EWU picked to win Big Sky title by coaches, media; Cats, Griz at 4-5

SPOKANE, Wash. (July 15, 2019) – Eastern Washington is the selection to win the Big Sky Conference title. The Eagles earned the top spot in both the coaches and media polls, announced Monday by the league at the Football Kickoff being held at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane.

The Eagles, who are coming off a 12-win season and a trip to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game, received 140 points and 10 first-place votes in the coaches poll. In the media poll, Eastern Washington collected 25 first-place votes to sit atop the poll with 536 points.

Head Coach Aaron Best and his squad finished No. 2 in the FCS STATS and AFCA Coaches poll. The Eagles return with a top five preseason ranking. Eastern Washington set several Big Sky marks in 2018, including scoring (647 points) and touchdowns (86) records.

“We are humbled and grateful to the coaches and media for determining our football team as the Big Sky Conference preseason No. 1 team,” said Eastern Washington head coach Aaron Best. “Everyone aspires to be No. 1, and our mission will be to be champions at the end of the 2019 campaign after all the scores have been kept.”

Montana was ranked fourth by the coaches with 104 points and one first-place vote. The media picked the Griz to finish in fifth place with 396 points and a first-place vote. The Griz are led by Bobby Hauck, who became Montana’s winningest coach in 2018.

The roles were reversed for Montana State, as the Bobcats were voted fifth by the coaches with 100 points and fourth by the media with 417 points. Montana State, a top 25 team at the end of last season, picked up a first-round win in the FCS playoffs and tallied eight wins.

FOR THE FULL POLLS, VISIT SKYLINE SPORTS HERE