I agree, and I feel TTU and SFA would be the tougher outs for UCD on your list. Lehigh and URI are sometimes solid, Harvard is a lower-third Big Sky team at best, and Monmouth is questionable. Nothing better than playoff season aside from winning the Causeway and Horseshoe in the same year!

Mercer... yes please!

Is their an East Coast/Midwest bias against the Big Sky? It doesn't feel that way to me when there are so many BSC teams in the dance every year.

One interesting aspect is that the playoffs make the entire roster available, right? Anyone lurking on the redshirt list that will help, either on special teams or as situational players? We're already playing freshmen at Corner, DE, WR, and we have a nice group of current redshirt FR playing (CP, Seivers, and others). Making the playoffs only makes the young players better due to more time on the field, sort of like bowl practices in FBS.

All the bitching and moaning about officiating a few weeks ago finally pays off with one of the worst calls in college football this year. I've seen the play in regular speed and time, I will never understand how three officials miss this call.

Agreed on some of the flimsy calls that benefited the Ags in Bozeman.

I am all-in on our QB. It looked like a communications SNAFU on the first pick (the Smash concept) and the DB made a nice play on a ball that was close on the second pick.

I am really down on our Special Teams play this year. That's one of those areas that separates good teams from great, at least in the areas of coverage and having kicks blocked. I may never get over the blocked punt vs. ISU :lol: Great teams don't beat themselves and Teams are an area that get you beat.

Things are 100% trending in the right direction. I fully support Plough and have been impressed by their recruiting efforts. I feel like they need help in some of the infrastructure areas: they need a dedicated fundraiser for football, they need to expand and improve player nutrition, we need an organized NIL effort of some sort, the facilities are nice but can always be upgraded, they need more community/campus engagement personnel, same with social media presence, etc. But all in all, things are looking up.

Regarding the wine-related mascots, how about something like the Wine-o's, or maybe steal Vintage HS mascot, THE CRUSHERS. UC Davis Crushers has a nice ring to it. Better than the "Mouthfeel" or "Fruit-Forwards"

Give us a crack at #6-#13, anytime, any place.

Awful. How do they miss that?

I've been contemplating my post(s) since late Saturday night. I will err on the side of restraint. All I will say is that we really missed some opportunities (theme of the season), we gifted a good team points and field position, and we really missed the Porter brothers Saturday night. Not their play making (although that would've helped) but in HOW they play the game. They are the enforcers, they are the irritants to the opponent, they just play differently than many of the kids taking reps in games right now. They play defense like the Montana State guys did, with a little shit in their neck and bad intentions. MSU, the Dakota programs, they all play football differently than a bunch of Californians do. We are skilled, we execute at times, but we are a finesse football team. That style doesn't beat Bozeman or win FCS championships. Hopefully our young players see that and will learn that.

I think that aside from the payday, playing at Husky Stadium gave us the benefit of dealing with some crowd noise, especially early in the game there. You are absolutely spot-on; we don't necessarily have to be great on Special Teams, we just can't shoot ourselves in the foot.

I'm fired-up, it's almost game day!

Tall task ahead in Bozeman against what is clearly the class of the Conference at this point of the season. Injuries and excuses won't matter tomorrow night, time to dance with the ones you brought. That being said, to pull the upset:

1. Everyone has to be available for the duration of the game. Missing a guy for a series or two could be the difference at critical positions.
2. MSU will need to help the Ags in some way. Come out overconfident and overhyped, turn the ball over, screw up on Special Teams, stupid penalties, whatever. They will need to provide hope and opportunities.
3. That being said, the Aggies will need to capitalize on any and every opportunity, something they have yet to do. They've had chances to blow out several opponents and haven't gotten it done. I'm not saying they have to score on every drive; they need to score when opportunity presents itself.
4. Keep it close going into the 4th quarter to give yourself a chance to win. By close, I'm talking within 14 points and the ball in possession. Then it only takes a score, a stop, and another score to make it an entirely new ballgame. Davis has gamebreakers at WR, RB, and QB. One play, one missed tackle, on great block. Give yourself the "puncher's chance" I talked about earlier.

This is a big night for UC Davis Football and for the Big Sky brand. Compete your asses off, find joy in the opportunity, and GO AGS!

HAHA! No doubt. Colorado State 2025 is not Colorado State 1994. Very nice stadium and football facility, but no real NIL to compete with the big boys. They're the same as the rest of the schools in the new Pac 12; there's a reason nobody wants them. They're basically the old WAC or original Mountain West meaning they can beat a P4 program on any given Saturday but can't do it for 12 weeks in a row. Hell, they can barely each other 12 weeks in a row. I feel confident (as confident as one can without being closer to the decision making process) that there is no way Plough leaves for low-level Group of 4 or 5 or whatever it is job when he is sitting on an ascending program in FCS with a path to the MWC and vision for the future. And oh yeah, it's his alma mater. KILL THIS THREAD FOR THIS HIRING CYCLE!!!

Yeah, I wondered about some of the late reps Lan took last season and held my breath. This team has had opportunities to blow people out and just have not been able to. I think the Rex running play was more about trying to do something cool for Rex than showing versatility, especially on a handoff inside the 5 yard line. He's really the most legitimate Undrafted Free Agent from this team, although several others will maybe get NFL camp invites (DE Psyk, possibly Simonson the LT). In my heart I want to believe that the NCAA will surely err on the side of common sense and grant both the Connors their season back so they can make the best business decisions possible for their futures.

For the record, no fingers being pointed, just thinking out loud. I am curious if there is something different in the preparation for 2025 compared to previous seasons, or if anything else has changed, but the staff will evaluate that. VERY interesting point about the "extra year" guys. If it is cyclical and happens occasionally, so be it. Our year in the turn of the football gods...

Spot on. There is no question that the game is bigger/faster/stronger than ever. Stand on the sideline at any college/pro game and it is a freakshow. Teams will have years where the old "injury bug" influences the outcome of the season, and that is likely the case in Davis. I've been around a lot of football and just don't recall seeing anything like this.

I have never witnessed the volume of season-enders or major injuries that we are dealing with here. As mentioned in prior posts, the football building as a whole needs to do a very deep dive. Look at your practice schedules, strength programming, rest intervals, training staff methodology, equipment/shoes, playing and practice surfaces, all of it. Look at how NFL teams prepare, same with the Dakota schools, look at what UCD has done historically, are we looking at too much BS data from the science side and not preparing these bodies properly? "Player friendly" training practices are a nice concept but are they actually hurting our student-athletes? I'm all for "cutting edge", new age data and practice/preparation recommendations, but there might be a time and place to go back to the way things used to be in preparing the human body for 5 months of this sort of rigor. Having played in an era where we started immediately with three weeks of two-a-days (not including the evening "walkthroughs") and a lot less scientific approach to strength training and athletic training practices, I don't ever recall witnessing a season of injuries like the Aggies are enduring. What's changed? I accept the fact that there is a very strong possibility that I am way off base here (I am venting), and I know Plough and the staff will evaluate all of this in the off-season, but this is brutal.

This is the NCAA we're talking about... nothing should surprise you! Logic, common sense, fairness, none of that matters

I'd take it a step further and say they have to make a play somewhere to win, like block a punt or crib a return

What davisguy52 said!

Here's how I understand the situation: the NCAA is NOT counting the Mercer game towards the team's record. It went down as a NO CONTEST. However, in the case of eligibility, and specifically the eligibility of the Connors Bros., the NCAA currently IS counting the game against their games played in 2025. That would be the basis of the appeal in my opinion. This is only my semi-educated guess.

While I recognize the playoff implications and prognostications, along with the difference between "good" and "bad" wins and losses, the players and coaches will not be preparing like message board posters. They're in it to find a way to win. Everyone knows how hard that is, so what is it going to take?

1. Run the ball and stop the run. UCD's ability to run the football sets up a big portion of their passing game. It takes some pressure of their QB. Look at any football game and 2nd and manageable > 2nd and long. The Ags have to find a way to do 1.5 to 2x what the Cats allow on the ground. They need to keep MSU at or below 200 yards on the ground to have a realistic chance. That's not to say we can't pass for 450 and surrender 250 on the ground and still win, but that is an outlier scenario.

2. Win on 3rd down. Montana State allows an impressive 30% conversion rate on 3rd down. Going back to what I said in the first point, the Ags need to stay out of the longer 3rd down scenarios. Plough does a nice job on the 3rd and 10+ plays when the protection allows, this will be an interesting aspect of the game.

3. Cover kicks and punts. The Cats are elite in both the kickoff and punt return phases. Hell, their interception returns average nearly 29 yards per return! The special teams coordinator is fully aware of what they can do, he needs to have a solid plan and it needs to be executed. Starting field position could be the difference if everything else is even.

4. Protect your possessions. It is OK to punt at times, and that is always better than turning the ball over or allowing sacks. The Aggies have allowed 23 sacks on the season, and not all of those are the fault of the Offensive Line. There needs to be a solid protection plan against the Bobcat defense and the QB needs to grasp the fact that sacks are essentially turnovers. Again, 7-10 yards of field position can be critical in tight games. Starting field position is going to be a hidden stat that impacts this game.

The Aggies don't need to be perfect. They need to keep the game close going into the 4th quarter and give themselves a chance to win. I read somewhere that they are given a 15% chance of winning. Fine. All that means is that it is going to be tough, which I am sure Plough & Co. already know and don't need some computer or football dorks to tell them.

Plough is a boxing guy. My recommendation for the theme of the week would be that they have a "puncher's chance". That is, the possibility that a fighter who is outmatched can still win the fight by landing a single, powerful knockout punch at the perfect time. Rocky Marciano had a couple of these in his career. George Foreman, Julio Caesar Chavez, etc. Every Rocky Balboa fight (that's a joke). Plenty of examples where guys were well behind on the card but still standing towards the end of the fight. One punch is all it takes. Just get it to the late rounds close and give yourself a shot.

Not saying this is going to happen. I'm saying this is how UC Davis wins this football game in Bozeman on Saturday night.

Fresno State used to do that in the Central Valley but that has gone away. Absolutely simple and brilliant marketing. It only takes effort.