After this week’s game in The Golden State, the Grizzlies will have a home showdown against fourth-ranked UC Davis on Oct. 9. Two weeks later, Montana will take on second-place Montana State in Bozeman.

The Mustangs are an interesting bunch. They have won just two of seven games and are stuck in a three-game skid, but they have played some strong teams, including Idaho and Idaho State.

Before taking last weekend off, Cal Poly pushed the Vandals in Moscow before dropping a 34-29 decision. The Mustangs led that game 14-6 at halftime, then fell victim to a 28-2 wave from Idaho.

It’s been six years since the Grizzlies played Cal Poly. Montana defeated the Mustangs on their home court in 2018, 48-28. Two years earlier, the Mustangs won a home thriller over the Grizzlies, 42-41, which followed a 20-19 win for Cal Poly in Montana in 2015 and a 41-21 win for the Mustangs against the visiting Griz in 2014.

Take it from a former Grizzly football beat writer: There’s no nicer place in the Big Sky Conference to cover a game than San Luis Obispo. Crowds are relatively good (Cal Poly drew 8,429 fans for its Oct. 5 homecoming). Plus there are the palm trees and the orange and lemon trees and, my goodness, it’s a slice of heaven.

That is, as long as you don’t have to arrange a hotel room in San Luis Obispo. Even at a place like Motel 6 you’ll pay about $280 a night. Ouch, maybe it’s better to bring your pup tent.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s Big Sky Conference games:

No. 8 Montana (3-1, 6-2) at Cal Poly (1-3, 2-5), 3 p.m. TV: Scripps Sports and ESPN+. The Mustangs’ only wins have come at Northern Colorado and NAIA Western Oregon. They might be competitive for a while on Saturday, but they won’t beat Montana, simple as that, unless the Grizzlies turn the ball over five times. To their credit, the Mustangs defended the run vigorously. They’re not great at defending the pass, and Montana’s air attack is good enough to put up big numbers under sunny skies in San Luis Obispo. Perhaps the best thing Cal Poly brings to the game is coach Timm Rosenbach’s advanced knowledge of Montana’s offensive staff. He was on the UM staff from 2018 to 2023, most recently as a senior offensive analyst before joining the Cal Poly coaching staff earlier this year as co-offensive coordinator. Speltz: Montana 42, Cal Poly 17. Gogola: Montana 38, Cal Poly 10. Flores: Griz 35, Cal Poly 17.

No. 2 Montana State (4-0, 8-0) at Eastern Washington (1-3, 2-6), 2 p.m. TV: Scripps Sports and ESPN+. The Bobcats are the only undefeated team in the top 20 of the FCS rankings. There is still an undefeated team in the top 25, but that may be difficult to guess. It is No. 22 Dartmouth, who improved to 6-0 with a 24-21 win over the Columbia Lions last Saturday. Montana State is arguably the best team in the country. The Cats lead the Big Sky in scoring and scoring defense, averaging just 16.3 points per game. They’ve had some injuries on defense, so you have to wonder if they can really beat a team like top-ranked North Dakota State. It would be nice to find out in December or January. Look for Montana State’s offense to destroy Eastern Washington’s defense. The Eagles rank second to last in the league in scoring defense, allowing an average of 38 points per game. Speltz: Bobcats 55, Eagles 21. Gogola: Montana State 49, Eastern Washington 20. Flores: Cats 48, East 24.

Northern Colorado (1-3, 1-7) at No. 4 UC Davis (4-0, 7-1), 2 p.m. TV: ESPN+. The Aggies had a bye last week, while the Bears, with their quarterback injuries, were eliminated at home by Montana. To its credit, Northern Colorado was still in the game with the Grizzlies at halftime, trailing 14-0. The Bears actually drove the ball into the red zone in the first half before falling victim to an interception on a tipped ball. It’s all water under the bridge now and Davis, with his class-leading passing attack and formidable defense, is going to pull off a big win. Remember, UNC lost by 38 points when it played Montana State in early October. Look for a similar game from Davis this week. Speltz: Aggies 52, Bears 10. Gogola: UC Davis 45, Northern Colorado 13. Flores: Davis 34, UNC 10.

Weber State (2-2, 3-5) at Northern Arizona (2-2, 4-4), 1 p.m. TV: ESPN+. This is a tough matchup to pick between teams coming off a bye and sitting in fifth place in the conference standings. I’ll let recent history help me. The Lumberjacks recorded a 30-26 home victory over much-improved Idaho State in their most recent game. The Wildcats have dropped two in a row, including a 21-17 home upset against Northern Colorado and a heartbreaking 51-48 loss at Sacramento State. I’m looking forward to a good game, but the Jacks are 3-0 at home this season and they will prevail. Speltz: Lumberjacks 31, Wildcats 24. Gogola: Northern Arizona 31, Weber State 30. Flores: NAU 27, Weber 24.

Portland State (1-3, 1-6) and Sacramento State (1-3, 3-5), 7 p.m. The Hornets are giving away free cowboy hats for this home game. See if they’ll have fun under the Golden State sun. They are coming off a disappointing 30-27 overtime loss at Idaho State last week. Sac State’s offense should put up a lot of points against a Portland State defense that ranks last in the conference. I expect a shootout, with the Vikings holding their own, as they did in a win over Idaho State. But at the end of the day, the Hornets are playing well at home and will take care of business. Speltz: Hornets 48, Vikings 41. Gogola: Sacramento State 41, Portland State 31. Flores: Bag 31, PSU 21.