Both teams this season compare favorably with the past four FCS national champions. Montana State has the second-highest adjusted margin of victory, winning by an average of 19.1 points per game. It only trails the 2019 North Dakota State team, which defeated opponents by an average of 19.3 points per game.

Past matchups North Dakota State is 5-1 in the all-time series against Montana State. Most recently, both teams met in the FCS playoffs. The Bison won 35-34 in the 2023 playoffs and when the two met in the 2021 title game, the Bison won 38-10. Montana State hasn't won since 2005, NDSU's second year in the FCS.

North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek speaks to the press during media day for the NCAA FCS championship game on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. Signage for the NCAA FCS Championship game is seen on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Montana State and North Dakota State have become familiar foes, especially late in the season in recent history.

It’s Goliath vs. Goliath in the 2024-2025 FCS National Championship Game, as the North Dakota State Bison will face off against the Montana State Bobcats in Frisco, Texas. It’s not the first title duel for the two programs,

When is the 2025 FCS National Championship Game? That might seem like a question with an obvious answer, but amid wider scheduling changes in the college football year, the annual FCS title game has a new place on the calendar.