Idaho picked to finish eighth by media, ninth by coaches in Big Sky football

FARMINGTON, Utah — Idaho was picked to finish eighth by the media, ninth by the coaches in the 13-team Big Sky Conference in football, the league office announced Thursday.

Eastern Washington was picked to finish fourth in both polls.

Weber State was picked to win the Big Sky in each poll, followed by Montana and Montana State.

Weber State has won at least a share of the regular season crown the past three seasons. The Wildcats made their third consecutive FCS playoff appearance, including a trip to the semifinals. The Wildcats have recorded three straight seasons of 10 or more wins and finished 2019 ranked No. 3 in the FCS polls.

Montana won 10 games and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals

Montana State, coached by former Post Falls football coach and athletic director Jeff Choate, has made back-to-back playoff appearances and won 11 games last year, including a trip to the FCS semifinals.

COACHES POLL

First-place votes in parentheses

1, Weber State 135 points (7 first-place votes). 2, Montana 128 (3). 3, Montana State 121 (1). 4, Eastern Washington 118 (1). 5, Sacramento State 99 (1). 6, UC Davis 83. 7, Northern Arizona 68. 8, Portland State 67. 9, Idaho 66. 10, Cal Poly 46. 11, Idaho State 37. 12, Southern Utah 33. 13, Northern Colorado 13.

MEDIA POLL

First-place votes in parentheses

1, Weber State 546 (28 points). 2, Montana 496 (8). 3, Montana State 493 (6). 4, Eastern Washington 438 (1). 5, Sacramento State 389. 6, UC Davis 325 (1). 7, Portland State 274. 8, Idaho 273. 9, Northern Arizona 238. 10, Cal Poly 206. 11, Idaho State 133. 12, Southern Utah 105. 13, Northern Colorado 88.