@NCAA_FCS on Twitter
The North Dakota State Bison and Montana State Bobcats face-off in the FCS championship game on Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
The game (Noon ET start time) will be televised on ESPN. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of Montana State vs North Dakota State online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Montana State vs North Dakota State live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Fubo credentials to log in and watch.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 30-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with ESPN, and you can get your first month for just $10:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch Montana State vs North Dakota State live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Sling credentials to log in and watch.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Montana State vs North Dakota State live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials (may still be listed as AT&T on the list of cable providers) to log in and watch.
Vidgo
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 90+ other TV channels on Vidgo, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Vidgo, you can watch Montana State vs North Dakota State live on the Vidgo app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Vidgo website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Vidgo credentials to log in and watch.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes both ESPN+ and Disney+ as part of their special bundle:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Montana State vs North Dakota State live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Hulu credentials to log in and watch.
Montana State vs North Dakota State Preview
The North Dakota State Bison (13-1) and Montana State Bobcats (12-2) bring the top two defenses in the nation into the FCS national championship game on Saturday in Frisco, Texas.
The Bison will be looking to take home their ninth title in 11 years. The FCS juggernaut has won eight of the last 10 championship games, including their last appearance in 2020.
Led by the nation’s top-scoring defense, NDSU finished the regular season with a record of 10-1 and earned the second overall seed in the FCS playoffs. The Bison allow only 11.2 points per game and give up only 259.7 yards per game.
One of the Bison stars on the defensive side of the ball is safety Michael Tutsie, who comes into Saturday’s game with 79 tackles. The senior earned All-American honors for his performance this season.
Complimenting the stout defense is NDSU’s third-ranked rush game, which averages 273.6 yards per game. That is the best amongst teams that didn’t feature the triple-option attack this season. Junior running back TaMerik Williams leads the team in rushing yards (723) and rushing touchdowns (12).
The Bison won their first eight contests, suffered their lone loss to South Dakota State on Nov. 6, and then ran off five straight wins to get back to the national title game. In the postseason, NDSU outscored their first two opponents (Southern Illinois and ETSU) by a total of 55 points, while rushing for a total of 667 yards and nine TDs in the two games.
In the semifinals, the Bison got by the No. 3-seeded James Madison, 20-14, at home on Dec. 17.
NDSU junior fullback Hunter Luepke scored four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving) and had 199 all-purpose yards in the win. Sophomore quarterback Cam Miller completed 10-of-19 for 165 yards and two TD passes.
A big advantage the Bison will have in their matchup with Montana State is experience. Seven of NDSU’s starters from the semifinal win over James Madison started in the national championship game in 2020.
The Bobcats will be playing in their first championship game since they won their lone appearance in 1984.
They returned to the field this fall and posted a 9-2 record in the regular season after not playing in the fall of 2020 or the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Montana State was the eighth seed coming into the FCS tournament and ended up taking down the two teams that met in the 2021 abbreviated spring season national championship game – Sam Houston and South Dakota State, en route to Frisco.
The Bobcats snapped the top-seeded and defending national champion Sam Houston’s 22-game win streak in impressive fashion in the quarterfinals, beating them 42-19. They then went on to defeat last year’s national runner-up South Dakota State, 31-17, in the semifinal round on Dec. 18.
Montana State possesses the No. 2-ranked scoring defense in the nation, allowing only 13.4 points per game. Only one team all season (Montana) eclipsed the 20-point mark on them in a game.
The Bobcats defense is led by Troy Andersen, who is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is handed out to the FCS defensive player of the year. The senior linebacker has recorded 137 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, and seven pass breakups this season.
Freshman quarterback Tommy Mellott has been a revelation in the postseason for the Bobcats. He became the full-time starter in the playoffs after only having thrown four career passes before December and threw for a career-high 233 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 155 yards and two scores in the semifinal win over South Dakota State.
Montana State is expected to get their junior running back Isaiah Ifanse back for Saturday’s championship game after he missed the semifinal round with a knee injury. Ifanse has rushed for 1,539 yards and ten touchdowns this season.
North Dakota State has ended Montana State’s last two postseason runs, beating them in the 2018 and 2019 playoffs.