Montana13-2A storied dynasty program confronting an unexpected transition, uncertain whether elite winning cultures sustain without their architect.
Montana State''s ascendancy stings because it came from within the state, on Montana''s home field. The Bobcats are now the elite program in the Cat-Griz rivalry after decades of dominance by the Griz…
Approaching
24 days
until kickoff · vs Southern Utah · Sun Aug 30 · 01:00 UTC
Montana football is the standard-bearer of FCS excellence—a program defined by 30 years of sustained winning (25 straight winning seasons, 1986–2011) and two national championships (1995, 2001). The 2026 offseason marks a generational transition after Bobby Hauck's retirement, ending an era of consistency that made the Griz a championship contender every fall.
The team's strong transfer additions and balanced roster changes position it for a high ceiling, while its prior season's success provides a foundation.
Monte pauses, listening to the roar of the stadium.
Montana · Next-Season Outcome Band
Final-season-aware projection: floor / base / ceiling include conference title and CFP games where the model supports them, so a ceiling can exceed a 12-game regular season.
Recent Form · last 10 games
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Opens Aug 30
vs Southern Utah · at home
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
What moved it — fall camp · last 14 days
~ our readMontana fans are leaning negative, and they're pointing to real stats and results to back it up — more than most fanbases right now.
✓ counted We read 58 posts from Montana fans this week.
Fanbase Health Index · Montana · medium confidence
No player stats logged for this program yet — stats appear once the season is underway.
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sep 7 | — | #265 | — | Central Washington | W 42–17 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 13 | #169 | #124 | -1.5 | North Dakota | W 24–23 | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 20 | #137 | #225 | -21 | Indiana State | W 63–20 | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| 5 | Sep 28 | #126 | #154 | -7.5 | Idaho | W 41–30 | 4-0 | 1-0 |
| 6 | Oct 5 | #115 | #185 | -13.5 | @Idaho State | W 42–38 | 5-0 | 2-0 |
| 7 | Oct 11 | #108 | #177 | -17.5 | Cal Poly | W 28–9 | 6-0 | 3-0 |
| 8 | Oct 18 | #100 | #201 | -26.5 | Sacred Heart | W 43–21 | 7-0 | 3-0 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #94 | #135 | -6 | @Sacramento State | W 49–35 | 8-0 | 3-0 |
| 10 | Nov 1 | #90 | #212 | -19.5 | @Weber State | W 38–17 | 9-0 | 4-0 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #74 | #207 | -27 | Eastern Washington | W 29–24 | 10-0 | 5-0 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #82 | #256 | -30.5 | @Portland State | W 63–17 | 11-0 | 6-0 |
| 13 | Nov 22 | #74 | #47 | +4.5 | Montana State | L 28–31 | 11-1 | 6-1 |
| Conference Championship | ||||||||
| 15 | Dec 6 | #75 | #96 | — | South Dakota State | W 50–29 | 12-1 | 6-1 |
| 16 | Dec 13 | #67 | #83 | -7.5 | South Dakota | W 52–22 | 13-1 | 6-1 |
| Bowl Season | ||||||||
| 17 | Dec 20 | #57 | #42 | +6.5 | @Montana State | L 23–48 | 13-2 | 6-2 |
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20 | @Montana State | L 23–48 | — | — | — | +0.084 | 37.7% | 134.1% | Defense's roughest night |
| Dec 13 | South Dakota | W 52–22 | — | — | — | +0.464 | 50.8% | 138.8% | Blowout win |
| Dec 6 | South Dakota State | W 50–29 | — | — | — | +0.302 | 53.6% | 114.8% | |
| Nov 22 | Montana State | L 28–31 | — | — | — | +0.251 | 45.9% | 136.6% | One-score loss |
| Nov 15 | @Portland State | W 63–17 | — | — | — | +0.379 | 38.2% | 191.2% | Most explosive |
| Nov 8 | Eastern Washington | W 29–24 | — | — | — | +0.314 | 37.0% | 175.9% | One-score win |
| Nov 1 | @Weber State | W 38–17 | — | — | — | +0.367 | 43.8% | 162.0% | Best defensive stand |
| Oct 25 | @Sacramento State | W 49–35 | — | — | — | +0.315 | 44.3% | 172.2% | |
| Oct 18 | Sacred Heart | W 43–21 | — | — | — | +0.514 | 54.5% | 135.0% | Best success rate |
| Oct 11 | Cal Poly | W 28–9 | — | — | — | +0.093 | 47.7% | 98.7% | |
| Oct 5 | @Idaho State | W 42–38 | — | — | — | +0.288 | 43.6% | 146.9% | One-score win |
| Sep 28 | Idaho | W 41–30 | — | — | — | +0.342 | 47.8% | 124.8% | |
| Sep 20 | Indiana State | W 63–20 | — | — | — | +0.540 | 53.1% | 147.0% | Season-high EPA/play |
| Sep 13 | North Dakota | W 24–23 | — | — | — | +0.032 | 31.5% | 145.9% | Season-low EPA/play |
| Season average (14 games) | — | — | +0.306 | 45.0% | 144.6% | ||||
Schedule mirage
Raw EPA/play through week 21 is 0.31; 97th percentile once opponent strength is stripped out, it's 0.11. The widest gap came in week 5: 0.30 raw vs. 0.05 adjusted.
Most Similar Programs · Montana
Static-attribute similarity across tier, archetype, conference, and voice. Not a prediction — a calibration.
Home-Field Advantage · Montana · 2018-present
85% home win rate vs 57% on the road. margin runs +13.8 better at home. Washington-Grizzly Stadium seats 25,217, averaging 98% full (24,714 attendance, 17 games reported).
54°F average kickoff temp; 8% of games had measurable precipitation; 4 mph average wind.
Based on 40 home games with weather data.
Program Prestige · Montana
11 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.
Montana's 2014–2025 record is 99-44. The era is still being written; the CFP line is the one the program is arguing for.
All-Time Record
since 1905 · 101 seasons · .500 win rate
Montana won two national championships and set the FCS standard for sustained excellence—but 2025 marked a generational transition after Bobby Hauck's retirement.
For 30 years, Montana football defined what consistency meant in the FCS. The Grizzlies won 25 consecutive games with at least one victory (1986–2011), made the playoff tournament 17 straight years (1993–2009), and claimed two national championships (1995 over Marshall, 2001 over Furman). Under Don Read and then Joe Glenn, the program became a fixture in title games—seven appearances in 15 seasons.
Bobby Hauck took over in 2003 and rebuilt the program twice, compiling 151 wins over 14 seasons (two stints) and matching Hauck's standard as the blue-blood of the Big Sky Conference. The 2025 season saw Montana finish 13–2 and earn the No. 3 playoff seed, but a 48–23 loss to in-state rival Montana State in the FCS semifinals ended the year. Three weeks earlier, Montana State had defeated Montana 31–28 in the regular-season Brawl of the Wild, winning the Big Sky Conference championship. The back-to-back losses to its fiercest rival—combined with Hauck's retirement on February 4, 2026, citing the unenjoyable state of modern college football—marked the end of an era.
Montana now faces a critical question heading into 2026: Can the winning culture that survived 25 consecutive seasons, two championships, and four decades of playoff football sustain under new leadership in the transfer portal and NIL era? The program has the foundation, the stadium in Missoula that holds 25,000, and a fanbase that treats the Grizzlies as the civic heartbeat. What it needs to prove is that elite FCS football is not one coach away from mediocrity.
Montana plays Big Sky-dominant, tournament-ready football. The program emphasizes quarterback play and defense, rarely rebuilds, and wins in the playoff tournament. The Grizzlies are built to peak in November and December.
Montana 2015–2025. Holding the line. The 10-year slope (+0.00 rungs / yr) doesn't tilt either way — the program lives at roughly Tier 3.
11 seasons on file
down middle peak CFP year
Season Standing · 2025
Season standing settles in once games are played and rankings publish.
Big Sky Standing · 2025
Montana is 3rd in the Big Sky at 6-2. 2 teams above — that's the direct path to the title game.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montana State | 9-0 |
| 2 | UC Davis | 7-2 |
| 3 | Montana | 6-2 |
| 4 | Northern Arizona | 6-4 |
| 5 | Idaho State | 5-4 |
| 6 | Eastern Washington | 4-3 |
| 7 | Idaho | 3-5 |
| 8 | Southern Utah | 2-2 |
| 9 | Northern Colorado | 2-5 |
| 10 | Weber State | 2-5 |
| 11 | Cal Poly | 1-6 |
| 12 | Portland State | 1-6 |
| 13 | Utah Tech | 0-4 |
The rituals that anchor a Saturday in this program's world.
since 1986
Fans line the Adams Center plaza alongside the UM marching band to welcome the Montana football team and coaching staff as they walk to the stadium. A Missoula institution that electrifies the pregame atmosphere and builds the bond between the fanbase and program.
since 1897
The fourth-oldest active rivalry in FCS college football, dating to November 26, 1897. Montana leads the all-time series 74–44–5, though Montana State won both the 2025 regular-season game (31–28) and the FCS playoff semifinal (48–23). The rivalry defines both programs and captivates the entire state.
since 1986
A cannon fires at Washington-Grizzly Stadium each time Montana scores a touchdown, while the mascot Monte (a spirited grizzly bear) entertains the crowd with flips and stunts. The #37 jersey tradition—begun in 1987—honors top defensive players by awarding them the number of the year.
Program memory
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
1993
Montana makes the playoff tournament 17 consecutive years (1993–2009), a record at the FCS level. The signature of the program''s era of dominance.
Montana defeats Marshall 22–20 with a game-winning field goal with 39 seconds remaining. Dave Dickenson''s first title as QB. The moment that announced Montana as a national-level power, not a Big Sky curiosity.
Joe Glenn''s Montana defeats Furman 13–6 to win the second national title. Proof that the 1995 championship was not a one-off; the program had built a sustained winning culture.
Montana loses to South Dakota State 23-3 in the national championship game on January 7, 2024 -- South Dakota State's second straight title. Montana's most recent championship-game appearance, and its most recent loss in one.
Heartbreak
Montana State defeats Montana 31–28 on Nov. 22 (regular season, Big Sky championship) and 48–23 on Dec. 20 (FCS semifinals). The back-to-back losses reverse a one-time 74–44–5 series lead and mark the end of Bobby Hauck''s tenure.
Heartbreak
Moment of the Year · Montana · 2025
Week 17 of 2025. The single game that defined the season's arc.
Bowl / Postseason Ledger
Most recent: 2025 — loss 48-23 (away). Last 5 postseason: 3-2.
NFL Draft Pipeline
2025–20251 picks last 5 cycles. Roster development still maturing.
Montana · Next-Season Outcome Band
Fanbase Health Index · Montana · medium confidence
Most Similar Programs · Montana
Program Prestige · Montana
Season Standing · 2025
Moment of the Year · Montana · 2025
Bowl / Postseason Ledger
NFL Draft Pipeline