The 2019 football season is upon us. It is game week, the story lines are abundant and the payers want to hit somebody in a different uniform! In the NFL we always here about how tough or easy someone's schedule is. In college football they have SOS or Strength of Schedule rankings. Last year I released my rankings on who had the toughest schedule in Class AA. Here is the 2018 list.
1) Glacier
2) Butte
3) CMR
4) Flathead
5) Skyview
6) Hellgate
7) Capital
8) West
9) Bozeman
10) Great Falls
11) Big Sky
12) Senior
13) Sentinel
14) Helena
*Belgrade wasn't in AA in 2018.
For my 2019 list quite a few teams made some jumps. As we all know everyone makes the playoffs love it or hate it everyone does. Now let me say this, NO team in Class AA has an easy schedule. Every coach has told me the challenge of winning in the AA and I believe it!
Here is my criteria putting this list together.
1) Number of playoff teams from 2018
2) Non-Conference Opponents
3) Home vs Away games
4) Consecutive tough games
With that criteria here is the my 2019 toughest schedule rankings!
1) The Big Sky Eagles
#11 ranking in 2018
Big Sky starts the non-conference schedule with defending state champions Billings West. The next game is a road game to Bozeman. Two teams that figure to be towards the top of the Eastern AA standings. Big Sky then opens conference with Hellgate followed by a stretch of 6 games against Western AA teams that could vie for the top spot in the west. Vs Helena; vs Glacier; @Sentinel; @Capital; vs Butte; @Flathead. Big Sky's non-conference plus finishing the season on the road two of the final 3 games of the season.
2) The Flathead Braves
#4 ranking in 2018
The state runner ups from 2018 start the season playing the two teams they ended the post season with. Flathead opens the year at home against Bozeman and then make the long trip to Billings to take on the defending champions. They open the conference schedule against the tough Sentinel Spartans. This stretch in their schedule will determine if they are at home for a playoff game or on the road. Week 5, Vs Capital; @ Helena; @Butte; vs Glacier.
3) The Sentinel Spartans
#13 ranking in 2018
The Spartans are one of the teams with the biggest jumps in my rankings in 2019. Sentinel opens with Great Falls and Senior. Two teams that made the playoffs last season. They they open the conference schedule on the road at Flathead, followed by @Capital and their first home conference game against Butte. To finish the season they are on the road at Helena and face Glacier at home. Glacier and Sentinel have had their fair share of epic battles in the past and I feel like a lot will be riding on this game.
4) The Capital Bruins
#7 ranking in 2018
The Bruins bring back a ton of experience from last season. This team looks poised for a deep playoff run. Their schedule will challenge them though, the first 6 games include 5 playoff teams from last season. They open the season at Senior and then come home to take on Great Falls. They open conference with Glacier and Sentinel followed by road trips to Flathead and Butte. Their final game of the season is crosstown against Helena. That game will have conference positioning implications on the line.
5) The Belgrade Panthers
No Ranking in 2018
The Belgrade Panthers enter Class AA as the only team in Montana History to play in every classification. The panthers have made the playoffs in Class A 5 out of the last 7 seasons. They have a veteran coach in Eric Kinnaman. I expect this team will be in the mix but their schedule is not easy. They open with two west playoff teams in Butte and Helena. They open conference against CMR. They will face a tough four game stretch at Senior; vs Great Falls; at Bozeman and then at West. That stretch will determine if this team will host a playoff game or hit the road.
6) The CMR Rustlers
#3 ranking in 2018
The Rustlers will face 6 playoff teams in 2019. The good news is that they are sprinkled throughout the schedule. They will be at Helena and then see Butte at home to start the season. They will travel to Billings West in week four, they will host Bozeman two weeks later. They will play the Broncs in week 8 followed by crosstown in week 9 against Great Falls.
7) The Hellgate Knights
#6 ranking in 2018
The Knights ended their long losing streak. The Knights will not be an easy out. Bring your lunch when playing the Knights. Rollie is a talented two player that can make people pay. The Knights will see 4 playoff teams all in conference. The Knights do get a bye the opening week which means they will play 8 straight games. Their toughest stretch will start week four against Flathead, at Helena, at Glacier; crosstown with Sentinel, at Washington Griz against Capital and then on the road against Butte. It will be a tough 6 game stretch to end the season for the Knights.
8) The Billings West Golden Bears
#8 ranking in 2018
The defending state champs are the only team that didn't move in the rankings from 2018. While the Golden Bears graduated a ton of talent don't expect a drop in expectations. This team brings back plenty of talent. West opens the season with Big Sky and then host the Braves. West will see Senior for crosstown in week six, followed by Great Falls in week seven. They end the season against Bozeman in week 9. That game may determine who is the Eastern AA Conference champion.
9) The Skyview Falcons
#5 ranking in 2018
The Falcons will look to change their fortunes in 2019. They didn't win a game last season. Coach Nathan Wahl enters year two with players that are familiar with his system and expectations. The Falcons have talented players it will be interesting to see what they look like in 2019. Skyview opens the season vs Glacier. They open conference play with crosstown rival West in week three followed by a home game against Bozeman. Skyview will see a Senior and Great Falls at home in week seven and eight. Skyview will play five playoff teams in 2019.
10) The Bozeman Hawks
#9 ranking in 2018
The Bozeman Hawks got hit with the injury bug early losing one of the best players in Class AA in McCade O'Reilly. The Hawks will face four playoff teams in 2019. Bozeman will travel to take on Flathead then host Big Sky in non-conference. They open the conference play with Senior at home. They see Great Falls in week five and then host West in week nine. As I mentioned above that game I think will determine who is the Eastern AA Champ.
11) The Senior Broncs
#12 ranking in 2018
The Broncs are only a year removed from back to back state titles. Senior will continue to be a really tough team week in and out. They have speed everywhere. The Broncs will face 3 playoff teams from 2018, all in conference. They will see two tough non-conference opponents in Sentinel and Capital. They open conference play with Bozeman and Great Falls on the road. They see crosstown foe Billings West in week six. Senior will get a a bye in week nine. They may get two weeks to prepare for an opponent depending how things shake out.
12) The Great Falls Bison
#10 ranking in 2018
The Bison made the playoffs in 2018. They look to continue going upward i the Eastern AA. Great Falls will see Sentinel at home in week one followed by a trip to Capital in week two.
Great Falls will see three playoff teams in 2019, all in conference. They will see Senior in week four and then travel to Bozeman in week five. The Bison will host the defending champs in week seven. Great Falls will play those three teams within the first 4 weeks of conference.
13) The Helena Bengals
#14 ranking 2019
The Helena Bengals are always a tough team. They will see 3 playoff teams in 2019. They open conference with a home game against CMR and then travel to Belgrade. Helena starts with a road game against Butte in week three. The Bengals will then host Flathead in week six, travel up to Kalispell to face Glacier in week seven. At the end of the season its crosstown against Capital.
14) The Glacier Wolfpack
#1 ranking in 2018
The wolfpack have had a daunting schedule the past two seasons. This year the schedule lightens up for the wolfpack. Glacier will look to get off to a good start in 2019. Glacier is the only team that took their bye week and filled it with an opponent. They will take on MT Spokane. I applaud the move. I wish there was more flexibility with scheduling out of state opponents. The wolfpack will face three playoff teams in 2019. They will see Butte in week four, Helena in week 7 and Flathead for crosstown in week 8. All three of those games will be at home. They will end the season against Sentinel on the road.
15) The Butte Bulldogs
#2 ranking in 2019
The Bulldogs had a tough schedule last season and made the playoffs. They see three playoff teams in 2019. They open their schedule with Belgrade at home and a trip to CMR. They open conference against Helena. They will go to Kalispell in week four to face Glacier. In week seven they will see the Braves in Butte. Butte's first five conference games will determine if this team will be hosting a playoff game or going on the road.
Again every schedule is hard in class AA but some more so then others. It should be a really exciting Class AA Football season!
Below is the audio of The toughest schedules in AA Football.
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