It’s officially Cat-Griz week across Montana – this is the week when the Montana Grizzlies take on the Montana State Bobcats in a college football game called the Brawl of the Wild.

It’s the 113th meeting. Meeting 113 times for anything is pretty impressive. I will have the one key thing you need to know about the game later in this column.

This year’s game will be held in Bozeman – home of the Bobcats. The Bobcats are 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big Sky Conference, and the Grizzlies are 9-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big Sky Conference. A few years ago when players (and some coaches) were getting arrested frequently, someone joked that they might need to hold the game at a field near the Montana State prison. They have done better in keeping out of trouble since then, it seems.

I’m an outsider. Heck, I’m not even a 4th or 5th generation Montanan, and I don’t play one on TV. I also attended another university in Montana. So I don’t have a horse in the race although I have friends on both sides of the fight, and I watch both teams often. I do know that people take this game very seriously – and there are some great jokes told about each team during the week. The media will tell us about families who split like it’s a civil war during this week – Mom and Dad went to one University and little Billy is playing for the other.

This week you can vote for who you think will win the game – take my poll HERE. Results will be released on Friday in my “Caught My Eye” column.

If you are a politician then the “Brawl of the Wild” game is the place to be. You have to attend and shake hands with folks and wave a lot. You also have to act like you enjoy football – you have to be seen.

Here is the one thing you need to know about the game:  Continue reading →