This game was closer than the final score. Both teams are impressive and have a lot of talent at the skill positions and both teams have good depth. Sac had some injuries at RB and their 3rd string RB came in and immediately scored on a 60+ yard TD.
Montana State leads the FCS in rushing and they have 4 players that regularly run the ball. Tommy Mellot is a very good dual threat QB and they alternate him at QB with Chambers who is 6'3 and 221 pounds. Chambers usually runs the ball but he can toss it also.
Sac's QB, Kaiden Bennett, is an elusive, dual threat QB who can extend plays and wait for his receivers to get open. Their #1 RB, Marcus Fulcher, is a beast. He left the game early due to an injury but Sac is deep at RB and Elijah Tau-Tolliver came in and had 8 carries for 100 yards.
I don't think we'd match up well with either of these teams at this point.
I think it is best that all teams above the Ags (except Montana state) lose. Montana State has a lock and are clearly the best big Sky team. If Sac had won, then even a Aggie perfect run including a win over Sac would have Sac In the playoffs. They have a win over a power 5 team and would have had a win over a top-ranked team in Montana State.
game sealer. Montana simply was not good at the beginning of the season but have really improved. I still think Montana State will beat them, especially if they use Chambers more. A mystery to me why they don’t get him in more.
I agree that MSU is the best team in the Sky.
Sac State, now having lost to the top three teams in the conference has no chance to win it based on tie breakers? Is that right? They still are in if they beat CP, considering they would have 7 wins and one at Stanford. But this likely kills their chance at national seed?
A bigger picture for the Aggies is jostling for playoff selection. I don’t think that the committee will select more than 4 big sky teams. Last year they only selected 5 to let Montana in - we know how that goes - and they won’t have to prop the door open for their favorite son this year as their record will be better.
So, in my view the Aggies are battling (indirectly this week and directly the last week) Sac State for that 4th spot. Sac State is very unlikely to lose to Poly, so the best realistic situation the Ags could end up with is 7-4 winning out to include a win over Sac which would be the same overall record as Sac, and
Hopefully a win over Sac as the final game would serve as a “tiebreaker”. Also Montana just trounced Sac and the Ags held it close. Of course the committee does whacky things and it gets political. Eastern has 5 losses and has to play Montana State so there is no way they would bump anybody.
All of this goes without saying that the Ags better take care of business in a Pocatello if they want the final game to have its potential meaning.
Something interesting to think about (saw this over on the Any Given Saturday board):
What if Davis and Sac both finish 7-4 (if Davis beats ISU and Sac, and Sac beats Cal Poly and loses to Davis). Who gets in? Davis has the head-to-head victory advantage, but Sac has the Stanford win and weeks in the top-10.
Big Sky probably gets 4 teams this year, so:
Montana (locked)
Montana State (likely)
Idaho (likely)
Sac/Davis
My personal opinion is, if they take 4 its Sac since they were highly ranked all season.