The stage is set.
No. 2 seed North Dakota State and No. 8 seed Montana State will square off in the FCS national title game on Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2.
NDSU won eight national titles from 2011-2019, beating MSU twice during that span — 52-10 in the 2018 second round and 42-14 in the 2019 semifinals. The two also met in the 2010 second round with NDSU winning 42-17.
The Bison are currently 13-1, beating Southern Illinois 38-7 in the second round, No. 7 seed ETSU 27-3 in the quarterfinals, and No. 3 seed James Madison 20-14 in the semifinals.
Montana State advances to its first FCS/Division 1-AA national title game since 1984, where the Bobcats beat Louisiana Tech 19-6 for the program’s only national title in this subdivision.
MSU is currently 12-2, beating UT Martin 26-7 in the second round, winning 42-19 at No. 1 seed Sam Houston in the quarterfinals, and beating South Dakota State 31-17 in the semifinals. SDSU is the only team to beat the Bison this season.
The Bobcats are led by first-year head coach Brent Vigen. Vigen is a North Dakota native, played at NDSU in the mid-1990s, and was on the coaching staff from 1998-2013, winning three national titles with the Bison from 2011-2013 as the offensive coordinator.
Be sure to bookmark HERO Sports FCS for coverage leading up to the national championship game.