#1 vs. #2 in FCS Title Game. How Often Has it Happened?
South Dakota State has been the #1 ranked team in the country in FCS College Football all season long.
At 14-0, they've built upon their program record winning streak throughout the season and will put it on the line once again down in Frisco in the National Title Game against the Montana Grizzlies.
The Montana Grizzlies have moved around the rankings quite a bit over the course of the season but did enough down the stretch to earn the #2 seed in the FCS playoffs.
The Grizz are 13-1, and despite falling out of favor early in the season with a loss against Northern Arizona; they've rebounded to win 10 straight, including a double-overtime thriller over NDSU on Saturday.
Despite the chalk, #1 vs. #2 matchup in the title game, this year's postseason was far from by-the-book. There were some major upsets and big moments along the way as we've arrived on the doorstep of the big game.
Just how often have we seen #1 and #2 tussle in the title game? It's not as common as you'd think.
It happened in 2020 when #2 SDSU fell against #1 Sam Houston but has only happened just 7 times prior to this season.
Here are the games:
Dec. 19, 1981: No. 2 Idaho State 34, No. 1 Eastern Kentucky 23 (FCS Championship)
Dec. 21, 1996: No. 2 Marshall 49, No. 1 Montana 29 (FCS Championship)
Dec. 18, 2009: No. 2 Villanova 23, No. 1 Montana 21 (FCS Championship)
Jan. 7, 2012 (2011 Season): No. 2 North Dakota State 17, No. 1 Sam Houston State 6 (FCS Championship)
Jan. 6, 2018 (2017 Season): No. 2 North Dakota State 17, No. 1 James Madison 13 (FCS Championship)
Jan. 11, 2020 (2019 Season): No. 1 North Dakota State 28, No. 2 James Madison 20 (FCS Championship)
May 16, 2021 (2020 Season): No. 2 Sam Houston 23, No. 1 South Dakota State 21 (FCS Championship)
Jan. 7, 2024 (2023 Season): No. 1 South Dakota State vs. No. 2 Montana (FCS Championship)
This year's game will surely be a treat, as SDSU looks to go back-to-back, while Montana looks to reach the peak of the sport for the first time since 2001.
Source: The Analyst
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