From the Fringe ... Too early to predict Cats, Griz' future, but I'm going to anyway

One week of Montana college football is in the books. And while it's way too early for this, I'm going to do it anyway. I'm going to predict just how good the Montana State Bobcats and Montana Grizzlies will be this season.

And these predictions come having seen only snippets of what happened in each of the team's season-openers last Saturday.

I'll start with the Grizzlies, because, well you all know why by now.

There's once again a lot of self-hype surrounding Montana this season. The Griz have a new quarterback, they made some coaching changes, and even some scheme changes in the offseason. And, overall, they have a ton of talent. So,it stands to reason that head coach Bobby Hacuk and Co. would be really excited about the next three months. Especially considering how much the Griz underperformed a year ago.

But, I'm pumping the breaks, at least for now. From what I saw, the Griz have a long way to go to even surpass what they did last season. Two new quarterbacks, an offensive line that struggled to get UM's talented running back's going, and a defense that allowed non-scholarship Butler to score three times, and be within upset distance well into the fourth quarter in front of a packed Washington-Grizzly Stadium, those are signs that point to what could be another tough season in Missoula.

Add to that Montana's schedule which includes road trips to Northern Arizona, who has a stellar transfer quarterback, back-to-back games at Idaho (Preseason Big Sky Champion) and UC Davis, as well as a visit from MSU to end the season, and the Griz could really be up against it this season.

Of course, Montana can fix all of that. The Griz are good enough, talented enough, and well-coached to win every game. They still have an amazing home field advantage and, even those who hate them, and there are many, can't deny that, even a down year for Montana is still pretty good. So, make no mistake, the Griz can still be really, really good. I just need to see them do much, much better than they did against Butler in order for me to believe it.

The Bobcats on the other hand, they don't need to show me anything. Simply put, MSU is one of the top three best teams in the country going into their monstrous rematch with South Dakota State Saturday in Brookings. 

In their opener, MSU showed they have the best running game in the FCS by a wide margin, they have Tommy Mellott and Sean Chambers, two quarterbacks every FCS squad would kill to have, and they have a home-grown defense that looks as tough as the offense is.

Yes, after the last two seasons, in which MSU has gone to the FCS title game, and the semifinals, it's hard to believe the Cats are better, but they are. It's so obvious. No defense is going to stop MSU so, in order to beat the Cats, you better have a 50-point offense, and let's be honest, very few teams in the FCS have that.

So here's what I think will happen with the Cats this season. I think they can win the national championship whether they beat SDSU Saturday or not. But if they do win in Brookings, and I think they will, they will win the title for sure, because they'll be ranked No. 1 all season, and will have home field throughout the playoffs - something they didn't have last season.

So there it is, that's what I see for the Cats and Griz after one game. Of course, what do I know? I live in Colorado now. But, it will be a lot of fun to see how it all unfolds these next three months.

Note: The Cats and Jackrabbits will meet in Brookings Saturday at 5 p.m. The game will be televised on all MTN affiliates and on ESPN+. The Griz travel to Utah Tech Saturday night. The game will be seen only on ESPN+.