BILLINGS — On the heels of a perfect regular season and a 34-11 victory over rival Montana on Saturday in the 123rd Brawl of the Wild, 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 of the FCS playoffs.
The No. 1 seed for MSU is its highest in program history and, according to the Big Sky, is the highest for a Big Sky team since 2009 (Montana).
"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 Heisman Trophy winner and former star NFL running back Eddie George. The game will be played this Saturday at 8:15 p.m. and will air on ESPN2.
The winner of that game will travel to face two-time reigning national champion South Dakota State in the second round the following week.
In accordance with an NCAA Board of Governors decision this past offseason, the 24-team FCS playoff bracket increased the number of seeded teams from eight to 16, with the top eight teams receiving first-round byes.
The top of this year’s bracket again showcases the supremacy of the Big Sky and Missouri Valley conferences, as the 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), all from the MVFC.
The remaining top eight are No. 5 UC Davis (10-2) of the Big Sky, No. 6 Incarnate Word (10-2), No. 7 Mercer (10-2), and No. 8 Idaho (9-3), also of the Big Sky.
Other first-round matchups include Lehigh (8-3) at No. 9 Richmond (10-2), Central Connecticut State (7-5) at No. 10 Rhode Island (10-2), Eastern Kentucky (8-4) at No. 11 Villanova (9-3), No. 12 Illinois State (9-3) at SE Missouri (9-3), Drake (8-2) at No. 13 Tarleton State (9-3), and Northern Arizona (8-4) at No. 15 Abeline Christian (8-4).
Northern Arizona's inclusion in the bracket gives the Big Sky five teams in this year's playoffs. Under first-year coach Brian Wright, NAU is making its first postseason appearance since 2017.
The FCS national championship game will be played Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
