The 406 MT Sports panel expects the Griz and Cats to win on Saturday

It was the Big Sky Conference opener for both teams, and after the loss, fans were pretty disappointed in UM head coach Bobby Hauck (some even called for his firing). It's the same every time the Griz lose these days because the expectations are so high. Then most of the doubters change their tune after Montana wins again.

The quarterback for Montana that bleak day at the Dome in Flagstaff, Arizona, was Sam Vidlak. We didn't see much of him on the field after that, and Clifton McDowell took over as the Griz starting signal-caller.

McDowell led Montana to 10 straight wins before the team was defeated 23-3 in the FCS title game in Frisco, Texas. Many Treasure Staters believe Chipper was closer than the posted score, and I'm on the list.

Vidlak landed at Stephen F. Austin and is doing quite well as the starting quarterback this season. He threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns in last week's win over Northwestern State. Vidlak's team is 3-2, but only has one loss to an FCS team (McNeese State).

Ironically, McDowell is the quarterback for McNeese (4-3). This team has had some exciting wins, including a 28-24 home win over Stephen F. Austin in mid-September and a 28-26 road win over Weber State two weeks ago.

Northern Arizona is even better this year than last year and could pull off an upset against Montana on Saturday in Missoula. Back in late September, the Lumberjacks defeated a Sacramento State team that was ranked 10th at the time. Three weeks earlier, the Jacks played well at FBS Arizona, losing a 22-10 decision at a time when the Wildcats were ranked 20th.

After Saturday, Montana has a break in the schedule with a bye week, followed by road games against winless Northern Colorado and fellow Big Sky Conference host Cal Poly. If the Griz get past NAU, they'll have a good chance leading up to a showdown against UC Davis on Nov. 9 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Here's a look at Saturday's Big Sky Conference games:

No. 24 Northern Arizona (1-1, 3-3) and No. 14 Montana (1-1, 4-2), 2 p.m., TV: Scripps Sports. The Lumberjacks lost a heartbreaker 23-17 at Idaho last week. But they have proven they are capable of playing well in an away league game against a good team, which belies their 1-3 away record at Flagstaff. If Montana can't play defense better than it has the last two weeks, this game will be another shootout. These shootouts can go either way, as the Grizzlies learned in their last two games. My guess is that Montana will improve some things defensively and play with a chip on their shoulder after last year's loss at NAU and last week's loss to Weber State that ended a 15-game home winning streak. Speltz: Montana 38, Northern Arizona 31. Flores: Griz 34, NAU 30. Gogola: Montana 41, Northern Arizona 38.

No. 7 Idaho (1-1, 4-2) vs. No. 3 Montana State (2-0, 6-0), 8:15 p.m. TV: ESPN2. With an average of 302 yards per game, the Cats rank second in the FCS in rushing offense. Additionally, they aren't too bad in the passing game, averaging nearly 200 yards per game and having the longest winning streak in the Big Sky Conference at six games. Idaho has one of the most anemic offenses in the league and the Vandals will face the most dominant defense in the Big Sky. To their credit, the Vandals have won four of their last five games, including a home win over salty Northern Arizona last week. But the Cats are hungry for a good fight after dispatching their last five opponents. They will be ready on Saturday. Speltz: Cats 41, Vandals 21. Flores: Cats 31, Idaho 20. Gogola: Monana State 35, Idaho 24.

Northern Colorado (0-2, 0-6) at No. 20 Weber State (2-0, 3-3), 1 p.m. TV: ESPN+. The Wildcats racked up 364 passing yards and 177 rushing yards in last week's win against the Grizzlies. They are one of the few teams in the Big Sky capable of great things this season if they find consistency. The jury is still out on that one after Weber lost at home to McNeese two weeks ago and then surprised a lot of people with a win against Montana in Missoula. One thing is almost certain: The Wildcats will maintain their positive momentum this week against a winless Northern Colorado team that has played just one close game all season, on September 14th when the Bears were tied at home by 24 :22 lost decision to Abilene Christian. Speltz: Wildcats 49, Bears 17. Flores: Weber 42, UNC 13. Gogola: Weber State 42, Northern Colorado 14

Cal Poly (1-1, 2-3) at No. 6 UC Davis (2-0, 5-1), 5 p.m. TV: ESPN+. The Aggies had a surprisingly close matchup at Portland State last week, defeating the winless Vikings 27-26. This came on the heels of a thrilling 28-26 home win against Idaho. Cal Poly has improved over the last two weeks and is 2-1. But the Mustangs' prospects would have been brighter had they not dropped a 41-38 home decision to Idaho State last week. The hangover from this game, coupled with the fact that they're on the road this week and facing an opponent that's in the thick of the Big Sky title race, doesn't inspire much confidence in a Mustang win. Speltz: Aggies 30, Mustangs 21. Flores: UC Davis 38, Cal Poly 17. Gogola: UC Davis 31, Cal Poly 21.

Portland State (0-2, 0-5) and Idaho State (1-1, 3-3), 5 p.m., TV: ESPN+. The Bengals were picked to finish eighth in the Big Sky this season and you could say they were the league's most pleasant surprise. The Vikings, on the other hand, were too inconsistent to get a win. However, they looked good at times in last week's one-point loss to UC Davis. This is a battle of rising quarterbacks Idaho State's Kobe Tracy and Portland State's Dante Chachere. I have faith in Tracy, who has thrown 11 touchdown passes to six for Chachere this season. Speltz: Bengals 38, Vikings 31. Flores: ISU 41, power supply 31. Gogola: Idaho State 34, Portland State 27.

Eastern Washington (0-1, 1-4) at No. 18 Sacramento State (0-1, 2-3), 7 p.m Both teams are coming off a bye week. The Eagles scored 49 points in a home loss to Montana on September 28th. The Hornets suffered a surprising 34-16 loss at Northern Arizona two weeks ago. This will be a high-scoring game and it could come down to business in the end. One has to wonder if Sacramento State's push to join either the FBS Mountain West or Pac-12 is a distraction. I will pick the home team in this game but I'm not very confident about the decision. Speltz: Hornets 44, Eagles 42. Flores: Sac State 35, EWU 24. Gogola: Sacramento State 38, Eastern Washington 35