Griz, Bobcats begin 2022 ranked in the FCS' Top 5

There are a lot of preseason college football polls each summer, but for the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats, the one that matters the most was released on Tuesday.

The 2022 Stats FCS Preseason Poll came out and both Montana teams are sitting in the Top 5 as the season approaches.

The Grizzlies are ranked No. 3 in the first Stats poll, while the Bobcats were picked fourth. Montana was recently picked to win the Big Sky Conference as well, by both the coaches and media, while MSU was picked to finish second in the Big Sky preseason polls.

The Grizzlies were also No. 3 and the Bobcats No. 4 in the Athlon Sports FCS Preseason Top 25, while MSU is third and UM is fourth in the Hero Sports FCS Preseason Top 25.

The Big Sky Conference itself should be a premier power in the FCS again this fall. Four other Big Sky programs were ranked in Stats Perform's Top 25: defending conference champion Sacramento State (No. 7), Eastern Washington (No. 13), Weber State (No. 20) and UC Davis (No. 25).

Both Montana and Montana State began fall camp late last week. Both teams open the regular season Sept. 3 at home against Southland Conference rivals. The No. 3 Grizzlies meet Northwestern State at 1 p.m. that day in Missoula, while the No. 4 Bobcats host McNeese State that night in Bobcat Stadium.

Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25

1. North Dakota State (14-1, 7-1 Missouri Valley), 1,348 points (52 first-place votes)

Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Drake

2. South Dakota State (11-4, 5-3 Missouri Valley), 1,285 (2) Season Opener: Sept. 3 at Iowa

3. Montana (10-3, 6-2 Big Sky), 1,218

Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Northwestern State

4. Montana State (12-3, 7-1 Big Sky), 1,203 Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. McNeese

5. Missouri State (8-4, 6-2 Missouri Valley), 1066

Season Opener: Sept. 1 at Central Arkansas

6. Villanova (10-3, 7-1 CAA), 997 Season Opener: Sept. 2 vs. Lehigh

7. Sacramento State (9-3, 8-0 Big Sky), 991 Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Utah Tech

8. Kennesaw State (11-2, 6-0 Big South), 959 Season Opener: Sept. 1 at Samford

9. Southern Illinois (8-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley), 915 Season Opener: Sept. 3 at UIW

10. Stephen F. Austin (8-4, 4-2 ASUN-WAC), 813 Season Opener: Aug. 27 vs. Jacksonville State (in Montgomery, Alabama)

11. ETSU (11-2, 7-1 Southern), 750 Season Opener: Sept. 1 vs. Mars Hill

12. Chattanooga (6-5, 5-3 Southern), 562

Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Wofford

13. Eastern Washington (10-3, 6-2 Big Sky), 538 Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Tennessee State

14. UIW (10-3, 7-1 Southland), 533 Season Opener: Sept. 3 vs. Southern Illinois

15. Jackson State (11-2, 8-0 SWAC), 515

Season Opener: Sept. 4 vs. Florida A&M (in Miami Gardens, Florida)

16. Holy Cross (10-3, 6-0 Patriot), 503

Season Opener: Sept. 2 at Merrimack

17. Southeastern Louisiana (9-4, 6-2 Southland), 440 Season Opener: Sept. 3 at Louisiana  

18. UT Martin (10-3, 5-1 Ohio Valley), 404

Season Opener: Sept. 1 vs. Western Illinois

19. Delaware (5-6, 3-5 CAA), 401 Season Opener: Sept. 3 at Navy

20. Weber State (6-5, 5-3 Big Sky), 391

Season Opener: Sept. 1 vs. Western Oregon

21. Northern Iowa (6-6, 4-4 Missouri Valley), 289 Season Opener: Sept. 3 at Air Force

22. Rhode Island (7-4, 4-4 CAA), 242

Season Opener: Sept. 1 at Stony Brook

23. Mercer (7-3, 6-2 Southern), 215 Season Opener: Aug. 27 vs. Morehead State

24. Richmond (6-5, 4-4 CAA), 166 Season Opener: Sept. 3 at Virginia

25. UC Davis (8-4, 5-3 Big Sky), 153

Season Opener: Sept. 3 at California

Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): South Dakota (7-5, 5-3 Missouri Valley) 151, Eastern Kentucky (7-4, 4-2 ASUN-WAC) 129, Florida A&M (9-3, 7-1 SWAC) 78, William & Mary (6-5, 4-4 CAA) 66, Dartmouth (9-1, 6-1 Ivy) 59, Monmouth (7-4, 6-1 Big South) 23, Harvard (8-2, 5-2 Ivy) 19, Princeton (9-1, 6-1 Ivy) 18, Central Arkansas (5-6, 3-3 ASUN-WAC) 14, Furman (6-5, 4-4 Southern) 14, South Carolina State (7-5, 5-0 MEAC) 13, Sacred Heart (8-4, 6-1 Northeast) 12, Elon (6-5, 5-3 CAA) 8, North Carolina A&T (5-6, 3-4 Big South) 4.