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There are multiple matchups between ranked teams in Week 13 that could have a major impact on the College Football Playoff picture, and you’ll have to shell out a fair amount of money if you want to see them go down in person. However, tickets to every single FBS game in the country are a relative bargain compared to what you’ll have to drop to watch an FCS showdown between Montana and Montana State.
Last year, America was home to nine states that didn’t boast a single college football team that competed at the FBS level, but that number dropped to eight after Delaware decided to make the leap and play with the big boys.
New England is now responsible for half of the states that comprise that club courtesy of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. That quartet firmly falls on the opposite side of the size spectrum compared to the rest of the members, as Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana round things out.
The last three states on that list are all home to programs that have had plenty of success at the FCS level. No school has racked up more national championships than North Dakota State (which won its 10th title in the span of 14 seasons last year), and South Dakota State and Montana both have two to their name.
The Grizzlies also have a fierce rivalry with a Montana State team that lost to the Bison squad that reigned supreme in the 2024 title game, and nothing sums up how seriously people on both sides take it better than the ticket prices for the latest installment.
The cheapest ticket for the Montana-Montana State rivalry game is $300, making it the most expensive college football game to attend in Week 13
The football teams at Montana and Montana State faced off for the first time all the way back in 1897, and the two squads (which hail from Missoula and Bozeman, respectively) have faced off 123 times over the years.
The Grizzlies firmly hold the edge in the rivalry thanks to their 74-43-5 record against the Bobcats, but momentum has recently shifted in favor of a Montana State team that’s hoisted the Great Divide Trophy with a win in six of the past eight installments of what is known as the “Brawl of the Wild.”
Montana is currently sitting at a perfect 11-0 and #2 in the FCS coaches poll (behind North Dakota State). Montana State, on the other hand, is #3 after going 9-2 with losses to South Dakota State and Oregon, which paid them $680,000 to lose in Eugene to open up their season.
The stakes are very high heading into Saturday’s showdown between the two squads, as the winner will not only clinch the Big Sky Conference but also secure the #2 seed in the FCS playoffs (along with the home-field advantage that comes with it).
All 25,217 seats at Washington-Grizzly Stadium are expected to be filled when the Grizzlies welcome the Bobcats on Sunday afternoon, and as of this writing on Tuesday afternoon, TicketData says the cheapest ticket to get in the building will set you back $299.
That’s nearly $115 more than you’ll have to pay for the cheapest ticket to “The Game” between Stanford and Cal, which is the most expensive FBS contest on the schedule this week (the showdown between #17 USC and #8 Oregon trails it by close to $35).
What a world.