League slate starts in Week 0 for Bobcats

Montana State’s 2026 football season opens with a conference road game at first-year Big Sky member Utah Tech and closes with the 125th Bobcat-Grizzly game in Bozeman.  

In between, the Cats face a schedule sprinkled with traditional rivals and first-time foes alike. 

The Big Sky released its 2026 composite football schedule on Tuesday, featuring the return of Southern Utah and the addition of Utah Tech. Twelve of the league’s 13 teams play on August 29, the season’s first weekend. The team’s non-conference schedule, released previously, includes Butler (Sept. 5) and Central Connecticut State (Sept. 19) sandwiched around a trip to Nevada (Sept. 12). 

In addition to UM, the Cats host Big Sky foes Northern Arizona, Weber State and Cal Poly in a season that features four conference home games and five on the road. Along with its trip to St. George, Utah, Montana State visits Idaho, Eastern Washington, Idaho State and Northern Colorado. 

Butler and CCSU appear on a Montana State schedule for the first time in 2026, while the Cats faced Utah Tech four times previously. Nevada, now a Mountain West member, and the Bobcats competed as Big Sky rivals from 1979 to 1991, while MSU’s series against several other 2026 opponents stretch even further back. 

Kickoff times and game designations will be released at a later date. 

2026 MSU schedule 

*- Big Sky Conference game 

Aug. 29: at Utah Tech* 

Sept. 5: Butler 

Sept. 12: at Nevada 

Sept. 19: Central Connecticut State 

Sept. 26: Northern Arizona* 

Oct. 3: at Idaho* 

Oct. 10: Open 

Oct. 17: at Eastern Washington* 

Oct. 24: Weber State* 

Oct. 31: Cal Poly* 

Nov. 7: at Idaho State* 

Nov. 14: at Northern Colorado* 

Nov. 21: Montana*