Way out West—from what I’m told it’s where the deer and the antelope play—the University of Montana has built a powerhouse football program. The Grizzlies had their streak of 17 straight seasons of making a playoff appearance snapped last season. It was a record at the I-AA level, now known as the NCAA Division 1 Football Championship Subdivision, and the Griz are ready to begin a new streak in 2011. It is easy to get preoccupied with the big name schools like Alabama and USC but dig a little deeper and there is one tremendous football program out West, and what they have achieved is about as good as it gets in college football at any level.
Last weekend the Grizzlies defeated defending FCS National Champion Eastern Washington 17-14 as Montana played their first Big Sky opponent of the early season. “That ranked