THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: The Sky is falling — in FCS title games, anyway

Once again, the Big Sky Conference can’t beat the Dakota schools in the FCS championship. 

Many thought Montana State was going to end that Big Sky losing streak on Monday against longtime FCS giant North Dakota State. 

But a slow start doomed the undefeated Bobcats, and the underdog Bison (via perception and the betting line) jumped out to a 21-3 halftime lead and made enough plays in the second half to hold off Montana State for a 35-32 victory. 

SINCE EASTERN Washington beat Delaware in the 2010 championship game for its first national title, the Big Sky has gone 0-4 in championship games — all against the Dakota schools, all in the last seven seasons.

Eastern lost to North Dakota State 38-24 in 2018, Montana State fell to the Bison 38-10 in 2021, Montana lost to South Dakota State 23-3 last season when the Jackrabbits went back-to-back, and Montana State was beaten by North Dakota State on Monday. 

Since EWU’s national title, either North Dakota State or South Dakota State have won all but two of the FCS championships. The schools that won the other two — James Madison (2016) and Sam Houston State (spring 2021) have since moved up to FBS. 

WHEN JASON Eck coached at Idaho the past three seasons, he educated us about the FCS landscape, saying the two top leagues in FCS were the Missouri Valley Football Conference (the one with the Dakota schools) and the Big Sky. 

He’s right, but more accurately, the Missouri Valley FC is No. 1, the Big Sky No. 2. 

North Dakota State coach Tim Polasek attributed Monday’s win, in part, to the tough competition the Bison faced in their conference — particularly the games against South Dakota State and South Dakota. 

You’d like to think the Big Sky Conference would prepare its teams just as much. But at least this year, Montana State wasn’t tested (that much) in wins over Idaho, Montana and UC Davis. 

Don’t know if that’s what cost Montana State on Monday against North Dakota State. 

Actually, what really cost the Bobcats was falling behind 14-0, 14-3, then 21-3 at halftime. Still, Montana State made a game of it, cutting the Bison lead to 28-25, forcing a punt and getting the ball back with a chance to drive for the go-ahead score. 

But the Bobcats went three-and-out, North Dakota State drove for a TD to make it 35-25, and that was pretty much that. 

CAN THE Big Sky ever get over the hump against those Dakota schools? 

It sure looked like Montana State was the team to do it this week, with a generational quarterback and a team that was solid everywhere.  

Will the FCS landscape stay this way in the future? 

South Dakota State will be a good test study, after losing its coach (to Washington State) as well as a dozen or so players to the transfer portal. 

Montana State has already lost some key players, including running back Scottre Humphrey and tight end Rohan Jones, to the portal. 

Montana and Eastern Washington also lost some key folks (including EWU QB Kekoa Visperas). 

Idaho, of course, was ravaged by the portal after Eck left for New Mexico. The Vandals were also hit hard the year before (though not quite as hard), but managed to reach the FCS quarterfinals in 2024 for the second straight year.  

North Dakota State seems to be “back,” though saying the Bison were “gone” is relative — after winning nine FCS titles in 11 years, they lost in the 2022 final, then lost in the 2023 semifinals. 

Some “drought.” 

And, of course, the Dakota schools and the Montana schools could be tempted someday to move up to FBS. 

That, of course, would change the landscape of FCS more than anything. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.