No. 24/21 Yale at No. 2/2 Montana St.  

When: Saturday, Noon; TV — ESPN+. Web — ESPN+; Radio — Bobcat Radio Network. Where: Bobcat Stadium (17,777, FieldTurf). Records: Yale is 10-2; MSU is 10-2. 

When the Bulldogs have the ball: Josh Pitsenberger has 1,447 rushing yards this season, with a career-best 209 coming in last week’s 43-42 stunner of Youngstown State. Sophomore QB Dante Reno completes 66 percent of his passes for 2,300 yards and 20 touchdowns, with eight interceptions. Senior Nico Brown has 60 catches for 978 yards and 10 scores; sophomore Jaxton Santiago has 50 for 687 and five TDs. 

When the Bobcats have the ball: Justin Lamson is up to 2,345 yards and 20 touchdowns passing and has run for 589 yards and 11 scores. Julius Davis has averaged 7.3 yards a carry while gaining a team-best 885 rushing yards with seven TDs. Adam Jones has rushed for 695 yards and 10 scores. Taco Dowler has 59 receptions for 745 yards and 5 TDs, all team highs. Dane Steel is next at 30-355-2. Tight end Rocky Lencioni has five TDs. 

Notable: Lamson committed no turnovers in eight Big Sky games. ... Yale hasn’t played a football game in December since beating Harvard 28-0 on Dec. 1, 1945. ... The Bulldogs put in 1,067 miles through last week’s victory at Youngstown, Ohio, and will travel 2,232 to reach Bozeman. ... Yale LB Abu Kamara, who has 70 tackles, four fumble recoveries and a pick-6, is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award. ... Inumidun Ayo-Durojaiye leads Yale with 104 stops. ... Yale coach Tony Reno is Dante’s dad. ... Kenneth Eiden IV leads MSU with 5.5 sacks ... Cats are 27.5-point favorites according to fanduel.com. ... MSU was established in 1893, Yale in 1701. 

The Pick: Cats, 50-20. 

No. 16/18 South Dakota St. at No. 3/ 4 Montana

When: Saturday, Noon. TV — ESPN+. Web — ESPN+; Radio — Grizzly Radio Network. Where: Washington-Grizzly Stadium (25,217 FieldTurf). Records: SDSU is 8-4. Montana is 11-1. 

When the Jackrabbits have the ball: QB Chase Mason made his return from injury in a 41-3 playoff win over New Hampshire, and has 1,649 passing yards with 14 TDs and 2 interceptions. Alex Bullock is the top receiver with 65 catches for 820 yards and 5 scores; four more Jacks have at least 27 receptions, with Jack Smith and Lofton O’Groske each catching 4 TDs.  Fordham transfer Julius Loughridge has rushed for 1,016 yards and 7 TDs. 

When the Grizzlies have the ball: Keali’i Ah Yat, UM’s first first-team all-Big Sky QB since 2005, has thrown for 3,154 yards and 25 TDs with 8 INTs. Michael Wortham (58 catches, 825 yards, 7 TDs) and Brooks Davis (48-611, 5) are his top targets but eight more Griz have caught scoring passes. Big Sky offensive POY Eli Gillman has rushed for 1,261 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 6.6 yards a carry and 15 carries a game. 

Notable: As of Thursday Montana was a 3.5-point favorite. ... SDSU is 8-0 with Mason at QB, a year after coach Jimmy Rodgers left for Washington State and took 16 Jackrabbits with him. .... Montana leads the series 8-2 but SDSU won the last two meetings, in the FCS title game on Jan. 6, 2024 (23-3) and in the second round of last year’s playoffs (35-18). ... This is SDSU’s first visit since the 2015 playoffs; UM won 24-17, dropping the Jacks to 0-7 in Missoula. ... Wortham averages 156.6 all-purpose yards per game, third in the FCS. ... Joe Oilman’s 86 tackles lead SDSU, followed by Cullen McShane at 81, and they have 16 combined TFLs. 

The Pick: Griz, 52-48.