Defense will tell the tale.

(10–3, 7–1 Big Sky)

The Aggies so enjoyed their first appearance in the FCS playoffs last season that they’re eyeing a run even further than the quarterfinals. Senior quarterback Jake Maier, the 2018 Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year who passed for 3,931 yards and 34 touchdowns, is surrounded by a wealth of offensive talent, including running backs Ulonzo Gilliam and Tehran Thomas, wide receiver Jared Harrell, tight end Wesley Preece and four returning starters on the offensive line. Eddie Robinson Award-winning coach Dan Hawkins must restock a defense that features sophomore linebacker Montell Bland.

Montana State is moving Andersen back to linebacker, what a trip.

While EWU has managed to keep UC Davis, Montana State and Weber State off their schedule, they've also got games @ Washington and @ Jacksonville State (a preseason Top 10 team). So the road through the Big Sky looks "easy", but the out of conference play for the Eagles, aside from Lindenwood, is going to be tough. Two trips to California, @ Sac State and @ Cal Poly.

HERO Sports ranks the Aggies at #3 in their preseason poll

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2019-hero-sports-preseason-top-25-fcs-ajaj

3. UC DAVIS
The Aggies are loaded coming off a heartbreaking loss in the quarterfinals. Offensively, UC Davis brings back almost its entire starting lineup outside of WR Keelan Doss and has a top FCS QB in Jake Maier under center. The defense has six starters back. The ascension of this program is impressive, and it should continue in 2019.

The top 5 on the Athlon ranking looks more realistic to me then HERO.

3 vs 5 is is not much of a difference, but it’s encouraging both agree we’re contenders, which is about all that can be said before the first game.
Athlon says we need to restock our defense which I think overstates our issues on that unit. We played a unusual number of defensive players and have guys on current roster with playing experience to fill the roles of the departed. Whether they’ll be as good or better remains to be seen. I hope they’ll be better as a unit. More reason for optimism on D this year than prior to last season.

3 vs 5 is is not much of a difference, — Riveraggie

True, especially this early. But I was surprised to see EW at #7. I think that is what caught my eye. And to be honest, it might be better for the Aggies to be lower on the list. Teams like to get up for games when it appears they are the underdogs.

it’s hard to picture us beating those guys with that last drive fresh in our memory. That was ugly. But we’ll beat them one of these days. If we had home field we might have won that game.

If we just beat EWU once, it would be a successful season...

If we had home field we might have won that game. — Riveraggie

Agreed. I went to the first EW game. Frankly, I don't care to go back. It was freezing cold on those metal bench seats with that north wind coming out of Canada, and the fans were not so nice. I sat with a fella that sits behind me at the home games. I thought he was going to end up in a fist fight with the EW fan to his right. And I am not crazy about their coach. But give them credit, they can play football.

I think EW and Weber are the two Big Sky teams we’ve never beat. So Weber at home is a big opportunity in this year’s schedule, for that reason alone.

I might consider Cheney in September or early October.

Anyone want to guess where Davis will be in the Big Sky coaches and media polls?

I honestly think they'll put us at No. 1 in the media, and No. 2 in the Coaches. Until EWU is knocked off, they're up there in the Eagle's Nest.

Davis has beaten Weber

Thanks, I now see that Davis beat them twice, 2004 and 2012.

Weber's a totally new program since Jay Hill took over. Good playoff runs 2017 and 2018 (and a 2016 appearance)...and now touting the National Freshman of the Year. They'll be strong.

I need Football to start again :cry:

Street & Smith's has UCD 7th, third in the Big Sky behind Eastern Washington and Weber State. Maier is the QB on their All America team (and is pictured on the FCS Preview page).

"UC Davis (10-3, 7-2) reached new heights last year under Dan Hawkins, the former Boise State and Colorado head coach who led the Aggies to their first FCS quarterfinal berth in history in just his second season. Reigning Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year Jake Maier returns at quarterback after passing for 302.4 yards per game (fourth in the FCS). He'll direct an offense that also includes sophomore running back Ulonzo Gilliam, who rushed for 976 yards and caught 57 passes as a freshman. Also back is all-conference tight end Wes Preece and Freshman All-America linebacker Montell Bland, who was second on the team in tackles last year."

Doesn’t surprise me but it seems the big sky order is based mostly on last year. That overlooks or undervalues the fact that Eastern Washington lost 27 seniors. Weber and Eastern dominated the all conference teams and most those players are now gone. UCD on the other hand has little rebuilding to do overall and virtually none on offense.

River, don't forget, we lose some studs on D ... #1 tackler and sack threat (10.5) Moe ... tough corners Olave (#3 in tackles) and White (#10) ... plus Baumgart (#4), Parentau (#9) and Cloud. Two stud DLine, 2 LBs, and 2 DBs. Six solid players.

On offense, we lost one of our top 2 players.

We seem deep, time will tell.

It’s relative. Eastern lost a BSC defensive player of the year among four all conference 1st or second team defensive players. That’s greater than what we lost.

- Street & Smith's notes that the Big Sky scheduling "gives certain teams an advantage because of the unwieldy 13-team conference."

"This year it's Eastern Washington, which avoids playing both Weber State and UC Davis as well as the fourth Big Sky team in the playoffs in 2018, Montana State."

Parenthetically, similar things happen in the Big (14) Ten where teams play the other six teams in their division but only three teams in the other division. (It used to be just two...) As a result you can play in the Western division and while you play Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa and Northwestern, anyone of which may be having a good year, you might avoid Eastern division teams like Michigan, Michigan State, An Ohio State University and Penn State and only play Maryland, Rutgers and Indiana.

Of course the athletic directors like getting a piece of the gate receipts when you play at Michigan, An Ohio State, or Penn State. Indiana, not so much.

No names here, but I briefly chatted with 2 redshirts last year at Stanford ... and they were chomping at the bit to play.

In my honest opinion I think the Aggies will be just fine. Hawkins and company have been doing very well in recruiting since they came in. I think Harrell will be ready to take over WR1 from Doss.

In my honest opinion I think the Aggies will be just fine. Hawkins and company have been doing very well in recruiting since they came in. I think Harrell will be ready to take over WR1 from Doss.

I absolutely agree, but I worry about the big hits he takes. He got leveled at Ew.

I find it odd that UCD has only four running backs, counting a redshirt and a true freshman. One would think they need more than that just for practice. I wonder if they’ll have a walk-on or two ?

Hopefully.

13 WRs, 7 TEs, and 7 QBs on the roster right now.