SPOKANE, Wash. — In Bobby Hauck's tenure as football coach — in both tenures, actually — Montana has been the preseason pick to win the Big Sky Conference more times than not.
This year is no different. On Sunday at the Big Sky Kickoff at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, the Grizzlies took the top spot in both the media and coaches polls as the favorite to repeat as league champs.
During Media Day on Monday, Hauck discussed the notion of managing expectations, which is nothing new for his program.
"It's not like it's uncharted territory, but it goes without saying that it's great. It's where we want to be," said Hauck, who is entering the seventh year of his second stint in Missoula and his 14th overall.
"But talk is cheap. We've got about a month left and then the rubber meets the road. You've got to perform. I think we have great young men that are highly competitive, and that's a great starting point."
The Grizzlies are coming off a 2023 campaign in which they went 13-2, won their first Big Sky title since 2009 and made a run to the NCAA Division I Football Championship game, where they fell short to South Dakota State.
The twist is that last year's expectations weren't nearly as high. The Griz were picked third in the Big Sky by the media in the preseason and, most surprisingly, sixth by the coaches. Then they went out and proved those predictions way, way wrong.
"I didn't even know what to think of it," Hauck said, reflecting back on last year's preseason polls. "You know me. I view us as the underdog every Saturday. The preparation is going to be consistently what it is no matter who we're playing.
"So I don't even remember what I thought last year. Probably about the same thing I think this year, that none of it matters."
Entering 2024, Hauck, 60, has a 129-36 overall and 79-19 in Big Sky games. He accepted a commemorative football at a dinner Sunday night at the Northern Quest for winning more games than any coach in Big Sky history.
Last year marked the Grizzlies' fourth trip to the national championship game under Hauck. The coach is still chasing that elusive title-game victory, though he says Montana has the goods to make another run this year, provided health and good fortune fall its way.
But it's a week-by-week process.
"When you get to this point in time, you want to get all the pieces in place so you have a chance to win," Hauck said. "That's the competition of it. The other (team is) trying too and sometimes they get you. So every Saturday we've got two teams that are going to fight it out, and I think we've put together a football team that'll have a chance this fall."
On paper, the Grizzlies' schedule is favorable. They have seven home games, and their toughest road contest appears to be the regular-season finale Nov. 23 in Bozeman against rival Montana State.
More home playoff games could be on the horizon. Which would mean a greater chance to reach the title game again in Frisco, Texas.
Though nothing is guaranteed, the Griz appear to be in a good spot.
"(It's about) being a complete football team, whether it's up front or in the kicking game or having depth positions where you can have success and perpetuate it year in and year out," Hauck said. "I think we're in a position to where we can sustain the rigors of the season and consistently win.
"Montana football is where it needs to be, and when you get into September and get into the season, then you get to go out and find out how your preparation was, and hopefully you get it done on any given Saturday."
We'll find out what's in store beginning Aug. 31 when the Grizzlies take on Missouri State at home.
