Montana’s football schedule this year has eight Big Sky Conference games and four FCS non-conference matchups.
Here are game-by-game predictions for Montana, who is No. 3 in HERO Sports’ FCS Preseason Top 25.
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vs Missouri State
Missouri State enters its final season as an FCS program. The Bears are transitioning to join the FBS in 2025, so they can go above the 63 FCS scholarship limit this year. They finished 4-7 last fall and 3-5 in MVFC play, and are set to return about 21 starters.
It’s a respectable opponent with talent and experience, but the season-opener in front of a rocking crowd should result in a comfortable Montana win.
Win
at North Dakota
This game will be closer than some may expect, especially when, on paper, it’s a Top 4 team playing a likely unranked team.
Montana has had some early-season clunkers in the past. And for how good the skilled talent is for the Grizzlies, a question still looms about who the starting quarterback will be. UND will go all-out for this game, including moving it to a nighttime kickoff for the home-opening crowd to get well-lubricated. The Alerus Center is one of the loudest venues in the FCS when it’s full.
If UND starting QB Tommy Schuster returned instead of transferring to Michigan State, I may have gone with the upset. But the Fighting Hawks have a question mark at quarterback, plus they lose a bulk of their offensive line. That’s not ideal against an aggressive Montana defense that can make an inexperienced offense’s head spin. Add in UND coming off of a tough game at Iowa State, and Montana will be too much for the Hawks to pull off a stunner.
Win
vs Morehead State
Montana rolls to a big win over non-scholarship Morehead State.
Win
vs No. 16 Western Carolina
Some Montana fans were surprised at how good Furman was in the quarterfinals. WCU could be this year’s Furman team in the SoCon, capable of being a scary squad on the national level.
The Catamounts just missed the 2023 playoffs. The pieces are in place to get over the hump this fall, led by quarterback Cole Gonzales. Gonzales may be the best passing quarterback Montana sees in the regular season.
A fun, ranked matchup between two likely playoff-bound teams. Home field will be a difference-maker for the Grizzlies, as the noise and defensive pressure will eventually take their toll on WCU.
Win
at Eastern Washington
EWU returns eight starters on both offense and defense after finishing 4-7 overall and 3-5 in the Big Sky, plus seven FBS transfers to build depth and plug holes.
The Eagles may not be a playoff team this fall, but they’ll be good enough to scare top conference foes. Especially at home. Kekoa Visperas and Efton Chism III are a lethal QB-WR duo.
Montana will be favored to win every game until being a likely road dog at Montana State. Things don’t always go chalk, though. The Griz get caught on an off day and EWU gets an upset W in front of a solid home crowd.
Loss
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vs No. 22 Weber State
Weber may be similar to EWU in 2024 — a team good enough to be in the playoff discussion, but could get bumped out as it falls behind Montana, Montana State, Idaho, UC Davis, and Sac State in the Big Sky standings.
Coming off of a loss, Montana will be motivated to make a statement over a ranked opponent.
Win
vs Northern Arizona
No trap game here, as Montana players will be reminded all week about last year’s disastrous performance at NAU.
Win
at Northern Colorado
Montana goes on a two-game road trip after a bye week. The Griz shouldn’t have a problem at Northern Colorado and Cal Poly, two teams picked to finish near the bottom of the Big Sky standings.
Win
at Cal Poly
Montana earns its second-straight road win over a struggling Cal Poly team.
Win
vs No. 21 UC Davis
An ESPN game, likely at night, will see the elite Lan Larison go up against a top FCS rushing defense.
UC Davis is going to be good this year. The Aggies were left on the playoff bubble the last two seasons, and the experience is there to get over that hurdle in 2024. But the confines of Washington-Grizzly Stadium on a brisk Nov. 9 night won’t be friendly for UC Davis to get a win.
Win
vs Portland State
Dante Chachere is an electric quarterback who will make the Vikings competitive. Individual talent hasn’t been a problem for this program. Yet Portland State, who has had some strong recruiting classes (at least on paper), has struggled to finish above .500. Montana avoids a trap game before the Brawl of the Wild.
Win
at No. 4 Montana State
Since the dramatic 2018 game that saw MSU win 29-25 at Montana, the home team has been an overwhelming favorite. MSU won 48-14 in 2019. Montana won 29-10 in 2021. MSU won 55-21 in 2022. And Montana won 37-7 last year.
Both teams look to threaten for an FCS title this season. And there’s a realistic scenario that both are 11-0 heading into this game, giving the winner coveted home-field advantage in the playoffs.
It’s almost too easy to just side with the home team. But in this series, the home squad has rolled. On a neutral field, I’d lean Montana. But Bozeman gives MSU the edge.
Loss
Regular-Season Record Prediction: 10-2
Montana Football Win Total
We’ll set the over/under regular-season win total for Montana at 10.5.
The Grizzlies will be favorites in their first 11 games. An 11-0 start heading into the Brawl of the Wild is certainly attainable, although a loss somewhere in there seems just as likely. At UND and EWU are challenging road games, and three ranked opponents come to Missoula.
Montana has some production to replace defensively, losing seven of its top 11 tacklers. But the Grizzlies always reload just fine on that side of the ball. Offensively, they are absolutely stacked. The top two RBs are back, led by Eli Gillman. The three-headed monster at WR returns, led by Junior Bergen, plus All-American-level TE Cole Grossman. And on the o-line, four players return with multiple starts under their belts. A handful of incoming FBS and FCS transfers also look like impact players.
The question mark is quarterback. Is it the legacy kid Keali’i Ah Yat’s time to be the franchise QB? Does Fresno State transfer Logan Fife earn the starting role to begin the year? Or does Kaden Huot push to be QB1? The talent is aplenty elsewhere on offense, but the quarterback position has to gel early. Or else Montana could find itself in unexpected close September games like last year, and then eventually get stung with an upset loss.
