Actually, getting more football picks right than Rial Cummings was easy, and then our trusty columnist left, to be replaced by Bill Speltz and, within the confines of our Game Day picks column, Nick Lockridge and Chad Dundas.
Well if they’re the best and the brightest, why did none of them pick Weber State over Portland State? That’s the question.
That brings us back to Portland State, the Montana Grizzlies’ foe Saturday, and another trusty prognosticator in former Griz lineman Guy Bingham. Bingham’s lengthy NFL career included two years with the Jerry Glanville-coached Atlanta Falcons.
That’s the same Glanville who, roughly eight months ago, took over the Vikings amid declarations that every day would be spent preparing for beating the Griz, and that Portland would host to the hardest-hitting team on the West coast.
“Yeah,” joked Bingham. “After the whistle.”
While the Vikings have some hard hitters - linebacker Jordan Senn comes to mind - they have been porous on defense at the wrong times. And the reputation for Glanville’s teams to be penalty-prone has yet to catch the Vikings. They’re in the middle of the Big Sky rankings in that category, racking up 66 yards worth of flags a game.
They’re also in the lower half of the Big Sky standings, after being picked to finish second.
What gives? Well, maybe Portland State is a season away, or perhaps having a down year.
Sort of like me.
Season record: Fritz 36-11, Bill 37-10, Nick 38-9, Chad 39-8
The picks
• Portland State at No. 4 Montana: Something has to give, either Montana’s Big Sky-leading pass defense or Portland State’s league-best pass offense. It seems unlikely that the Vikings can put up 68 points again, though few predicted they’d score that many last week.
Fritz: Griz 48, PSU 24. Nick: Griz 34, PSU 31. Chad: Griz 28, PSU 10. Bill: Griz 41, PSU 28.
• Northern Arizona at Montana State: This is a toughie, in that NAU may be the most talented team the Griz have faced this season, and MSU hasn’t lost to the Lumberjacks in four tries. At stake for the Bobcats is an eight-game home winning streak and their playoff hopes.
Fritz: NAU 30, MSU 20. Nick: MSU 23, NAU 20. Chad: NAU 21, MSU 17. Bill: NAU 24, MSU 17.
• Idaho State at Weber State: The host Wildcats have won four straight in the series and 21 of their last 23. This battle of freshman QBs (Cameron Higgins for Weber, Russel Hill for ISU) won’t buck any trends.
Fritz: Weber 31, ISU 21. Nick: Weber 74, ISU 69. Chad: Weber 24, ISU 21. Bill: Weber 28, ISU 21.
• Northern Colorado at No. 24 Eastern Washington: Next goal for the Northern Colorado Bears is a road Big Sky win. Won’t happen this weekend against the league’s best offense.
Fritz: Eastern 48, UNC 10. Nick: Eastern 41, UNC 13. Chad: Eastern 35, UNC 3. Bill: Eastern 46, UNC 10.
• UC-Davis at Sacramento State: The host Hornets have their best chance in a while to win the Causeway Classic. The Aggies have won seven straight in the series.
Fritz: Sac State 35, Davis 24. Nick: Sac State 31, Davis 20. Chad: Davis 27, Sac State 16. Bill: Davis 21, Sac State 14.
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