: Rob Trubia
Big Sky Conference Releases 2017 Preseason Football Polls
7/18/2017 9:58:00 AM | Football
PARK CITY, Utah – The Big Sky Conference released the 2017 Coaches and Media Preseason Poll on Tuesday. The Bears were selected ninth in the media poll and 10th in the coaches' poll.
UNC finished tied for sixth in the league last season with a 4-4 record and were a touchdown away from finishing over .500 (55-48 loss to #21 Cal Poly) and potentially a FCS playoff berth. The four conference wins were tied as the most that any Northern Colorado team has had since moving up to the FCS level. The Bears also produced a 4-4 Big Sky record under Head Coach, Earnest Collins Jr. in 2012.
"Luckily for us, the preseason polls don't dictate the result at the end of the season," Collins said. "I wasn't surprised with where we were picked, until we consistently prove ourselves in this conference, we will always be picked higher than we would like. We have the core of our offense and a strong secondary returning this season, so I'm excited to get to work and see what we can do this year."
The program solidified its second winning season in as many years after a 28-25 victory over then no. 18 Montana. The win over the Griz was the first in the program's FCS program history and the first in 40 years.
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks were the Big Sky's surprise story in 2016, going 8-0 and sharing the league title with Eastern Washington.
The Fighting Hawks are expected to surprise no one in the 2017 season, as the league's coaches and media selected North Dakota to repeat as Big Sky champions in their final year in the league. The Fighting Hawks received six first-place votes by the Big Sky football coaches, and earned 15-of-24 first-place votes from media.
The Big Sky Coaches' Poll was voted on by the league's head football coaches. The coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. The Media Poll was voted on by the league's television, radio and print media, along with the league's sports information directors.
The Bears' 2017 Big Sky season will start at home on Sept. 23 when they host the Idaho State Bengals. It will be the first time since 2014 that the two programs have faced each other.
UNC's non-conference season begins Sept. 2 in the friendly confines of Nottingham Field against College of Idaho.
UNC finished tied for sixth in the league last season with a 4-4 record and were a touchdown away from finishing over .500 (55-48 loss to #21 Cal Poly) and potentially a FCS playoff berth. The four conference wins were tied as the most that any Northern Colorado team has had since moving up to the FCS level. The Bears also produced a 4-4 Big Sky record under Head Coach, Earnest Collins Jr. in 2012.
"Luckily for us, the preseason polls don't dictate the result at the end of the season," Collins said. "I wasn't surprised with where we were picked, until we consistently prove ourselves in this conference, we will always be picked higher than we would like. We have the core of our offense and a strong secondary returning this season, so I'm excited to get to work and see what we can do this year."
The program solidified its second winning season in as many years after a 28-25 victory over then no. 18 Montana. The win over the Griz was the first in the program's FCS program history and the first in 40 years.
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks were the Big Sky's surprise story in 2016, going 8-0 and sharing the league title with Eastern Washington.
The Fighting Hawks are expected to surprise no one in the 2017 season, as the league's coaches and media selected North Dakota to repeat as Big Sky champions in their final year in the league. The Fighting Hawks received six first-place votes by the Big Sky football coaches, and earned 15-of-24 first-place votes from media.
The Big Sky Coaches' Poll was voted on by the league's head football coaches. The coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. The Media Poll was voted on by the league's television, radio and print media, along with the league's sports information directors.
The Bears' 2017 Big Sky season will start at home on Sept. 23 when they host the Idaho State Bengals. It will be the first time since 2014 that the two programs have faced each other.
UNC's non-conference season begins Sept. 2 in the friendly confines of Nottingham Field against College of Idaho.
| #BigSkyFB Preseason Polls | |
| Media Poll | |
| Team | Point Total (First-Place Votes) |
| North Dakota | 298 (15) |
| Eastern Washington | 271 (5) |
| Northern Arizona | 236 (3) |
| Cal Poly | 224 |
| Weber State | 209 |
| Montana | 204 (1) |
| Southern Utah | 175 |
| Montana State | 156 |
| Northern Colorado | 135 |
| Portland State | 104 |
| UC Davis | 62 |
| Sacramento State | 61 |
| Idaho State | 44 |
| Coaches' Poll | |
| North Dakota | 130 (6) |
| Eastern Washington | 124 (2) |
| Northern Arizona | 119 (2) |
| Cal Poly | 108 (1) |
| Weber State | 103 (1) |
| Montana | 83 (1) |
| Southern Utah | 80 |
| Montana State | 69 |
| Portland State | 62 |
| Northern Colorado | 60 |
| UC Davis | 35 |
| Sacramento State | 26 |
| Idaho State | 15 |
Tuesday, December 23
Tuesday, December 23
Tuesday, December 23
Tuesday, December 23
