Behind The Numbers: Week 0 Big Sky Preview
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Our annual "Behind The Numbers" series returns here at FCS Football Central ahead of the 2026 college football season. You may be familiar with our Behind The Numbers recap each week, but we wanted to expand the series this year. We have added a preview series, which will spotlight the biggest games in each conference across the country.
Our goal with this new addition is to highlight teams every week and bring you what I think will be the most important statistic to monitor for that specific game. This isn't a comprehensive preview of the game; we will have that in another article each week, but it will allow me to give you important tidbits on a wide variety of games throughout the season.
We continue our Week 0 Behind The Numbers series with the Big Sky. The games are listed in chronological order and do not include any games against non-Division I opponents.
Idaho at Cal Poly
Which quarterback can hit shot plays down the field?
Both Cal Poly and Idaho were fairly average in most statistics on both sides of the ball last year. Idaho ranked 7th and 5th in yards per play, while Cal Poly ranked 7th and 8th, respectively. Both teams struggled with giving up explosive plays in the passing game.
Despite both teams ranking Top 5 in the Big Sky for pass defense efficiency, both ranked in the bottom three for yards per pass allowed. These defensive units gave up way too many deep shots. This game may come down to which quarterback can hit those downfield shot plays.
Weber State at Northern Colorado
Can Weber State find success with its passing attack?
Can Northern Colorado establish the run?
Weber State posted a terrible 5.7 yards per pass attempt, only averaging 176 yards per game in conference play last season. The Wildcats are looking to break the mold with California transfer Devin Brown, who played under new head coach Eric Kjar at Corner Canyon HS. The Bears were solid against the pass last year and return a good bit of that defensive production in the secondary.
Northern Colorado had the second-worst rushing offense in the Big Sky at 3.9 yards per carry and 199 rushing yards per game. The Bears have their leading rusher, Mathias Price, returning, along with all five starters from last season's offensive line. The outcome of this conference battle will come down to which offense is able to break the mold and take a step forward in these areas.
No. 6 UC Davis at Portland State
Is the UC Davis passing attack still elite?
There likely won't be too many takeaways from this matchup. The Aggies are going to be the heavy favorite, while Portland State is currently in full rebuild mode. However, UC Davis boasted an elite passing attack last season, completing 70% of their passes in conference play and averaging 9.5 yards per attempt. That's a first down nearly every time they dropped back, but now Caden Pinnick is gone. Sophomore Traynor Cleeland takes the reins, but will we see any drop-off from last season's production?
Eastern Washington at No. 25 Northern Arizona
Can Eastern Washington find consistent offensive success?
Will the big transfer portal class pay off for Northern Arizona?
This may come as a surprise to those who are used to high-powered offenses at Eastern Washington, but the Eagles were putrid offensively throughout conference play. They only averaged 4.5 yards per play and 2.9 yards per rush, which were easily the worst in the Big Sky. Northern Arizona was disappointing defensively, giving up 6.2 yards per play, which ranked 9th in the Big Sky.
Will some stability lead to growth for the EWU offense? Or will all the new faces at NAU gel and lead to this unit taking a big jump forward? That's likely the biggest key to this game and potentially an ongoing storyline to watch with each of these teams.
Southern Utah at No. 2 Montana
Does Southern Utah have any chance of slowing down Eli Gillman?
This Southern Utah offense will likely find some success against Montana's defense, especially with a dynamic rushing attack and a trio of experienced receivers. However, the Thunderbirds ranked 109th nationally in yards per rush allowed last year.
They will now be facing the best running back in the country. Plus, it's not like they can load the box, especially with Ah Yat and Brooks Davis on the field. If the Thunderbirds have any prayer of hanging around in this game, it will be because they found a way to slow down the run game.
No. 1 Montana State at Utah Tech
Where does Utah Tech really stand in the Big Sky?
It should be business as usual for Montana State. I don't expect any surprises in this matchup for them. On the other hand, Utah Tech is an interesting spot. They finished 2-10 last season, but they did play several close games, including one-score losses to Northern Arizona and UC Davis. They jumped from No. 96 to No. 72 in the Massey Ratings last year, but can they continue that improvement and make this game somewhat respectable? Or will this be the start of another long season?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/fcs as Behind The Numbers: Week 0 Big Sky Preview.
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