Losing to Montana State is nothing new for UC Davis. The Aggies have lost the past nine meetings after winning the first in 2006. Each loss only serves to remind UC Davis head coach Tom Plough that his team is still treading water in the shallow end of the FCS pool. The deep end is for the elite.
UC Davis cleared two hurdles in 2024 by beating Eastern Washington for the first time in 12 games and Montana for the second time in 11. Montana State is the last hurdle in the Big Sky Conference and UC Davis can then try to compete with the elite – North Dakota State and South Dakota State.
Plough will accept nothing less. “I’m extremely motivated to try and get that done,” Plough said to local media on Monday. ”I think it’s OK to have lofty goals. I’d much rather have lofty goals and fail than make goals more achievable just so we can say we’re successful.”
Plough has scheduled games in 2028 and 2029 against North Dakota State, the defending FCS champion. Between now and then, devising a strategy to beat Montana State will be a top priority even though the Aggies will not play the Bobcats in 2026 after doing so last Saturday and in 2024.
Montana State will play Montana on Saturday with the winner earning an automatic FCS playoff bid as the Big Sky champion. The loser will receive an at-large berth based on record and ranking. Montana (7-0 Big Sky, 11-0) is ranked second in both FCS polls. Montana State (7-0 Big Sky, 9-2) is No. 3.
The only other Big Sky team ranked in both polls is UC Davis (5-2 Big Sky, 7-3), which fell from ninth to 15th in the Stats Perform rankings and 10th to 14th in the coaches poll after the 38-17 loss to Montana State last week. The Big Sky should get three teams into the playoffs and possibly a fourth after having five earn berths in 2024.
Last week’s loss will not have as much bearing on the Aggies’ chances as will the 38-36 loss to Idaho State (4-3 Big Sky, 5-6). Winning the Nov. 1 game would have likely resulted in a first-round bye and a second-round home game for UC Davis regardless of being thumped by Montana State.
Beating Sacramento State (5-2 Big Sky, 7-4) in the 72nd and final Causeway Classic on Saturday should be enough to get UC Davis into the 24-team tournament. Then again, Sacramento State could make a case for one of the 13 at-large berths despite being unranked if it can beat UC Davis.
Plough has said eight wins should be enough to get in the playoffs and is sticking to his contention that the Aggies should have eight. UC Davis had a 23-17 lead against Mercer in the fourth quarter Aug. 23 when the game in Montgomery, Ala., was halted by lightning and then ruled as no contest.
Whether Sacramento State should have seven wins has come into question after last week’s 23-20 win over Idaho. A controversial call and replay review resulted in an 18-yard completion when the Hornets receiver was out of bounds at the Idaho 2. The Hornets then scored with nine seconds left.
The Big Sky has acknowledged the mistake and suspended “multiple” officials who worked the game. The conference also slapped Idaho head coach Thomas Ford Jr. with a $2,500 fine for his critical remarks. A win would have been nice for Idaho, but Sacramento State had to prevail to stand any chance.
No one would have thought that was possible for the Hornets after first-year head coach Brennan Marion was welcomed to the Big Sky with a 32-24 loss at Cal Poly (1-6 Big Sky, 3-8). The Hornets have scored 30 or more points in their past six games, including 35 in a 14-point loss to Montana.
Montana is the only Big Sky team to hold Sacramento State to fewer than 230 rushing yards this season. The Hornets had 141 against the Grizzlies, a far cry from their average of 317 in the six other Big Sky games. Sacramento State’s season average of 256.8 ranks first in the Big Sky and third in the FCS.
