So, have ours. Most are 40+

Sagarin is pure points. Montana hammered teams they beat.

It is just history, it’s not based on this year. That’s a major downside to polls.

I actually thought it's because of their attendance and view

There is a big media advantage to being the premier sport in a state as opposed to the coverage Davis gets, which is pretty limited to local news. Davis gets about 25% more media coverage than it did in the Far Western Conference, but that’s offset by paywalls.

agreed. That’s why it is good to start ranked high. You have to work your way out of the top 25. Also I have heard regarding the coaches poll that the coaches don’t vote- it may be the SID or Athletic Directors. And then probably using a ouija board (wait - that would take too much time).

Montana is almost always over-ranked. Part of it is name legacy, probably somewhat due to following/attendance “program” history. If they lose to Montana State (I think they will) they will have 4 league losses, no quality wins - as you noted a crap schedule. No way they should be considered in that eventuality. I think they schedule weak teams on purpose - no need to chase the money with an FBS game. They always seem to have more home than away games - and Missoula provides a definite home field advantage with a packed stadium and fans so close to the field. Man was it sweet to trounce them in 2018.

Plus with the coaches/AD's voting they're going to be biased. Not just in favor of their own teams but in their own conference. If their opponents are ranked higher, their wins look better or losses not as bad.

As for Montana, it's definitely beneficial for them drawing 25K fans every game because they don't have to schedule an FBS game or two every year like we do. They have scheduled FBS teams in the past, just not each season.

Plus with the coaches/AD's voting they're going to be biased. Not just in favor of their own teams but in their own conference. If their opponents are ranked higher, their wins look better or losses not as bad. — cmt

You nailed it...

Yeah. I'm just agreeing that it always seems that the Montanas have more home games than away games, and not many FBS games relative to other FCS schools historically.