SPOKANE, Wash. — The Montana Grizzlies are picked to repeat as champions of the Big Sky Conference in 2024.
Montana took the top spot in both the media and coaches preseason football polls released Sunday at the Big Sky Conference Kickoff media event at the Northern Quest Casino and Resort.
The Grizzlies earned 26 first-place votes and 442 total voting points in the media poll; they garnered 10 first-place votes and 120 points in the coaches poll.
Montana, coached by Bobby Hauck, won the outright conference title last season, its first league crown since 2009, and finished with a 13-2 record while making a run to the NCAA Division I Football championship game in Frisco, Texas.
Brent Vigen's Montana State team, meanwhile, was picked to finish second in both polls. The Bobcats took nine first-place votes and 414 points in the media poll, and grabbed one first-place vote and 110 points in the coaches poll.
The Bobcats went 8-4 in 2023. They were eliminated from the playoffs with an overtime loss at home to North Dakota State in the second round.
Idaho was picked to finish third in both polls while UC Davis was tabbed fourth in each. The Vandals picked up two first-place votes in the media poll; UC Davis earned one first-place vote in the media poll and one first-place vote in the coaches list.
Following are the full media and coaches polls:
2024 Big Sky media poll
(First place votes in parentheses, with total voting points)
1. Montana (26), 442 points
2. Montana State (9), 414
3. Idaho (2), 342
4. UC Davis (1), 332
5. Sacramento State, 324
6. Eastern Washington, 240
7. Weber State, 234
8. Idaho State, 174
9. Northern Arizona, 172
10. Portland State, 169
11. Cal Poly, 74
12. Northern Colorado, 47
2024 Big Sky coaches poll
(First place votes in parentheses, with total voting points)
1. Montana (10), 120 points
2. Montana State (1), 110
3. Idaho, 95
4. UC Davis (1), 88
5. Sacramento State, 82
6. Weber State, 74
7. Northern Arizona, 55
8. Eastern Washington, 47
9. Portland State, 45
10. Idaho State, 31
11. Northern Colorado, 23
12. Cal Poly, 22
