Revised Big Sky Faces Big Challenge

“I wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member.”

--Groucho Marx

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The Big Sky is considered the nation’s premier Division I-AA football conference, a fact that has been often repeated by those around Cal State Northridge, eager to show just how far they’ve come.

But how good can any conference be if it includes the likes of Northridge, Cal State Sacramento and Portland State, three schools that were Division II members four years ago?

The three new teams played six games against Big Sky teams last season, losing five of those games by an average score of 43-10.

In the short term, the nine-team league is undoubtedly weaker with new schools replacing Idaho and Boise State, who jumped to the Division I-A Big West Conference.

“I don’t think there is any question that Boise State and Idaho were good conference members,” said Doug Fullerton, the Big Sky’s second-year commissioner. “They played at a very consistent level.

“Obviously we’ve lost depth, but what we are hoping for is the potential that Northridge, Portland State and Sacramento have [to be strong teams].”

Brian McNeely, Idaho State’s coach, said the conference will be weaker for a few years, but hopefully stronger once the new schools can take advantage of their large population bases to recruit.

“When you lose two good teams and replace them with them teams trying to get to that level, obviously there is a short-term impact,” McNeely said. “I know that the Big Sky wants to reinforce the role of being the top I-AA conference in the country. And in five years we will be at that point.

“The problem with all that is between now and five years from now.”

While the Big Sky may be thin near the bottom, no one can argue about its strength at the top.

Montana, defending national champion, is No. 2 in the latest I-AA poll. The Grizzlies return 18 starters from a team that was 13-2, beating Marshall, 22-20, in the national title game.

Montana was the overwhelming pick of both coaches and media to repeat as Big Sky champion.

For Northern Arizona, Idaho State and Weber State--ranked 16th, 20th and 23rd, respectively--the hope is that Montana will falter under new Coach Mick Dennehy, who too over when Don Read after he retired.

The challengers can also take solace that Dave Dickensen is playing in the Canadian Football League. The former Montana quarterback won the Walter Payton Award as the nation’s top Division I-AA player last season.

“Taking nothing away from Montana, they have a great program,” said Northern Arizona Coach Steve Axman. “But they had the Walter Payton player, so they have to prove that they can go out now and be a Big Sky championship team without him.”

Dickensen, a three-time All-American, passed for 11,080 yards and 96 touchdowns.

The normally pass-happy Big Sky has built its reputation on quarterbacks. Four Big Sky quarterbacks--most notably Seattle Seahawk backup John Friesz, who played at Idaho--have won the Payton Award.

As of now, the next marquee quarterback is nowhere to be found.

“Probably the biggest negative in the Big Sky this year is there is not one standout quarterback,” Axman said.

The best of the pack are probably Weber State’s Rob Cook and Idaho State’s Gary Anderson. No one in the Big Sky knows too much about Sacramento’s Tony Corbin, but he passed for 2,532 yards last year when he was most valuable player in the defunct American West Conference.

Running backs seem to be the most likely offensive stars as this season begins.

Idaho State’s Alfredo Anderson and Northern Arizona’s Archie Amerson led the conference in all-purpose yardage last season. Anderson averaged 164.8 yards a game and Amerson 148.5.

Portland State, which is ineligible for postseason play because the Vikings just moved up from Division II, is hoping for a big season from Gary Clemons, who ran for 760 yards last year at Moorpark College.

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AT A GLANCE

* THE PROVEN: Idaho State running back Alfredo Anderson (5 feet 10, 180 pounds), who ran for 1,192 yards last season, needs 1,278 more yards--after gaining 65 last Saturday--to become the Big Sky Conference’s all-time leading rusher. Northern Arizona running back Archie Amerson (5-9, 175) ran for 1,117 yards last season and was an all-conference pick. Montana free safety Blaine McElmurry (6-1, 195), a preseason All-American, was an all-conference choice and received honorable mention on the All-American team last year.

* THE PROMISING: Portland State running back Gary Clemons (5-10, 175) ran for 760 yards and 12 touchdowns last season at Moorpark College. Montana quarterback Brian Ah Yat (6-1, 180), who has thrown only 15 college passes, will take over as leader of the conference’s best team.

* FAST FACT: The Big Sky has sent at least two teams to the Division I-AA playoffs in each of the past eight years.

Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Teams are shown with total points, first-place votes in parentheses, and 1995 overall records.

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1 Montana, 54 (6) 13-2 2 Idaho State, 45 (2) 6-5 3 Northern Arizona, 44 7-4 4 Montana State, 37 5-6 5 Weber State, 34 6-5 6 Eastern Washington, 24 3-8 7 Cal State Sacramento, 20 4-6-1 8 Cal State Northridge, 18 2-8

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* Portland State, in its first season at the Division I-AA level, was not included because the Vikings are ineligible to win the conference title.