The FCS Playoffs 2025 continue this weekend with two semifinal games on the schedule. Both contests are slated for Saturday on the ESPN networks.
Semifinal round action kicks off on Saturday, December 20 at 4:00pm ET with the second-seed Montana State Bobcats hosting the third-seed Montana Grizzlies at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Mont. The game will be televised nationally by ABC and streamed via the ESPN app.
Montana State and Montana met earlier this season in their annual Brawl of the Wild matchup on Nov. 22 in Missoula. Mont. The Bobcats defeated the Bison in that contest, 31-28, which earned them the Big Sky title.
Montana State comes into the game 12-2 overall. The Bobcats dispatched the Yale Bulldogs in the second round of the FCS Playoffs, 21-13, and then defeated the seventh-seed Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks last week in the quarterfinals, 44-28, both at home.
Montana heads into the matchup with a 13-1 overall record. The Grizzles defeated the 14th-seed South Dakota Jackrabbits at home in the second round, 50-29, and the 11th-seed South Dakota Coyotes at home in the quarterfinals, 52-22.
The second semifinal round game is also set for Saturday, Dec. 20 and features the 12th-seed Villanova Wildcats hosting the unseeded Illinois State Redbirds at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pa. The game is scheduled for 7:30pm ET and it will be televised by ESPN2 and streamed via the ESPN app.
Villanova and Illinois State’s only previous meeting on the gridiron came back in 1976 in Villanova. The Redbirds defeated the Wildcats in that contest, 19-17.
Villanova enters the semifinal contest holding a 12-2 overall mark and a 7-1 record in CAA action. The Wildcats have won 11-consecutive contests this season after beginning the year 1-2.
Illinois State enters the game with an 11-4 record. The Redbirds traveled to Southeastern Louisiana and came away with a 21-3 victory over the Lions in the first round of the FCS Playoffs, and then they notched a huge upset win over the top-ranked North Dakota State Bison on the road in the second round, 29-28. Last week, Illinois State traveled to Davis, Calif., and defeated the eighth-seed UC Davis Aggies in the quarterfinals, 42-31.
Winners of the semifinal games will play in the Division I Football Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN at 7:30pm ET.
FCS Playoffs 2025: Semifinal games
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025
(3) Montana at (2) Montana State
4:00pm ET | ABC
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Illinois State at (12) Villanova
7:30pm ET | ESPN2
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FCS Championship Game
Monday, Jan. 5, 2026
Matchup TBD
7:03pm ET | ESPN
FirstBank Stadium – Nashville, TN
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