Northern Colorado football picked last in Big Sky Conference polls, Montana State slotted to defend title

Defending Big Sky Conference football champion Montana State is the favorite to repeat in media and coaches’ polls, while the University of Northern Colorado was picked last in both of the 12-team polls released Thursday.

Montana State, 8-0 in the Big Sky and 15-1 overall, received 30 first-place votes from 42 media members and seven first-place votes among 12 head coaches. The Bobcats advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision championship game in January where they lost to North Dakota State of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

UNC has won one game in the previous two seasons under third-year head coach Ed Lamb. The Bears scored a road upset of then nationally ranked Big Sky opponent Weber State in October 2024.

Among MSU’s top returning players is 2024 Big Sky freshman of the year, running back Adam Jones. Jones ran for 1,172 yards and 14 touchdowns and was named a freshman All-America selection by Football Central. He was one of three Montana State players to rush for more than 1,000 yards last year — including quarterback Tommy Mellott, winner of the Walter Payton Award, the Walter Camp FCS player of the year and Big Sky Offensive MVP and first-team all conference. Mellott is currently on the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster as a wide receiver.

Jones is among the pre-season selections for Big Sky Offensive MVP. MSU defensive lineman Paul Brott is among the selections for Big Sky Defensive MVP. Eight other Bobcats players have been nominated for preseason all-conference honors.

The league is hosting its media days, the Big Sky Kickoff Weekend, Friday through Monday at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino in Spokane, Wash. The preseason and most valuable players will be announced Sunday.

Coverage of the weekend kickoff begins at 10 a.m. Monday. The event will air live on ESPN+ and select Scripps stations. Meghan Robinson with the Big Sky and Scripps Sports’ Kyle Hansen will co-host from Spokane with interviews with representatives of all 12 teams, Big Sky commissioner Tom Wistrcill and special guests.

UNC will be represented in Spokane by Ed Lamb, safety Cam Chapa and offensive lineman Jack Ziebell. Chapa and Ziebell were the Bears’ nominees for preseason all-conference teams. Chapa, a sophomore from Aurora’s Eaglecrest High School, was one of UNC’s most recognized players last year.

He was chosen as a FCS freshman All American by FCS Football Central. Chapa was also named to the Big Sky honorable mention team last year after leading UNC in total (83) and solo (45) tackles and interceptions. His four interceptions tied for first in the Big Sky.

Montana and UC Davis were picked second and third in both polls. Montana was picked second in the media poll and UC Davis was chosen second by the coaches.

The results of the polls are below. Coaches could not vote for their own team. The numbers in parentheses indicate first-place votes.

Coaches’ poll

1. Montana State (7) – 117.
2. UC Davis (1) – 100.
3. 3 Montana (2) – 96.
4. Northern Arizona (1) – 94.
5. Idaho – 81.
6. Sacramento State (1) – 73.
7. Idaho State – 56.
8. Weber State – 55.
9. Eastern Washington – 48.
10. Portland State – 32.
11. Cal Poly – 25.
12. Northern Colorado.

Media poll

1. Montana State (30) – 488.
2. Montana (6) – 434.
3. UC Davis (4) – 399.
4. Idaho (1) – 364.
5. Northern Arizona – 354.
6. Sacramento State (1) – 282.
7. Idaho State – 247.
8. Eastern Washington – 225.
9. Weber State – 192.
10. Portland State – 140.
11. Cal Poly – 94.
12. Northern Colorado – 57.

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