FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State is the No. 3 overall seed for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and will host a second-round game at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 5 against the winner of Saturday's first-round game featuring South Dakota State (8-3) at Montana (7-4).
The Bison lost 38-35 at Montana in their season opener.
This is North Dakota State's sixth straight appearance in the FCS playoffs. NDSU (8-2) is 18-1 in the FCS playoffs, including four consecutive national championships and a quarterfinal appearance in 2010. The Bison are 13-0 at home in the FCS playoffs.
Montana's Grizzlies have totaled 111 points in the past two games with the return of quarterback Brady Gustafson, who missed six games in the middle of the season. Montana lost 22-10 in Fargo last season.
North Dakota State won 28-7 at South Dakota State in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener.
NDSU has won eight in a row in the series, including five straight in Fargo and two second-round playoff games, in 2012 and 2014.
Jacksonville State (9-1), which lost only to Auburn in overtime this season, is the No. 1 seed.
For the second time in conference history and second straight year, Valley Football has five playoff participants. Northern Iowa hosts Eastern Illinois in the first round, Western Illinois plays at Dayton, and Illinois State, the No. 2 seed, hosts a second-round game against the Western Illinois-Dayton winner.
