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Illinois State got off to a 3–1 start in non-conference play, losing only to FBS opponent Oklahoma. They began [[Missouri Valley Football Conference]] play with a home game versus No. 1 North Dakota State and were trounced 33–16. A loss to Youngstown State two weeks later saw them drop to No. 18 in the polls but the Redbirds responded with victories over No. 21 South Dakota and No. 16 South Dakota State before closing out the regular season with a loss to No. 24 Southern Illinois. With a conference record of 5–3 and 8–4, the Redbirds were among the last teams to get into the FCS playoffs, being one of six MVFC teams in the bracket but were also unseeded. They defeated No. 17 Southeastern Louisiana 21–3 to set up a matchup with No. 1 North Dakota State. They pulled off a last-minute upset to win 29–28 and reach the Quarterfinals. They then defeated No. 11 UC Davis 42–31 and then beat No. 9 Villanova 30–14 (the largest semifinal win by a road team in the last 30 years) to reach the championship game. They are the first FCS team to win four straight playoff games on the road.<ref>https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-12-20/isu-football-makes-history-as-redbirds-advance-to-national-championship-game</ref> |
Illinois State got off to a 3–1 start in non-conference play, losing only to FBS opponent Oklahoma. They began [[Missouri Valley Football Conference]] play with a home game versus No. 1 North Dakota State and were trounced 33–16. A loss to Youngstown State two weeks later saw them drop to No. 18 in the polls but the Redbirds responded with victories over No. 21 South Dakota and No. 16 South Dakota State before closing out the regular season with a loss to No. 24 Southern Illinois. With a conference record of 5–3 and 8–4, the Redbirds were among the last teams to get into the FCS playoffs, being one of six MVFC teams in the bracket but were also unseeded. They defeated No. 17 Southeastern Louisiana 21–3 to set up a matchup with No. 1 North Dakota State. They pulled off a last-minute upset to win 29–28 and reach the Quarterfinals. They then defeated No. 11 UC Davis 42–31 and then beat No. 9 Villanova 30–14 (the largest semifinal win by a road team in the last 30 years) to reach the championship game. They are the first FCS team to win four straight playoff games on the road.<ref>https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-12-20/isu-football-makes-history-as-redbirds-advance-to-national-championship-game</ref> |
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Illinois State’s last championship appearance came in 2014 when they lost to North Dakota State 29–27. They have never won the FCS Championship or won a Division I championship in any sport. They are attempting to become the first unseeded team to win the FCS Championship since Western Kentucky in 2002.<ref>https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-champions-by-seed-playoffs</ref> |
Illinois State’s last championship appearance came in 2014 when they lost to North Dakota State 29–27. They have never won the FCS Championship or won a Division I championship in any sport. They are attempting to become the first unseeded team to win the FCS Championship since Western Kentucky in 2002.<ref>https://theanalyst.com/articles/fcs-champions-by-seed-playoffs</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 06:44, 21 December 2025
Postseason college football game
College football game
The 2026 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game is a college football game that will be played on January 5, 2026, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division I FCS for the 2025 season. It features the two finalists of the 24-team playoff bracket, which began on November 29, 2025.[1] The Monday night game will began at approximately 7:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
The game will feature Montana State and Illinois State.
Teams
Montana State
Ranked 4th in the polls to start the year, Montana State got off to a rough start for the season, losing 13–59 to FBS opponent Oregon before being trounced by 2nd-ranked South Dakota State 30–24 in double overtime. However, the Bobcats did not lose another game for the rest of the regular season, winning nine games in a row to set up a pivotal matchup for the Big Sky championship versus in-state Montana; with Montana State ranked 3rd and Montana ranked 2nd, it was the first top-3 matchup in rivalry history. Playing on the road, the Bobcats won 31–28. Both teams received a first round bye, with Montana State being ranked 2nd only to North Dakota State. The Bobcats defeated No. 24 Yale 21–13, No. 10 Stephen F. Austin 44–28 to set up the first-ever December rivalry game with No. 3 Montana. They trounced them 48–23 to reach the FCS championship game.
This is the third FCS championship game for Montana State in the past six seasons, as they previously lost to North Dakota State in 2021 and 2024. The last time Montana State won the FCS title was in 1984 against Louisiana Tech with a 19–6 win in Charleston, South Carolina while the last Big Sky team to win the national championship was Eastern Washington in 2010.[2]
Illinois State
Illinois State got off to a 3–1 start in non-conference play, losing only to FBS opponent Oklahoma. They began Missouri Valley Football Conference play with a home game versus No. 1 North Dakota State and were trounced 33–16. A loss to Youngstown State two weeks later saw them drop to No. 18 in the polls but the Redbirds responded with victories over No. 21 South Dakota and No. 16 South Dakota State before closing out the regular season with a loss to No. 24 Southern Illinois. With a conference record of 5–3 and 8–4, the Redbirds were among the last teams to get into the FCS playoffs, being one of six MVFC teams in the bracket but were also unseeded. They defeated No. 17 Southeastern Louisiana 21–3 to set up a matchup with No. 1 North Dakota State. They pulled off a last-minute upset to win 29–28 and reach the Quarterfinals. They then defeated No. 11 UC Davis 42–31 and then beat No. 9 Villanova 30–14 (the largest semifinal win by a road team in the last 30 years) to reach the championship game. They are the first FCS team to win four straight playoff games on the road.[3]
This is the 15th consecutive FCS championship game with a team from the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Illinois State’s last championship appearance came in 2014 when they lost to North Dakota State 29–27. They have never won the FCS Championship or won a Division I championship in any sport. They are attempting to become the first unseeded team to win the FCS Championship since Western Kentucky in 2002.[4]
References
External links
