Montana State Bobcats climbing in FCS preseason football polls

(Editor’s Note: Montana State Athletics press release)

BOZEMAN – Montana State landed among the top 15 FCS teams entering the 2019 football season according to a pair of polls released on Tuesday.

Athlon Sports tabs the Cats eighth in its preseason poll, with four of the top nine teams from the Big Sky Conference. Eastern Washington is ranked fourth, UC Davis fifth, and Weber State ninth. The Grizzlies check in at 23rd. The HERO Sports poll places the Bobcats 14th, and in general is less enthusiastic about the Big Sky. UC Davis is ranked third, Eastern Washington seventh, and Weber State 11th.

Earlier, HERO tabbed Kevin Kassis as the nation’s best FCS player to wear No. 85 in that organization’s number-by-number countdown leading to the season opener in August.

Athlon Sports Preseason Poll:

1. North Dakota State
2. James Madison
3. South Dakota State
4. Eastern Washington
5. UC Davis
6. Maine
7. Jacksonville State
8. Montana State
9. Weber State
10. Wofford
11. Towson
12. Illinois State
13. Nicholls
14. Kennesaw State
15. Indiana State
16. Furman
17. Northern Iowa
18. Colgate
19. Southeast Missouri
20. Sam Houston State
21. Elon
22. McNeese
23. Montana
24. Delaware
25. North Carolina A&T

HERO Sports FCS Preseason Poll:

1. James Madison
2. North Dakota State
3. UC Davis
4. Maine
5. South Dakota State
6. Jacksonville State
7. Eastern Washington
8. Wofford
9. Illinois State
10. Towson
11. Weber State
12. Elon
13. Nicholls
14. Montana State
15. Furman
16. Central Arkansas
17. Yale
18. Indiana State
19. Chattanooga
20. Sam Houston State
21. Alcorn State
22. Kennesaw State
23. Princeton
24. Eastern Kentucky
25. Citadel