Montana ended its 2008 season with a loss to Richmond at Finley Stadium in the FCS national championship game last December. The Grizzlies haven't lost since.
After an 11-0 regular season, Big Sky Conference champion Montana is the top seed in this year's playoff bracket, which was released Sunday. The Grizzlies host South Dakota State (8-3) in the first round on Saturday.
"Determining the top seed is always a challenge for the committee," Division I Football Championship committee chairman John McCutcheon said in an online chat after the bracket was released. "By virtue of Montana's undefeated record, it gave them a slight edge for the top seed."
Chattanooga is the host of the national championship game for the 13th consecutive year. The title game will be played at 8 p.m. on Dec. 18.
Villanova (10-1), which earned the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic bid, is the No. 2 seed. Missouri Valley Football Conference champion Southern Illinois (10-1) is No. 3 and defending champion Richmond (10-1), the CAA co-champion, is the fourth seed.
In one of the toughest first-round matchups, Richmond will host Southern Conference runner-up Elon (9-2), which is in the playoffs for the first time after coming up just short the previous two seasons.
"We're a better team now," said Elon's fourth-year coach Pete Lembo. "I know we were close the last couple of years, but you could say we were ahead of schedule."
Richmond defeated Elon 28-10 in its 2008 season opener, so there is some familiarity for Lembo and his team, just as there is for SoCon champion Appalachian State (9-2) and it's first-round opponent.
The Mountaineers will host South Carolina State (10-1) in a rematch of last season's first-round game, which Appalachian State won 37-21.
The CAA got four teams in the 16-team field, one fewer than the previous two seasons, while the Big Sky got three. The SoCon, Missouri Valley and Southland Conference have two representatives each.
Eight of the teams in the field were in the 2008 playoffs, as well. Of the teams that didn't make this year's field, perhaps the biggest surprise is Northern Iowa. After losing to Richmond in the semifinals last season, the Panthers spent a good portion of this season ranked in the top 10 before losing three of their last five games.
This is the last year that the playoffs will have a 16-team field. In 2010, the playoffs will expand to 20 teams.
John Frierson is in his fifth year at the Times Free Press and fifth year covering University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletics. The bulk of his time is spent covering Mocs football, but he also writes about women’s basketball and the big-picture issues and news involving the athletic department. A native of Athens, Ga., John grew up a few hundred yards from the University of Georgia campus. Instead of becoming a Bulldog he attended Ole ...
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