FARMINGTON — The Big Sky Conference released its preseason coaches and media polls on Monday morning, as the 13-team league inches ever closer to kickoff for the 2026 season. Entering head coach Thomas Ford Jr's second season at the helm, the Idaho Vandals were pegged to finish sixth in the media poll and seventh by the conference's coaches.

Idaho's season begins on August 28 with a Friday night conference showdown at Cal Poly (7 p.m., ESPN), one of three games the Black and Gold had selected for linear distribution on ESPN networks, a program record. The Vandals open their six-game home slate against Lamar on Sep. 12.

The polls are as follows:

Big Sky Football Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Montana State (11) – 143
2. Montana – 130
3. UC Davis (2) – 121
4. Northern Arizona – 108
5. Idaho State - 99
6. Southern Utah – 82
7. Idaho – 77
8. Eastern Washington – 70
9. Weber State – 48
10. Northern Colorado – 47
11. Cal Poly – 46
12. Portland State – 24
13. Utah Tech – 19
*Parentheses denotes first-place vote // Coaches could not vote for their own team

Big Sky Football Preseason Media Poll
1. Montana State (35) – 490
2. Montana (1) – 448
3. UC Davis (2) – 421
4. Idaho State – 349
5. Northern Arizona – 339
6. Idaho – 283
7. Southern Utah – 273
8. Eastern Washington – 246
9. Cal Poly – 168
10. Weber State – 155
11. Northern Colorado – 153
12. Portland State – 68
13 Utah Tech – 65
*Parentheses denotes first-place vote