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