Montana State Bobcats
Big SkyBozeman, MTBobcat Stadium
2026: 6–1 (3–1 Big Sky). Last: won at Eastern Washington 56–20. Next: Weber State, Saturday, Oct 24, 3 p.m. ET.
- W 54–0at Utah Tech
- W 51–24Butler
- W 20–7at Nevada
- W 35–30Central Connecticut
- W 28–14Northern Arizona
- L 34–35at Idaho
- W 56–20at Eastern Washington
- Oct 24Weber State
- Oct 31Cal Poly
- Nov 7at Idaho State
- Nov 14at Northern Colorado
- Nov 21Montana
Montana State has played football since 1897 and is officially 575–507–34; 519 of its 1,116 games are in our file. They have won 18 Big Sky Conference titles (the last in 2025) and five Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles, counting shared titles. Since 1959, the NFL Draft has taken 15 players from here in its first seven rounds, 1 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 player from Montana State. Schubert R. Dyche (1928–1935) won more games here than any other coach: 26. The most-played rival is Montana: 57 meetings, Montana leads 38–18–1. This season, they’re 6–1.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 575–507–34 official; 269–237–13 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 4–5 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 0 ranked
- Elo now
- 1588
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 1 · Composite No. 5 in FCS, Oct 17; up 1 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 23 last in 2025
- Bowl record
- 3–1–2 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 104 since 1911, 519 games
Identity
- Fight song
- Stand up and Cheer!
2026 season 6–1
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | at Utah Tech | W 54–0 | 86% |
| Sep 5 | vs Butler | W 51–24 | 85% |
| Sep 12 | at Nevada | W 20–7 | 58% |
| Sep 19 | vs Central Connecticut | W 35–30 | 88% |
| Sep 26 | vs Northern Arizona | W 28–14 | 83% |
| Oct 2 | at Idaho | L 34–35 | 85% |
| Oct 17 | at Eastern Washington | W 56–20 | 83% |
| Oct 24 | vs Weber State | Preview | 87% |
| Oct 31 | vs Cal Poly | Preview | 91% |
| Nov 7 | at Idaho State | Preview | 74% |
| Nov 14 | at Northern Colorado | Preview | 86% |
| Nov 21 | vs Montana | Preview | 76% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
On the 2026 team
- Justin Lamson1,088 passing yards, 8 TD (leads Montana State in passing yards)
- Adam Jones406 rushing yards, 8 TD (leads Montana State in rushing yards)
- Cole Taylor53 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT (leads Montana State in tackles)
- Carter Dahlke28 catches, 483 yards, 4 TD (leads Montana State in receiving yards)
- Patrick Duchien593 passing yards, 5 TD
- Dane Steel29 catches, 449 yards, 5 TD (leads Montana State in receiving touchdowns)
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Montana State.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Program strength since 1911
Best seasons everHead coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Clyde Carpenter | 1947–1948 | 4–9 |
| Jack Croft | 1936 | 3–5 |
| Schubert R. Dyche | 1928–1935 | 26–33–4 |
 Ott Romney | 1922–1927 | 24–18–2 |
| D.V. Graves | 1920–1921 | 0–1–1 |
 Walter Powell | 1919 | 0–3 |
 Fred Bennion | 1914–1917 | 2–4–3 |
| Earnest A. Dockstader | 1911 | 0–1 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Montana
18–38–1 in 57
- 2016 W 24–17
- 2017 W 31–23
- 2018 W 29–25
- 2019 W 48–14
- 2021 L 10–29
- 2022 W 55–21
- 2023 L 7–37
- 2024 W 34–11
- 2025 W 31–28
- 2025 W 48–23
Won the last three; holds the The Great Divide Trophy.
Next: Nov 21
- Idaho
13–13–1 in 27
- 1973 W 35–14
- 1974 W 36–21
- 2000 L 7–56
- 2016 L 17–20
- 2018 W 24–23
- 2021 W 20–13
- 2023 L 21–24
- 2024 W 38–7
- 2024 W 52–19
- 2026 L 34–35
Lost the last one.
- Utah State
3–19–4 in 26
- 1935 L 7–33
- 1936 L 0–12
- 1937 T 6–6
- 1946 L 14–28
- 1947 L 13–28
- 1948 L 6–31
- 1949 L 14–19
- 1950 L 6–34
- 1959 L 13–22
- 1962 L 13–41
Lost the last seven.
| Opponent | Games | MTST record |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | 57 | 18–38–1 |
| Idaho | 27 | 13–13–1 |
| Utah State | 26 | 3–19–4 |
| Northern Colorado | 25 | 19–6 |
| Idaho State | 23 | 19–2–2 |
| Eastern Washington | 20 | 8–12 |
| Wyoming | 20 | 6–14 |
| Weber State | 18 | 14–4 |
Rivals the program names: Montana.
The trophy it holds: The Great Divide Trophy (Montana, since 2024). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.
Every opponent (107)
Every program Montana State has played, A to Z, with Montana State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Adams State 2–0
- Albertson 0–1
- Anaconda Anodes 1–0
- App State 0–1
- Arizona State 0–2
- Arkansas State 0–1
- Austin Peay 1–0
- Black Hills State 1–0
- Bryant 1–0
- Butler 1–0
- BYU 6–9
- Cal Poly 7–4
- Carroll (Montana) 6–2
- Centerville (Butte) 5–0
- Central Arkansas 1–0
- Central Connecticut 1–0
- Central Michigan 0–1
- Chadron State 0–1
- Colorado 3–1
- Colorado College 1–4–1
- Colorado Mesa 1–0
- Colorado School of Mines 2–0
- Colorado State 0–3–1
- Denver 0–3–1
- Drake 3–1
- East Tennessee State 1–0
- Eastern Washington 8–12
- Englewood 2–0
- Florida 0–1
- Fort Lewis 2–0
- Fresno State 9–8
- Furman 1–0
- Gardner-Webb 1–0
- Gonzaga 0–2
- Hawai’i 1–1
- Idaho 13–13–1
- Idaho State 19–2–2
- Illinois State 1–0
- Incarnate Word 1–0
- Intermountain 2–0
- Kansas 0–1
- Kansas State 0–1
- Kennesaw State 0–1
- Long Beach State 0–2
- Maine 1–0
- McNeese 1–0
- Mercyhurst 2–0
- Michigan State 0–1
- Minnesota 0–1
- Minot State 1–0
- Monmouth 1–0
- Montana 18–38–1
- Montana Tech 7–1
- Montana Wesleyan 1–0
- Morehead State 1–0
- Nebraska 0–2
- Nevada 1–3
- New Hampshire 1–0
- New Mexico 2–0–1
- New Mexico State 0–1
- Norfolk State 1–0
- North Dakota 3–3
- North Dakota State 4–6
- North Dakota Teachers 1–0
- Northern Arizona 11–6
- Northern Colorado 19–6
- Oklahoma State 0–1
- Oregon 0–2
- Oregon State 0–1
- Portland 2–0
- Portland State 13–2
- Purdue 0–1
- Regis (CO) 1–0
- Sacramento State 11–3
- Sam Houston 1–0
- San Diego 2–0
- San José State 0–2
- SMU 0–1
- South Dakota 3–0
- South Dakota State 2–6
- Southeast Missouri State 1–0
- Southern Utah 2–3
- St. Mary’s (CA) 1–0
- St. Mary’s (Minnesota) 0–0–1
- Stephen F. Austin 3–1
- Stetson 1–0
- Texas A&M 0–1
- Texas Tech 0–2
- Tulsa 0–3
- UAB 0–1
- UAlbany 1–0
- UC Davis 8–1
- UNLV 0–1
- UT Martin 2–0
- Utah 0–9
- Utah State 3–19–4
- Utah Tech 5–0
- Wagner 1–0
- Washington State 0–8
- Weber State 14–4
- West Texas 0–2
- Western Illinois 2–0
- Western Oregon 1–0
- Wichita State 1–3
- William & Mary 1–0
- Wyoming 6–14
- Yale 1–0
Conference titles
23, counting shared titlesAs the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1897–1916 and 1957–1962
- Big Sky 1978–2019 and since 2021
- 1963Joined the Big Sky from independence. Source
Montana State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 1
- Coaches
- 0
| 2023 | Bill Kollar DT |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 15 since 1959
- First-round picks
- 1
| 1974 | Bill Kollar DT | No. 23, Cincinnati Bengals |
The school
Montana State University- Enrollment
- 17,135 15,046 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Bozeman, Montana
- Public or private
- Public Research 1
- Founded
- 1893
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $53,263 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6–1 | 3–1 | 1588 | ||||
| 2025 | 14–2 | 8–0 | 1656 | ||||
| 2024 | 15–1 | 8–0 | 1627 | ||||
| 2023 | 8–4 | 6–2 | 1526 | ||||
| 2022 | 12–2 | 8–0 | 1575 | ||||
| 2021 | 12–3 | 7–1 | 1557 | ||||
| 2019 | 11–4 | 6–1 | 1502 | ||||
| 2018 | 8–5 | 5–3 | 1375 | ||||
| 2017 | 5–6 | 5–3 | 1337 | ||||
| 2016 | 4–7 | 2–6 | 1272 | ||||
| 2015 | 5–6 | 3–6 | 1309 | ||||
| 2014 | 8–5 | 6–3 | 1382 | ||||
| 2013 | 7–5 | 5–3 | 1382 | ||||
| 2012 | 2–0 | 1443 | |||||
| 2011 | 10–2 | 7–1 | 1452 | ||||
| 2010 | 9–3 | 7–1 | 1394 | ||||
| 2009 | 7–4 | 5–3 | 1345 | ||||
| 2008 | 7–5 | 5–3 | 1325 | ||||
| 2007 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1316 | ||||
| 2006 | 8–5 | 6–2 | 1383 | ||||
| 2005 | 7–4 | 5–2 | 1361 | ||||
| 2004 | 6–5 | 4–3 | 1299 | ||||
| 2003 | 2–3 | 1294 | |||||
| 2002 | 0–1 | 1268 | |||||
| 2001 | 0–2 | 1259 |
Every season back to 1911 (79 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 0–1 | 1261 | |||||
| 1998 | 0–1 | 1272 | |||||
| 1996 | 0–1 | 1267 | |||||
| 1995 | 0–1 | 1261 | |||||
| 1993 | 0–1 | 1252 | |||||
| 1992 | 0–1 | 1240 | |||||
| 1990 | 0–2 | 1243 | |||||
| 1989 | 0–1 | 1253 | |||||
| 1988 | 0–2 | 1263 | |||||
| 1987 | 0–1 | 1275 | |||||
| 1986 | 0–1 | 1283 | |||||
| 1985 | 0–1 | 1285 | |||||
| 1984 | 1–0 | 1300 | |||||
| 1983 | 0–2 | 1256 | |||||
| 1982 | 0–2 | 1277 | |||||
| 1981 | 1–1 | 1288 | |||||
| 1980 | 0–1 | 1264 | |||||
| 1979 | 0–1 | 1264 | |||||
| 1978 | 1–0 | 1259 | |||||
| 1977 | 1–0 | 1240 | |||||
| 1976 | 1–1 | 1229 | |||||
| 1975 | 0–1 | 1217 | |||||
| 1974 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1287 | ||||
| 1973 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1269 | ||||
| 1972 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1210 | ||||
| 1971 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1147 | ||||
| 1970 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1124 | ||||
| 1969 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1116 | ||||
| 1968 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1183 | ||||
| 1967 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1213 | ||||
| 1966 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1176 | ||||
| 1965 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1141 | ||||
| 1964 | 0–2 | 1110 | |||||
| 1963 | 0–1 | 1129 | |||||
| 1962 | 1–3 | 1149 | |||||
| 1961 | 1–0 | 1138 | |||||
| 1960 | 0–2 | 1139 | |||||
| 1959 | 1–2 | 1179 | |||||
| 1958 | 1–0 | 1179 | |||||
| 1957 | 1–1 | 1160 | |||||
| 1956 | 1–0 | 1142 | |||||
| 1955 | 0–1 | 1077 | |||||
| 1954 | 0–1 | 1087 | |||||
| 1953 | 0–1 | 1087 | |||||
| 1952 | 0–1 | 1106 | |||||
| 1951 | 0–2 | 1123 | |||||
| 1950 | 0–3 | 1170 | |||||
| 1949 | 0–3 | 1277 | |||||
| 1948 | 0–4 | Clyde Carpenter | 1264 | ||||
| 1947 | 4–5 | 1–0 | Clyde Carpenter | 1276 | |||
| 1946 | 5–3–2 | 1–0 | 1227 | ||||
| 1941 | 0–2 | 1107 | |||||
| 1940 | 0–2 | 1134 | |||||
| 1939 | 0–2 | 1177 | |||||
| 1938 | 0–4 | 1236 | |||||
| 1937 | 3–4–1 | 0–3–1 | 1371 | ||||
| 1936 | 3–5 | 1–4 | Jack Croft | 1323 | |||
| 1935 | 2–6–1 | 1–5 | Schubert R. Dyche | 1296 | |||
| 1934 | 2–5 | 0–4 | Schubert R. Dyche | 1305 | |||
| 1933 | 2–5 | 1–3 | Schubert R. Dyche | 1329 | |||
| 1932 | 3–3–1 | 0–3 | Schubert R. Dyche | 1373 | |||
| 1931 | 1–5–1 | 0–2 | Schubert R. Dyche | 1319 | |||
| 1930 | 6–3 | 1–1 | Schubert R. Dyche | 1454 | |||
| 1929 | 6–2 | 2–1 | Schubert R. Dyche | 1445 | |||
| 1928 | 4–4–1 | 3–2 | Schubert R. Dyche | 1398 | |||
| 1927 | 4–4 | 3–1 | Ott Romney | 1439 | |||
| 1926 | 4–2–1 | 4–0 | Ott Romney | 1460 | |||
| 1925 | 6–5 | 1–4 | Ott Romney | 1444 | |||
| 1924 | 5–1–1 | 2–1–1 | Ott Romney | 1513 | |||
| 1923 | 5–4 | 1–2 | Ott Romney | 1450 | |||
| 1922 | 0–2 | 0–1 | Ott Romney | 1387 | |||
| 1921 | 0–1 | 0–1 | D.V. Graves | 1437 | |||
| 1920 | 0–0–1 | 0–0–1 | D.V. Graves | 1434 | |||
| 1919few games on file | 0–3 | 0–3 | Walter Powell | 1398 | |||
| 1917few games on file | 0–2–2 | 0–1–2 | Fred Bennion | 1450 | |||
| 1916few games on file | 0–0–1 | Fred Bennion | 1475 | ||||
| 1915few games on file | 1–2 | Fred Bennion | 1467 | ||||
| 1914few games on file | 1–0 | Fred Bennion | 1508 | ||||
| 1911few games on file | 0–1 | Earnest A. Dockstader | 1470 |
Officially 575–507–34 since 1897 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 269–237–13 (519 of its 1,116 games are on file). Our file starts in 1911; the program began in 1897. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1912–13, 1918, 1942–45, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2020: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.