Hypothetical: No. 1 Montana State rolls through the 2026 FCS regular season with a 12-0 mark, highlighted by wins over FBS Nevada and rival Montana. The Bobcats keep rolling in the playoffs en route to Nashville. They look poised to repeat as national champions. But … MSU suffers a stunning defeat in one of the bigger upsets in FCS title history.
This hypothetical continued: 10-15 years from now, you ask Justin Lamson, Taco Dowler, Titan Fleischmann, Burke Mastel, Zac Crews, Caden Dowler, Neil Daily, and Myles Sansted what they remember more from their playing days – Winning the 2025 national championship or losing the 2026 national championship?
Chances are they’d think of the ’26 loss more than the ’25 win.
The point of this hypothetical is gauging the motivation level of this offseason compared to past ones.
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For four years under Brent Vigen, MSU was hunting for a national title, only to come up short in painful fashion. It led to the highest level of motivation to reach the FCS mountaintop. Finally, the Cats got there last season, defeating Illinois State in an overtime thriller, resulting in one of the most emotional on-field celebrations that I can remember in 13 trips covering the championship game.
Now, Montana State is the hunted, not the hunter.
And the Cats are stacked for another ring this season.
You know you’re in good shape when the top offseason storyline isn’t personnel, but it’s about how you handle the pressure, how you stay motivated, and how you regain the edge that drove you to finally reaching the ultimate goal.
But I don’t think motivation should be an issue. At all.
Motivation should be as high as ever for this program and the players. And the hypothetical above is why.
So many MSU standouts decided to return when they could have cashed in for a bag by transferring to Power 4 programs. They returned to win another title. Anything less than that would be a massive disappointment for what will largely be a same-look team. Falling back down the mountain would be remembered more by these players than reaching the summit.
As cliché as “I remember the losses more than the wins” is, it’s true for many coaches and players.
MSU is the unanimous preseason No. 1 in the Stats Perform Media Poll, the first time that has happened since 2023 (South Dakota State). This looks like the most complete FCS team since that 2023 squad.
MSU returns its starting quarterback (Lamson), back-to-back 1,000-yard running back (Adam Jones), top three wide receivers (Dowler, Dane Steel, Jabez Woods), top tight end (Rocky Lencioni), and three full-time starting offensive linemen (Fleischmann, Mastel, Braden Zimmer). The defense returns eight of its top 11 tacklers and 15/22 defensive players who played at least 250 snaps last year. Cornerback and d-line have a lot to replace, but MSU’s heavy DL rotation will help fill those gaps. Safeties Caden Dowler and Bryant Meredith, cornerback Takhari Carr, and nickelback Tayden Gray highlight the secondary. And MSU’s top four linebackers are back in Daily, Cole Taylor, Bryce Grebe, and Xavier Ahrens.
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For good measure, starting punter Colby Frokjer, kicker Myles Sansted, and long snapper Brody Johnson all return as well.
Last year, the Bobcats had just nine seniors. This year, there are 24 fifth-year seniors.
Staying on top can be tougher than getting there. MSU had an unwavering desire to get to the top. The motivation should now be even higher to stay there.
