Football coaches around the FCS have had their turn making preseason prognostications and picked Montana to finish No. 9 in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 poll, the organization announced Monday.
The AFCA Coaches’ top 25 took a similar shape as other preseason polls, with five teams from the Big Sky Conference ranked.
Weber State topped the league’s selections at No. 6, with Montana State coming in at No. 11, Eastern Washington at No. 14, and UC Davis at No. 21. Sacramento State, which visits Missoula on Oct. 16, also received top 25 votes, coming in at No. 28.
With the addition of Eastern Washington and Montana State, the Griz are scheduled to face three teams this season, getting votes in the FCS top 25. The University of Washington also recently came in at No. 21 in the AP FBS preseason top 25.
Sam Houston claimed the No. 1 spot just three months after winning its first-ever championship in the limited spring of 2021. James Madison, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and Delaware round out the AFCA’s top five.
The AFCA Coaches’ poll is one of two major polls released weekly throughout the season.
Photo courtesy of Grizzly Athletics
Stats Perform also picked Montana at No. 9 in the preseason media poll released last week, as did HERO Sports in its preseason poll back in July.
The Griz were tabbed to finish second in the Big Sky Conference by both the media and coaches in the league’s two preseason polls announced in July at the annual kickoff event in Spokane.
UM enters the season coming off a two-game spring schedule that saw the Griz fire on all cylinders to beat Central Washington and Portland State by a combined score of 107-10. In 2019, the last full season for Montana, coach Bobby Hauck led the Griz back to the FCS quarterfinals for the first time in a decade with a 10-4 overall record.
In the leadup to the 2021 fall season, Montana has had six players earn preseason All-Big Sky or All-American honors, including seniors Samuel Akem (WR), Jace Lewis (LB), Conlan Beaver (OT), and Matthew O’Donoghue, as well as juniors Robby Hauck (S) and Malik Flowers (KR).
The Grizzlies open the 2021 season on the road in Seattle against the University of Washington on Sept. 4, followed by the home opener in Missoula on Sept. 11 against Western Illinois.
Season ticket packages, as well as home and away single-game tickets, are on sale now at GrizTix.com.
American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – August 16, 2021
| Rank | School (1st votes) | 2021 Spring Rec. | Pts. | 2021 Spring Rank | Season Opener | Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Houston (18) | 10-0 | 682 | 1 | Sept. 2 Northern Arizona | K.C. Keeler |
| 2 | James Madison (9) | 7-1 | 667 | 3 | Sept. 4 vs. Morehead St. | Curt Cignetti |
| 3 | North Dakota St. | 7-3 | 633 | 5 | Sept. 4 vs. Albany | Matt Entz |
| 4 | South Dakota St. (1) | 8-2 | 620 | 2 | Sept. 3 at Colorado St. | John Stiegelmeier |
| 5 | Delaware | 7-1 | 567 | 4 | Sept. 2 at Maine | Danny Rocco |
| 6 | Weber St. | 5-1 | 552 | 8 | Sept. 2 at Utah | Jay Hill |
| 7 | North Dakota | 5-2 | 475 | 6 | Sept. 4 at Idaho St. | Bubba Schweigert |
| 8 | Jacksonville St. | 10-3 | 437 | 7 | Sept. 1 vs. UAB | John Grass |
| 9 | Montana | 2-0 | 436 | NR | Sept. 4 at Washington | Bobby Hauck |
| 10 | Southern Illinois | 6-4 | 418 | 9 | Sept. 2 at Southeast Missouri | Nick Hill |
| 11 | Montana St. | 0-0 | 383 | NR | Sept. 4 at Wyoming | Brent Vigen |
| 12 | Monmouth (N.J.) | 3-1 | 382 | 10 | Sept. 4 at Middle Tennessee | Kevin Callahan |
| 13 | Central Arkansas | 0-0 | 363 | NR | Sept. 4 at Arkansas St. | Nathan Brown |
| 14 | Eastern Washington | 5-2 | 287 | 11 | Sept. 2 at UNLV | Aaron Best |
| 15 | Villanova | 2-2 | 284 | 18 | Sept. 4 at Lehigh | Mark Ferrante |
| 16 | Northern Iowa | 3-4 | 268 | NR | Sept. 4 at Iowa St. | Mark Farley |
| 17 | Southeastern Louisiana | 4-3 | 267 | 21 | Sept. 4 vs. North Alabama | Frank Scelfo |
| 18 | Chattanooga | 3-2 | 204 | NR | Sept. 2 vs. No. 25 Austin Peay | Rusty Wright |
| 19 | VMI | 6-2 | 167 | 12 | Sept. 4 vs. Davidson | Scott Wachenheim |
| 20 | Kennesaw St. | 4-1 | 165 | 15 | Sept. 2 vs. Reinhardt | Brian Bohannon |
| 21 | UC Davis | 3-2 | 135 | 16 | Sept. 2 at Tulsa | Dan Hawkins |
| 22 | Richmond | 3-1 | 104 | 14 | Sept. 4 vs. Howard | Russ Huesman |
| 23 | Nicholls | 4-3 | 88 | 23 | Sept. 4 at Memphis | Tim Rebowe |
| 24 | North Carolina A&T | 0-0 | 75 | NR | Sept. 4 at Furman | Sam Washington |
| 25 | Austin Peay | 4-5 | 65 | NR | Sept. 2 at No. 18 Chattanooga | Scotty Walden |
*– Ranking in final AFCA FCS Coaches Spring Poll of 2021
Others Receiving Votes: Murray St., 62; Missouri St., 39; Sacramento St., 39; New Hampshire, 31; Alabama A&M, 29; Samford, 18; Holy Cross, 16; Southern, 15; Alcorn St., 14; Florida A&M, 13; Stephen F. Austin, 11; East Tennessee St., 10; Jackson St., 10; Morehead St., 9; Princeton, 9; South Carolina St., 9; Furman, 7; Charleston Southern, 6; Youngstown St., 6; Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 5; Harvard, 4; Rhode Island, 4; Davidson, 3; Yale, 3; Sacred Heart, 2; Eastern Kentucky, 1; Norfolk St., 1.