Explore every episode of the podcast Big Sky Breakdown

In this week's Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem talks about all the teams in the Big Sky Conference and  strength of schedule. He looks deeply into the previous top-5 teams from the conference last year (UC Davis, Idaho, Montana State, Montana, & NAU), or in other words, all the playoff teams. Also, analysis about Deloitte and the newly formed "NIL Clearinghouse", which will serve as the new governing arm for NIL in college football.

0:00 - Intro 
3:55 - Toughest Strength of Schedules In The Big Sky 
29:00 - NIL, Clearing House, Deloitte, Collectives 
52:21 - 16-Team CFP Playoff Proposal 
1:01:10 - Final Thoughts 
1:02:37 - End 

Montana State quarterback turned wide receiver Tommy Mellott was selected in the 6th round, pick 213 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.

He was profiled by ESPN's Kalyn Kahler for the annual installment of "Prospect X". 

Mellott and other sources were anonymous until after Mellott was drafted. Kahler talked with Colter Nuanez of Skyline Sports about profiling a Montana folk hero. 

Matt Brown, the creator and author of the Extra Points newsletter, joins Colter Nuanez to discuss the current state of college athletics.

In this week's Akem's Analysis, we will examine Montana and Montana State's last 10 seasons to determine who seems to be on a better trajectory and why. Both teams have seen success, but neither has reached the pinnacle. The New Haven Chargers are joining the NEC. The FCS Oversight Committee has approved 12-game regular season schedules for all FCS teams, and now it just needs to pass. What does this mean for other teams in the FCS?

0:00 - Intro 
1:16 - Comparing Montana & Montana State’s Last 10 Seasons 
17:28 - FCS Oversight Committee Approves Moving To 12-Game Schedules Permanently 
22:30 - University of New Haven Joining The NEC 
28:39 - How Does Sac State Replicate What Notre Dame Has Done? 
37:50 - Schools Facing NCAA Punishment For Academics 
46:10 - Would NFL Teams Rather Take a G5 Player or FCS Player? 
51:52 - Final Thoughts
 52:36 - End

In this week's Akem's Analysis, we take a look at the Montana roster and investigate what their potential starting lineup could be. With spring ball done and the transfer portal closed, we can get a pretty solid look at what their lineup may look like in the Fall. Follow along as Samuel Akem goes through what the Montana starters may look like. 

The Big Sky Conference lost a ton of talent this offseason, and it's important to look at who the top returning players are in the conference. There were a lot of NFL opportunities given to FCS players in the Draft a few weeks ago. Which schools and conferences are getting players to the next level, and why? We look at the numbers that have been reported by Sam Herder at great length. 

0:00 - Intro 

1:30 - Looking At Montana’s Potential Starters For 2025 

25:17 - Top 10 Offensive & Defensive Players Returning To The Big Sky For 2025 

33:05 - Most NFL Opportunities From Each Conference & School

40:07 - Positives From NIL & The Transfer Portal 

46:15 - SUU Athletic Director Under Investigation For Potential Title IX Violations

51:13 - Final Thoughts

In this week's Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem discusses about the NFL Draft and his reactions to where a lot of the Big Sky players ended up. Akem also analyses about the interesting situation that Cam Miller and Tommy Mellott are in now, with being on the same team. Also, Sac State still dominating on the recruiting trail amid all the excitement with the draft. They are building a monster, and it seems like it's going under the radar. We will see what they look like once they are finally on the field.

0:00 - Intro 
1:13 - Draft Reactions & Big Sky Draft Picks/Signees 
30:01 - Is The Small School Gap Widening? 
33:57 - Shedeur Sanders Slides To The 5th Round 
43:35 - Sac State Still Dominating In The Portal 
47:30 - William & Mary Joining The Patriot League 
55:45 - Final Thoughts 
57:07 - End

Montana State wrapped up spring football on April 26, 2025 in Bozeman with the annual Sonny Holland Spring Classic.

MSU ran 105 total plays between the Blue and White teams with the White coming out on top, 24-14.

Spring game interviews: 

- MSU head coach Brent Vigen (1:07)
- Redshirt freshman DB Carson Williams (10:11)
- Redshirt sophomore QB Chance Wilson (13:55)
- Redshirt sophomore RB Colson Coon (22:37)
- Senior DT Paul Brott (27:00)

In this week's Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem talk about Todd McShay and his comments regarding Tommy Mellott's draft stock. Idaho picked up a big-time transfer QB out of Fresno State. He had limited playing time, but it's still a solid addition for the Vandals. College football players are beginning to sue the NCAA for additional years of eligibility, which starts a slippery slope for college sports. 

0:00 - Intro 
1:39 - Aaron Fontes Post About Foot Injury 
4:57 - Todd McShay Comments On Tommy Mellott’s Draft Stock 
8:35 - Fresno State QB Joshua Wood Transfers To Idaho 
18:36 - Players Seeking More Than 5 Years of Eligibility 
27:33 - South Dakota Football Gutted By Transfer Portal Last Week 
32:01 - New Injury Timeout Rules In CFB 
41:18 - House Settlement Changing The Numbers 
48:38 - 5 Rules To Get Recruited By PVAMU 
55:38 - Final Thoughts 
56:15 - End 

Montana State is in its final week of spring football. The Bobcats have won two of the last three Big Sky Conference titles. 

MSU hosts the annual Sonny Holland Spring Game on Saturday April 26 in Bozeman, Montana. 

Bobcat fifth-year head football coach Brent Vigen joined Colter Nuanez of Skyline Sports to talk about spring football so far. 

(This video had buffering issues, which affected the sound on Colter Nuanez's voice).

Video filmed & produced by Colter Nuanez, Skyline Sports. All Rights Reserved. 

"In this week's Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem talks about the Montana spring game, and gives his thoughts on what he saw on April 11. Akem also analyzes the RAS (Relative Athletic Score) scores for Efton Chism III and Cooper Kupp, and the comparisons don't just stop at the school they went to. For most of this week's episode, I chat with Zach McKinnell on ALL things going on in college football right now. Zach is one of the best people covering the FCS , and he gives all of his thoughts on what's been going on."

0:00 - Intro 
1:31 - Montana Spring Game Reaction 
11:38 - Cooper Kupp vs Efton Chism III 
17:17 - Zach McKinnell Joins The Show 
18:48 - Background on FCS Football Central 
22:29 - Getting Information At The FCS Level 
26:10 - How To Get More National Media Coverage on FCS Football 
30:59 - FCS Football vs G5 Football 
32:44 - The House Settlement & FCS Football 
41:32 - Zach's FCS Conference Rankings 
48:09 - Power 4 Schools Paying Buyouts To FCS Schools 
54:59 - Nio Iamaleava Reaction 
1:03:14 - Dr. Luke Wood AMA on Reddit 
1:13:59 - End

Montana hosted its annual spring game on April 11, 2025. 

Following the action, head coach Bobby Hauck, redshirt freshman wide receiver Brooks Davis and redshirt senior quarterback Jake Jensen broke down the action. 

Ryan Tootell joins Colter Nuanez to discuss a myriad of topics, including how much our kids eat (0:00), Coastal Carolina giving away free concessions (0:56), the slow down of the transfer portal exodus Big Sky men’s hoops (9:55), former USA Today All-American DL/LB Solomon Tuliaupupu choosing Montana (22:06), and a discussion about quarterbacks in relation to Griz and Bobcat spring football (32:18). 

Montana State hosted its annual NFL Pro Day on April. A total of eight total Bobcats worked out for a collection of 13 NFL and five CFL scout. 

Following standout workouts, Tommy Mellott and Brody Grebe addressed the media. The NFL Draft is April 24-26

Brooks Nuanez of Skyline Sports joins Colter Nuanez to break down the recently completed Big Sky Conference basketball seasons with plenty of thoughts on the Griz men and the Bobcat women. Also, a discussion about NFL Pro Day at Montana and Montana State happening later on this week. 

Colter Nuanez sat down with Montana State head women's basketball coach Tricia Binford to rehash her team's record-setting 30-win season and talk about what's next for Bobcat women's hoops. 

In this week's Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem talks about Montana State not broadcasting their spring game and what it means for them. Solomon Tuliaupupu, a former 4-star recruit from USC, has transferred to Montana, and with his pedigree, he could become a star. Multiple FCS conferences have set scholarship caps in anticipation of the House Settlement being approved. What are the ramifications of a move like that? I discuss all that and more in this week's Akem's Analysis!"

0:00 - Intro 
1:35 - Montana State Not Broadcasting Their Spring Game 
4:52 - SoCon, Big Sky, & CAA Set Scholarship Caps 
8:57 - Saint Francis Reclassifying From D-I to D-III 
15:14 - Andrew Luck Let’s Troy Taylor Go 
22:21 - Can You Be A Fan of a School You Didn’t Attend? 
26:35 - Former 4-Star Recruit Solomon Tuliaupupu Transfers To Montana 
30:06 - FBS Oversight Committee Denies Deion Sanders & Fran Brown 
35:28 - Final Thoughts 36:33 - End

Lan Larison is the record holder of UC Davis' single-season all-purpose (2,387) and career all-purpose yards (6,504). After amassing all that success during his college career, he is now looking to parlay that into an NFL career, and he seems to have all the right ingredients. With great running back ability coupled with excellent receiving ability, he is a prime weapon that can be dangerous in today's modern NFL. He looks forward to his pro day and the draft to see what team is willing to give him an opportunity. He sat down with Samuel Akem of Skyline Sports to talk about the future. 

In this week's Akem's Analysis, Samuel Akem talked about Thomas Ford Jr. and his thoughts on how he think his first season in Moscow will go. Fran Brown is talking about some of the NIL initiatives he is implementing at Syracuse and he is doing amazing things that other schools could imitate. The NCAA is making a change to how high school athletes negotiate NIL in the process of choosing a school. Sammy discusses all this and more in this week's episode.

0:00 - Intro 
1:53 - Tournament Reaction For Montana MBB & MSU WBB 
10:57 - Are Cinderella Teams Gone Forever? 
17:14 - Coach Thomas Ford Jr. At Idaho 
25:35 - NCAA To Allow Athletes To Sign Contracts Before Commitment 
30:19 - Justin Lamson Joins MSU Bobcats Football Team 
36:10 - EA CFB 26 Will Pay Athletes $1,500 For Opting In 
39:19 - Coach Fran Brown Is Doing NIL Right 
45:27 - Sac State Plans To Make Announcement Soon 
47:20 - Hot Takes or Real Talk? 
54:44 - Final Thoughts 
56:47 - End

Brooks Nuanez, the co-founder of Skyline Sports, joins Blake Hemsptead to talk about the history of Skyline, his passion for photography and much more. 

Montana State head coach Tricia Binford along with senior Esmeralda Morales and sophomore Natalie Picton addressed the media following MSU's 71-51 loss to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. 

Montana State standouts Esmeralda Morales, Marah Dykstra and Katelynn Martin along with head coach Tricia Binford address the media leading up to their first round NCAA Tournament game against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Friday afternoon. 

Montana head coach Travis DeCuire along with seniors Kai Johnson and Te'Jon Sawyer addressed the media following 85-66 loss to Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Montana 11th-year head coach Travis DeCuire hosted a press conference at the NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colorado on March 19, 2025. 

Montana seniors Brandon Whitney, Joe Pridgen and Kai Johnson addressed the media about their first-round NCAA Tournament matchup against the University of Wisconsin. 

Montana State senior Esmeralda Morales addressed the media following MSU drawing a No. 13 seed. The Bobcats will play No. 4 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Friday. Morales was the Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament MVP. 

Montana head coach Travis DeCuire addressed the media following his team drawing a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Griz will play No. 3 Wisconsin in Denver on Thursday. 

Kyle Hansen, a multi-media journalist and the sideline reporter for Griz football games for KPAX Television in Missoula and Scripps Sports, talks about the ins and outs of what he does with Blake Hempstead of Skyline Sports.

University of Montana sports information director Eric Taber sits down with Blake Hempstead to talk about his background and his passion for his job in the latest Sports Bite. 

Northern Colorado shared the Big Sky Conference title with Montana and took the No. 1 seed into this week's Big Sky Tournament in Boise.

The Bears had convincing wins over Weber State & Montana State to earn a spot in the championship against the Griz. 

Montana shot 65 percent and won 91-83. UNC will play in the men's NIT. 

Head coach Steve Smiley, senior Jaron Rillie & junior Langston Reynolds addressed the media after the game

The Montana Grizzlies are headed to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time, including the third time under head coach Travis DeCuire, after a 91-83 win over. 

The Griz shot 65.2 percent and saw four players score in double figures to advance to the Big Dance for 1st time since 2019.

DeCuire, Joe Pridgen (left) and Brandon Whitney addressed the media after the victory.

Montana State beat Montana 58-57 on a Marah Dykstra buzzer-beat to advance to the NCAA Tournament. 

The No. 1 seeded Bobcats are now 30-3 and headed to the Big Dance for the third time under head coach Tricia Binford.

Montana was the No. 6 seed entering the tournament and upset No. 3 Idaho and No. 2 Northern Arizona on the way to the title game. 

Binford, senior Esmeralda Morales and junior Marah Dykstra along with Montana interim head coach Nate Harris & seniors Dani Bartsch and MJ Bruno addressed the media following the game. 

The Montana Griz won for the 12th out of 13 games and for the 24th time this year to move into the Big Sky Tourney final with a 78-55 win over Idaho.

Montana advances to the 6th Big Sky Tourament championship game under head coach Travis DeCuire. UM plays Northern Colorado Saturday night at 9:30 p.m. 

DeCuire along with guards Austin Patterson (left) and Kai Johnson (right) addressed the media following the win. 

Idaho upset Portland State on Monday night. UI head coach Alex Pribble and Julius Mims adressed the media following the loss.

Montana State had its 10-game Big Sky Conference Tournament winning streak snapped as Northern Colorado posted a 72-45 win Tuesday

No. 1 Northern Colorado will take on the winner of No. 2 Montana and No. 6 Idaho on Wednesday night.

UNC head coach Steve Smiley along with Langston Reynolds (center) and Brock Wisne addressed media following the win.

Montana State lost its first Big Sky Tournament game since March of 2021. Matt Logie, Jed Miller and Bryce Zaphir addressed media following the loss. 

The Lady Griz pulled their second upset in as many days, outlasting Northern Arizona 71-67 to move into the Big Sky Tournament title game for the first time since 2015.

No. 6 Lady Griz will take on rival Montana State, the tournament's top seed, Wednesday at 3 p.m. 

Montana interim head coach Nate Harris, senior Dani Bartsch and junior Mack Konig addressed the media after the win.

Northern Arizona won a program-record 26 games this season. Head coach Loree Payne + Sophie Glancey & Nyah Moran after the loss

Montana State won its 19th Big Sky Conference game and 29th overall by blasting Idaho State 75-42 to advance to the league tournament title game. 

The No. 1 Bobcats await the winner of No. 2 Northern Arizona and No. 6 Montana for Wednesday's final.

MSU head coach Tricia Binford, sophomore Izzy Bunyan and senior Esmeralda Morales addressed the media following the victory.

Idaho State head coach Seton Sobolewski along with juniors Tasia Jordan and Kacey Spink following the loss. 

Montana State won its 10th straight Big Sky Conference Tournament game by drilling Idaho State 80-60.

The Bobcats advance to play No. 1 Northern Colorado. The Bears swept the Bobcats during the regular season. 

MSU head coach Matt Logie, senior Tyler Patterson and junior Patrick McMahon addressed the media following the game. 

Montana head coach Nate Harris along with junior point guard Mack Konig and freshman forward Avery Waddington addressed the media following UM's 65-54 win over Idaho. 

Idaho head coach Arthur Moreira along with seniors Olivia Nelson and Jennifer Aadland also addressed the media following the loss. 

Jackson Wagner, a proud Anaconda Copperhead alum and four-sport star and state champion golfer for his alma mater, is exactly where he wants to be. The Sports Information Director at Montana, he dreamed of working in sports media since he found his passion with the written word. 

From the day he stepped foot on the UM campus in search of a journalism degree, Jackson has worked either in sports information or at the Kaimin, working tirelessly to hone his craft. Now, Wagner is the SID for men's basketball, volleyball, cross country and track and field - and loving every minute of it. 

Ryan Tootell joins Colter Nuanez to break down Montana men's hoops winning a share of the Big Sky Conference men's basketball championship and what it means for Travis DeCuire's revived trajectory as a head coach. 

Veteran television sports reporter Shaun Rainey, who is the sports director of SWX Montana and Non-stop local TV, joins Blake Hempstead. 

Montana State is 15-0 in Big Sky Conference play and riding an 18-game winning streak overall after last weekend's 98-62 win over Montana. 

Bobcat senior Esmeralda Morales scored 28 points against the Lady Griz to earn Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors for the 4th time this year. 

Thursday, Montana State puts its winning streak on the line against Portland State, Morales' former team. 

Ryan Divish, beat writer for the Seattle Times, went from frigid minus 25 weather to Peoria, Az, to begin the long, exhaustive haul being the beat writer for the Seattle Mariners. In the offseason, you can find Divish helping out his beloved Havre Blue Ponies in the batting cages, spending time with his family and enjoying all the Hi-Line has to offer. 

Divish muses about the arduous job of a beat reporter, fostering relationships with a family-oriented group of coworkers and how he was relieved he wasn't mistakenly the missing vote leaving Ichiro Suzuki one shy of a unanimous Hall Of Fame induction. 

Montana won for the 9th straight game to stay atop the Big Sky standings by outlasting Montana State for an 89-85 win on Saturday night in Bozeman. 

Montana is now 13-2 in conference play, 20-8 overall. UM 11th-year head coach Travis DeCuire won his 221st game, tying Jiggs Dahlberg for the Griz hoops career record. DeCuire along with senior guards Kai Johnson (right) and Brandon Whitney addressed the media following the victory. 

Montana State fell to 10-3 at home this season and are now 7-8 in Big Sky Conference play, 12-16 overall after Saturday. MSU head coach Matt Logie along with senior Jabe Mullins and junior Patrick McMahon addressed the media. 

Montana State exploded offensively on the way to a 98-66 win over Montana on Saturday in Bozeman. The 98 points is the most ever scored by MSU in the rivalry series.

The Bobcats set the program record with an 18th straight win and moved to 15-0 in Big Sky play, 25-2 overall. MSU has won 15 of 18 against the Lady Griz, including 11 straight in Bozeman. 

Following the game, MSU's Taylee Chirrick (center), Esmeralda Morales (right) and KJ Martin along with head coach Tricia Binford addressed the media.

Montana State rolled to a 98-66 win over Montana on Saturday in Bozeman. 

Following the game, Lady Griz senior Tyler McCliment-Call, freshman Avery Waddington and interim head coach Nate Harris addressed the media after UM fell to 6-9 in Big Sky Conference play, 10-16 overall. 

Montana senior Joe Pridgen is a leading candidate for Big Sky Newcomer of the Year after transfering from Northeastern last off-season. He addressed the media Thursday. 

Montana 11th-year head coach Travis DeCuire can tie the UM record for career wins with a victory on Saturday against rival Montana State. His next win will help him tie Jiggs Dahlberg for the most in UM men's hoops history. 

Montana State assistant coach Zach Payne was an assistant on Travis DeCuire's staff for four years. He has been on Matt Logie's staff at MSU the last two seasons.

Montana interim women's basketball coach Nate Harris addressed the media ahead of his team's matchup at first place Montana State on Saturday. UM is 5-5 under Harris's guidance and on a three-game losing streak entering the rivalry game.