Brent Vigen Reflects on Montana State's FCS National Title and the New Challenge Ahead

Montana State finally returned to the top of the FCS world, winning its first national championship since 1984 in an overtime thriller against Illinois State.

It was a full-circle moment for head coach Brent Vigen, who had led the Bobcats to the doorstep multiple times, falling just short, but that night in Nashville, it was finally time for the confetti to fall on Montana State on the biggest stage.

"I think so many things just rush through your body," Vigen said. "You're so happy for our players, and that's just not the players on this past year's team, it's the players that have preceded them. Anytime you build things up like we have, there's players that have come before that '25 team that certainly deserve a piece of it.

"That's where your mind goes right away, and just so happy for them. It's all kind of playing out in front of you. A walk-off win like that... You don't have too many of those, and whether it's the regular season or a national championship, it's exhilarating for sure."

National championship teams aren't built overnight. Sure, there are examples of teams getting hot at the right time, but when you look at the true DNA of a team that climbs to the top of the sport, the catalyst is always found somewhere in the past.

Since arriving in Bozeman in 2021, head coach Brent Vigen has done nothing but win football games. The Bobcats are 61-12 over the past five seasons, including three appearances in the FCS national championship game.

That road to the top was quick, but the Bobcats weren't ready to take that step to become champions in Year 1. Injuries played a role, but North Dakota State rolled over the Bobcats in a 38-10 win.

Fast forward to the 2024 season, the Bobcats found themselves in a similar position, facing the Bison in Frisco in the national title game, but this time was different. Montana State entered that game 15-0, and many people around the country felt like the title drought in Bozeman was coming to an end.

Instead, the Bison claimed their 10th FCS national title, defeating the Bobcats once again on the biggest stage. This moment was a massive piece of the puzzle for Vigen and Montana State, propelling them into last year's dominant run to Nashville.

"The '24 team going 15-0, making it back to Frisco, playing North Dakota State again, I think we had different expectations for sure," Vigen said. "We expected to be there. We expected to win that game, and when we came up short that day, you really gnash your teeth as a coach for a long, long time.

"I think this team, in some ways, was driven by that all the way through, but I think it also knew that it was its own team."

Montana State coach Brent Vigen watches his players warm up before playing Illinois State in the FCS National Championship game | Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vigen has been a part of some of the best teams in FCS history, winning three consecutive FCS national titles as an assistant at North Dakota State. It's given him a unique perspective on what it's going to take for the Bobcats to remain at the mountain top of FCS football.

"I think looking back at the three-in-a-row that I was a part of at North Dakota State, we did a really good job of making each year its own year and learning from the successes as much as anything," Vigen said.

So what does that mean for the Bobcats in 2026? Vigen's message is simple... Find the same motivation in success that they did in failure ahead of last season.

"Our previous seasons, yes, we've been motivated by coming up short. We've been motivated by failure, so to speak, and now the real challenge is what does it look like when you're motivated by success and having success, knowing what it takes?

"It doesn't guarantee anything. I think to continue to move forward, you have to stay humble, and that's what this stretch of the year is about. It's going back to work and starting over from scratch, but then you have to remain hungry."

We've seen five different programs win back-to-back FCS national titles, including Georgia Southern and North Dakota State, which have achieved this multiple times. Appalachian State won three consecutive titles, while Youngstown State (1993-94) and South Dakota State (2022-23) have each repeated once.

The key to a majority of these national championship teams? Roster retention and continuity, which is something that Montana State has plenty of entering next season.

The Bobcats are projected to have over 25 significant contributors return from last season's team, which sets the table for them to join that elite group of back-to-back champions.

In this age of the transfer portal, retaining high-level talent at the FCS level is a difficult job, but the pursuit of winning back-to-back national titles is one of the reasons that Vigen believes a majority of players decided to stay in Bozeman.

"I think the reason that so many of our guys chose to come back here and finish is because they still have that hunger," Vigen continued. "They still have that hunger to go do the very hardest thing, which is to replicate success. We'll just have to keep challenging them on a daily basis because winning the first one isn't easy. I know that, and certainly everybody will be gunning for us."

Even as the Bobcats were making their run to Nashville, rumors swirled around Vigen's future in Bozeman. Despite this, Vigen released a statement that reaffirmed his commitment to Montana State on Nov. 26.

He remains unapologetic about his decision to remain at Montana State, while staying focused on taking this program to the next level in future seasons.

"I was really committed to making sure that we did everything we could to do what we did this year," Vigen said when asked about his decision to remain at Montana State. "I don't feel sorry for that one bit. We were ultimately able to get to the top of the mountain, and I think we can continue to build this thing here."

Vigen has laid the groundwork for something truly special in Bozeman. The Bobcats check all the boxes to be the next dominant FCS program, but if they are going to hold onto the crown, it starts with finding a way to be only the 6th program to win back-to-back titles.

Montana State's quest for back-to-back national championships will begin on Aug. 29 against Utah Tech.

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