Bison06

Must be busier than your business given our post counts don't you think? Your paperboy sits in front of a computer? Sh#$ty paperboy.

Haha, how did you know?

Nope from my big boy chair in a business I own at 28 years old, thanks for playing though.

I'm sorry, but that comment made me laugh pretty hard this morning sitting at my computer given my history here.

Agreed, any argument that could have been made in the previous weeks has been invalidated. 1-4 no matter who you play should not get you ranked.

Not by me and you know that.

You guys just can't help yourself but to disagree with anyone who has Bison in their name even if you don't even know what you are arguing for. Read what we are talking about. Then decide if you want to discuss it further.

Quit bringing up Bison fans and I'll stop commenting. Deal?

What is that supposed to mean? How many wins over Big Ten teams does the FCS have? Down year or up year the Big Ten is a BCS conference and beating one of their conference members is damn impressive.

That is no doubt playing a role in why Montana is having a down year.

I did notice. I also noticed they have a Big Ten logo on their chests when they play.

Fair enough, but I make my observations based on watching teams play not on their records. I watched UNI play both FBS games and they looked damn good to me. I watched App St. vs. Montana on Espn 3 and was not impressed in the slightest with either team, obviously with Montana losing they looked worse than App. If you want to wait until the end of the season to say one way or another that's fine, but I feel pretty confident in saying that Montana won't make the playoffs this year and it won't be because of an increased difficulty in scheduling.

It's been a couple of weeks now that you have been following my posts to keep me in line. You've got a serious hard-on for me dude, you're really making me blush.

Saying Indiana state is a playoff caliber team, was a bit much I agree. Much improved from previous year we'll say.

Fine, I'll play along. I say that Montana has dominated the conference and now they are down this year, making them easier to beat. UNI isn't down this year based on the team I have watched. Yes they have a poor record, but I hope we can agree that is due to the tough schedule. Especially if you actually watched those games instead of just looking at the box score.

Anyone who follows FCS football knows Illinois State got screwed out of a playoff spot last year. Again, what does this have to do with my comment that the Big Sky is down?

13 teams vs. 10 teams. Doesn't take an MIT grad to figure that one out.

Quote my post where I said that.

Shows your ignorance about the MVFC these past few years. I also find it humorous that I didn't make one reference to NDSU, the MVFC or the MVFC being better than the Big Sky. Only that the Big Sky is down this year. And instead of trying to explain why the Big Sky isn't down you guys chose the very weak argument of attacking NDSU's conference, when that has nothing to do with the conversation.

Don't try and pigeonhole what I've said into fitting your argument. I didn't say this logic applies to all conferences everywhere, all conferences are different. Historically Montana is the only consistent playoff contender from the Big Sky. There isn't another conference anywhere that has been dominated the way Montana has dominated the Big Sky. They are without a doubt the class of the conference and nobody even comes close to them. The MVFC is very different, especially in the past few years. Illinois State is a playoff caliber team, Indiana State as well. UNI is a damn good team with a crappy record because they have played an extremely difficult schedule. YSU also looks to be making a resurgence these past few years. I know you guys are mad because it is a Bison fan pointing it out. But have a look over at AGS, I am not the only one who feels the Big Sky is down this year. Everyone, including Montana and Montana State fans are talking about it.

I'll save you the trouble of waiting until the season is over. If Montana is "down" the Big Sky is "down" and Montana is "down" in a big way right now.

I agree, this is definitely a game that I am interested in. UNI has certainly had our number since moving into the MVFC with our only win coming at home last year. They are used to being top dog in the MVFC and I am not sure that playing NDSU scares them much at this point. If we beat them a few more times in a row, NDSU will start to be a team they won't want to see on the schedule, but we aren't there yet. I don't think NDSU is in a situation where they will overlook UNI though. This has become a fierce rivalry very quickly and there is absolutely no love lost between these two squads. Even the coaches don't get along. This is a game I have been excited about all summer.

All fair points, however, I would like to use hyperbole to make the point that strength of schedule has to play a role in ranking teams. Can you honestly say that you would regard a 1 point overtime loss to Alabama the same as you would regard a blowout loss to a non-scholarship NAIA squad when determining if a team deserves to be ranked or not? All other things being equal. After all they are both losses.

What is your obsession with bisonville? I don't speak for all Bison fans or anything that is said over there. If you want to make a comment in general on the thread like this fine, but don't quote my post and then reference things I have never said and in fact things I have explicitly stated I don't buy into (ie moral victories). All I have said is SOS plays a role in ranking teams as well as it should. Did you take more pride in the close loss to SDSU this year or your close loss to USF a few years back? Don't say you took equal pride in them because they were both losses. Regardless of what other Bison fans have said regarding moral victories, there is nothing wrong with a fan taking more pride in playing well against a quality opponent. It doesn't equal a victory, but it doesn't mean you can't take positive things away from a close loss to a good team.

I agree, the only explanation I can come up with is as of right now is they are being rewarded for two things in the eyes of the voters. Not me, the voters. Strength of schedule /level of play during those difficult games and the good will that a decent playoff run and a history of being a powerhouse brings with it. Beyond that I don't see any justifcation for putting UNI in the top 20. Looking at some of the teams in the low 20's though, I personally would still rank them ahead of them. But, I also watched the two FBS games they played and am basing my opinion on how they played in those games, not on the outcome of the game.