Four Big Sky Conference football games have been selected to air on ESPN linear networks in 2025, the conference announced Thursday.
In the first matchup, the Montana Grizzlies will host the Idaho Vandals at the Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Mont. on Saturday, Sept. 27. The exact network and kickoff time will be announced at a later date.
The second matchup features the Sacramento State Hornets hosting the Montana Grizzlies at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 24. The game will kickoff at 10:30pm ET with television coverage on ESPN2.
The following week on Friday, Oct. 31, the Idaho Vandals will travel to face the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Ariz. The game will also kickoff at 10:30pm ET with television coverage on ESPN2.
The fourth and final Big Sky game this fall selected for the ESPN networks features the Montana State Bobcats hosting the UC Davis Aggies on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Mont. The exact network and kickoff time will be announced at a later date.
All four games are part of the Big Sky’s new multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN that was announced earlier this year. Under the agreement, ESPN will televise four Big Sky football games per season on a linear network, while the remaining conference football games will be streamed via ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
The six teams selected to appear on the ESPN networks in 2025 finished with a combined 56-27 record last season and have made at least one appearance in the FCS Playoffs the last two seasons.
Thought I read where Sac State is looking to step up to FBS
Next year. But that is if their request is approved to go independent since they don’t have an invite to move up at this point.
A shame the Sept 6th SDSU vs Montana St matchup didn’t make the cut.
Reverend Same here courtesy Montana State Fan.
I don’t believe the Mountain West has a deal with ESPN, so in that case, wasn’t about making the cut. Right off hand, I believe the MWC is with FS1, so maybe they have that one, but I would not think that game would be something that ESPN would be into even if they had the choice.
The Brawl is also something I don’t believe we will see outside of ESPN+ because it is worked through Scripps Sports. I live in Texas and would agree the Griz-Cat game would be nice to have on ESPN, or at least ESPN2, but the deal the Big Sky has with ESPN+ is way better than back in the day streaming the game on the internet when the picture was hardly more than blips on the computer monitor.
It was hard enough just to get Game Day to come to Montana and now with the FBS playoffs expanded (as though they invented something new that hasn’t been done by D-II and D-III before even I-AA), in all honesty, the world-wide commissioner of all sports doesn’t want to put our little war on the national airwaves.
Montana and MSU should be on ESPN.
Joseph This Montana State Fan fully agrees with you Buddy.
My mistake, I thought you meant San Diego State. I would agree that ESPN should have worked something out and missed a good audience with the Cats and South Dakota State. The issue in the case of that game thought is that ESPN has a deal with the Big Sky to put a certain number of conference games on per season, so they weren’t able to pull that game into this package. Who knows, they may still work something out and you may get your wish. I have to say as a loyal Griz, I don’t watch that many Cat games, but you’re right about this one, I would tune it in if I wasn’t going to be at the Sam Houston State game that day.
JM I would like ESPN to make a comeback with Mountain West for next media deal & this is just a suggestion.