BILLINGS — On the heels of a perfect regular season and a 34-11 victory over rival Montana on Saturday, Montana State received the overall No. 1 ranking for the 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship playoff bracket.
The bracket was announced on Sunday. With the No. 1 seed, the Bobcats (12-0) have a first-round bye and the opportunity to play at home through the semifinal round.
"We had a lot on the line (on Saturday)," Montana State coach Brent Vigen told ESPN during the FCS Selection Show. "We're so excited to be in this position and have everything come through Bozeman."
Montana State, which clinched the outright Big Sky Conference title on Saturday, will play the winner of a first-round matchup between No. 16-seed New Hampshire (8-4) and UT Martin (8-4) for a second-round game on Dec. 7 at 1 p.m.
Meanwhile, Montana (8-4) received the No. 14 seed and will host a first-round game against Tennessee State (9-3), coached by former star NFL running back Eddie George. That game will be played this Saturday at 8:15 p.m. and will air on ESPN2.
The winner will travel to two-time reigning champion South Dakota State (10-2) in the second round the following week.
In accordance with an NCAA Board of Governors decision last offseason, the 24-team FCS playoff bracket increased the number of seeded teams from eight to 16, with top eight teams receiving first-round byes.
The top of this year’s bracket showcases the supremacy of the Big Sky and Missouri Valley conferences, as other top four seeds comprise No. 2 North Dakota State (10-2), No. 3 South Dakota State (10-2) – the two-time reigning national champion – and No. 4 South Dakota (9-2).
The remaining top eight are No. 5 UC Davis (10-2), No. 6 Incarnate Word (10-2), No. 7 Mercer (10-2) and No. 8 Idaho (9-3).
The FCS national championship game will be played Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
