The Montana and Montana State football teams lost their weekend games to the top two teams in the Football Championship Subdivision and while the loss to North Dakota State cost the Grizzlies, the Bobcats’ close game with Eastern Washington earned them a bit more respect in one poll.
Montana fell from third to sixth in the coaches’ poll and fourth to seventh in The Sports Network poll. Montana State fell from 16th to 17th in the coaches’ poll, but moved up a spot to 13th in the media poll.
North Dakota State and Eastern Washington are still the top two teams.
The Bobcats and Grizzlies open Big Sky Conference play this weekend. Montana hosts Northern Colorado while Montana State is at home against North Dakota
In the NAIA, Carroll College moved up two spots to fifth after its 22-8 win at Rocky Mountain College, which fell from fifth to 10th with the loss.