MISSOULA — Montana State ended the regular season ranked first in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll on Monday.
The Bobcats, who wrapped up the outright Big Sky Conference championship and a 12-0 regular season with a 34-11 win over rival Montana on Saturday, claimed 51 of 56 first-place votes in the final poll. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, finished the regular season ranked 13th.
The Bobcats are the only undefeated team remaining in the FCS and sit atop the national poll for the first time since 2011. They were ranked second last week but moved to first after previous No. 1 North Dakota State lost to No. 4-ranked South Dakota on Saturday. The Bison slipped to third in the poll, while the Coyotes held steady at No. 4. Two-time reigning national champion South Dakota State moved up one spot to No. 2.
Montana entered the Brawl of the Wild against the Bobcats ranked ninth but fell four spots to No. 13 after the loss.
Other Big Sky Conference teams ranked in the poll are No. 5 UC Davis, No. 7 Idaho and No. 17 Northern Arizona. View the complete poll.
The FCS playoffs begin this Saturday, Montana State is the overall No. 1 seed and will have home-field advantage through the semifinal round of the playoffs. The Bobcats have a first-round bye and will play their first playoff game on Dec. 7.
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Montana received the No. 14 seed for the playoffs and will host Tennessee State in a first-round game this Saturday at 8:15 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2.
