Was debating about bringing back a weekly poll, but felt making a weekly tier list would be easier to keep up with. Do you feel like the teams are in the right tier? If not, then who would move and where to?

Ags are going to have a local over the air CBS affiliate broadcast their non-national broadcast games, I’m presuming using the same feed as the Big Sky’s ESPN+ deal.

It includes the one of the top FCS matchups of the season — when Montana comes to town in a few weeks — and is a way to get around the Big Sky’s seeming requirement to use Montana commentary in their games’ streams.

UCD has done these deals before and I’m wondering if it’s signaling similar deals for MW+ games in hoops and eventually football

NIU gamethread for the match at Iowa this Labor Day weekend.

Kind of what we expected. The QB position says "OR" but it appears it will be Jalen Macon and/or Tyger Dickens. I wouldn't be surprised to see both play.

Macon broke his hand last year right before the season started and missed nearly the entire year, even in the few games he played at the end of the season they were saying his hand still wasn't fully healed. NIU ended up playing a walk-on sophomore QB all of last season as a result (that QB since transferred to S. Dakota St) and he wasn't any good. They occasionally played a true freshman at QB but he wasn't ready and it showed.

The QB position has far more depth and experience than last year's roster and a new OC (Tony Petersen) who played in this past season's FCS title game.

The WR room is deep and experienced. Starting RB Telly Johnson is now the #1 RB after being the backup to Antario Brown and Chavon Wright the last two years. He's on the preseason Doak Walker watchlist.

Week 1 NIU Game Notes:

https://niuhuskies.com/documents/2026/9/1/NIUFB26_-_Iowa_-_Full_Release.pdf

Week 1 NIU Press Conference:

https://www.youtube.com/live/qNPCJ3iiQ6k?is=BCqzJjS-1Po9yUDI