Wildcat football picked sixth in preseason polls
On July 19, the Weber State University football team was picked to finish sixth overall in the Big Sky Conference in the preseason media polls.
In an interview with the Standard Examiner, Idaho State head coach Mike Kramer said, “One of the best teams in the conference this year is getting no respect from anybody, and that’s Weber.”
Weber State had a total of 174 points in the preseason pull — 83 of them being coaches votes.
In the 2015-16 season, the Wildcats concluded its season with a 6-5 overall record and a 5-3 record in conference play.
This was Weber State’s first winning season in the past five years. This was also the second year in the tenure of head coach Jay Hill, who will return as the head coach for his third year.
Northern Arizona was chosen to finish first in both the media and coaches polls. The University of Montana was picked second in the media poll and tied with Portland State University for second in the coaches poll. Portland was picked fifth by the media poll.
Eastern Washington was picked third in the media poll and fourth in the coaches poll, while North Dakota was picked fourth in the media poll and fifth in the coaches poll.
Weber State will start its 2016-17 season on the road September 1 as they take on Utah State University in Logan at 6 p.m.
The Wildcats will play their first home non-conference game on September 17 against Sacramento State at 6:00 p.m. at Stewart Stadium.
Beehive Classic features Weber State men’s basketball
On July 21, Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment announced the creation of a new men’s college basketball showcase to take place at the Vivint Smart Home Arena.
The Beehive Classic, presented by Zions Bank, will feature Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, Utah State University and Weber State University.
“This is really exciting for us to be a part of the Beehive Classic,” said Weber State Athletic Director Jerry Bovee during the post-announcement press conference. “There is a rich history of college basketball in the state of Utah, and our fans and alumni always look forward to playing teams from the state.”
The four in-state teams will rotate opponents over the next three years in the showcase, playing on the second Saturday in December.
Weber State will take on BYU in 2017, Utah State University in 2018 and the University of Utah in 2019.
Weber State will also continue to play other in-state teams throughout those years.
Each school will have 4,500 tickets to sell that will give access to both games of the evening.
“Playing in-state games is very important to our program,” said Weber State head coach Randy Rahe. “This will be a great opportunity for our program to face a quality in-state opponent each season. The in-state games are always exciting for our team and our fans, and we look forward to this new showcase.”
