Kickoffs for Cats, Griz games announced

Defending national champion Montana State plays three nationally-televised games in the season’s first six weeks with plenty of prime time exposure, the Big Sky Conference announced on Tuesday.

For Montana, which lost to MSU in last year’s FCS semifinals, eight of its nine Big Sky Conference games will be available on statewide television and stream on ESPN+ as the league enters its fourth year of a multi-year deal with Scripps Sports. 

The Bobcats, coming off the program’s first title since 1984, play Nevada on The CW on Sept. 12, against Northern Arizona at home on ESPN2 on Sept. 26, and at Idaho on ESPN on Oct. 2 — all beginning at 8:30 p.m. Mountain. 

Montana State opens its schedule with a league game at Utah Tech on Aug. 29, a byproduct of the NCAA expanding the regular season to include “week zero” games. 

The Bobcats’ home slate starts with Butler in the annual Gold Rush game on Sept. 5.

Montana opens the season under the lights Aug. 29 against futre Big Sky Conference foe Southern Utah, who rejoins the league in 2026. The Montana-Southern Utah clash marks the first time the Griz will open the year against a conference opponent since 1986, when they traveled to Reno to face Nevada.

UM closes the nonconference slate at Oregon State, televised nationally on the USA Sports Network. The Griz are 2-12-2 all-time against the Beavers but have won the last two meetings, in 1990 and 1996.

The Grizzlies will also play one conference game in front of a national TV audience, taking on Idaho State on ESPN on Nov. 14.

The annual “Brawl of the Wild” between the Cats and Griz is Nov. 21 at noon, and will air on Scripps Sports as well as ESPN+.

Bobcats

8/29    *at Utah Tech, 8 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

9/5    Butler, 6:30 p.m. (TBA)

9/12    at Nevada, 8:30 p.m. (The CW)

9/19    Central Connecticut St., 1 p.m. (TBA) 

9/26    *No. Arizona, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

10/2    *at Idaho, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

10/10    Open 

10/17    *at E. Washington, 5 p.m,.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

10/24    *Weber St., 1 p.m.   (Scripps/ESPN+) 

10/31    *Cal Poly, 1 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

11/7    *at Idaho St., 4 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

11/14    *at No. Colorado, Noon  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

11/21    *Montana, Noon  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

Grizzlies

8/29    So. Utah, 7 p.m. (Scripps/ESPN+)

9/5    Drake, 1 p.m. (TBD)

9/12    Utah Tech, 1 p.m. (TBD)

9/19    at Oregon St., 9 p.m. (USA)

9/26    *at UC Davis, 8 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

10/3    *No. Colorado, 2 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

10/10    *at No. Arizona, 3 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

10/17    *Idaho, 1 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

10/24    Open 

10/31    *at E. Washington, 3 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

11/7    *Portland St., 1 p.m.  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

11/14    *Idaho St., 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

11/21    *at Montana St., Noon  (Scripps/ESPN+) 

All times Mountain. *=Big Sky game.