Prep football like all prep sports in Montana is changing. Schools are getting smaller and there are more and more who opt out of football or go to eight man which is much easier to fill than the traditional eleven man teams.

Chouteau this year is going to be playing eight man football which is sort of shocking considering what the size of that town has been through the years.

Then there is the case of Poplar High School who cannot play its varsity football schedule due to a lack of boys to field positions. They started out with seventeen going out and are now down to eleven so they elected to cancel their season and play a JV schedule instead this year.

Some have suggested that those tiny towns need to consolidate. Yet academically, they are some of the finest schools in Montana. Others have suggested another designation lower then class C for very small schools to compete in. Still others are being urged to go up a notch like from C to B and do not want to do that. They are afraid that will be a sure recipe for losing games. I am not so sure about that but this much I am sure of. Montana prep football is going to be changing through the coming years and maybe rather quickly.

The top ten teams playing on the college level starts, once again, with Alabama. I don’t know about you but I am getting tired of hearing all about Alabama. Anyway the nine after that include Ohio State, Florida State, Southern Cal. Clemson, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin and Oklahoma State. Washington State is 24. I don’t notice the Oregon Ducks in the top 25 anywhere this season so we here in the west should be glad that both Washington teams made the top 25.

Meanwhile back in the NFL, I have to laugh at the East part of the American Conference. What a bunch of winners they are! The Jets, New England and Miami are all tied at 1 and 2. Buffalo is 0 and 3. In the North Baltimore is 3 and 0 making them look very good this early. In the National Conference only Seattle is 3 and 0 and being a Seahawk fan, that makes me feel very good! Maybe Seattle will go all the way this year. I know it is way too early to be predicting that but I can dream, can’t I?

How about some predictions this week?

On September 2 Montana plays Valparaiso and wins. Montana State plays Washington State and loses.

Here is a tough one. Both my Frontier Conference schools play each other. Northern plays Rocky at Rocky. Now who is going to win that one? I feel like a criminal doing this pic but give the win to the Methodists at Rocky.

Havre beats Lewistown in Havre, Harlem loses to Wolf Point, Chinook loses to Chester and Company and my Thunderbirds beat Rocky Boy.

That is my story and I am sticking to it. Go Thunderbirds!