Getty NDSU and Montana will clash in the FCS Championship.
The NCAA FCS football championship takes center stage on Saturday when the No. 2 seed North Dakota State Bison (13-1) take on the No. 8 seed Montana State Bobcats (12-2) 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:
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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 Bison are coming off a 20-14 victory over James Madison in the semifinals on December 17. NDSU quarterback Cam Miller went 10-19 for 165 yards and two touchdowns, while fullback Hunter Luepke had 89 yards receiving, snagging TD passes for 32 and 22 yards while also rushing for 110 yards on 19 carries.
The Bison defense also came up with a few key stops late in the game, and that made all the difference. One key matchup to watch in this one will be Montana State’s rushing attack against NDSU’s ‘D.’ The Bobcats are netting 225.5 yards on the ground per game, while North Dakota State’s 3rd-ranked rushing defense has surrendered an average of 82.7 yards per contest. Something will have to give in this one.
Montana State’s head coach Brent Vigen was at NDSU coaching in some capacity from 1998-2013, so this will be a significant matchup for him on a personal and professional level.
“Within our program and I think you look to Montana State, you can win a lot of football games when you’re able to run the football and play good defense,” Bison head coach Matt Entz said, per Hero Sports. “Here at NDSU, our calling card has been winning the line of scrimmage and offensively being able to run the football, protect our quarterback, and at the same time stop people from doing that. What they’re doing is very impressive. Coach Vigen and his staff have done a great job of getting in there and laying this foundation of what the expectations are and what the standard is.”
The Bobcats are fresh from a 31-17 win over South Dakota State on December 18. Montana State QB Tommy Mellott completed 10 of 15 passes for 233 yards and two TDs, and he also led the team in rushing with 155 yards and two scores on the ground. The Bobcats have won three straight, and now, they’ll face the toughest test of the season.
“I didn’t know if we would make it here, but I knew we could,” Vigen said about his group. “I wanted that message to be heard loud and clear. That was based on where I thought this program was at and where our talent was at.”
“This [NDSU] team, much like all the teams of the previous decade, do things how championship teams do them,” Vigen added. “They run the football. They stop the run. Play really good special teams. They’re the type of team that you have to beat, they’re not going to beat themselves.”
Montana State is 21-15 in the all-time series against North Dakota State, but the Bison have won three in a row.