Griz to face Bengals under the lights on ESPN family of networks

The Montana Grizzlies and Washington-Grizzly Stadium will return to the national spotlight in 2026 with the ESPN family of networks set to broadcast UM's Big Sky Conference game against Idaho State to millions of viewers nationwide, the league announced Wednesday.

The "Worldwide Leader in Sports" has picked up the broadcast rights to this year's Griz/Bengals contest in Missoula as part of a five-game deal with the Big Sky Conference – the most games in league history to be featured on ESPN linear networks in one season.

Montana will face Idaho State under the lights on Nov. 14, with ESPN setting kickoff time for 8:30 p.m. ESPN will announce the exact channel the game will be shown on at a later date.

The remainder of Montana's kickoff times and broadcast details are expected to be announced in the near future.

The Grizzlies have a long history of success in nationally televised games and have drawn some of the biggest audiences in conference and FCS history. The UM/ISU game marks the 18^th time Montana has appeared on an ESPN linear broadcast since 2015, with the Griz holding a 10-7 overall record and an 8-1 home record on the network in that time.

Montana has posted some of the best viewership numbers on ESPN networks in the FCS in recent years. UM has averaged just under 900,000 viewers in its previous 17 nationally televised games with last year's playoff win over South Dakota on ABC drawing nearly two million viewers to make it the most watched FCS quarterfinal game since 2016. ESPN network games played in Missoula have drawn particularly large audiences, with eight games averaging nearly 650,000 viewers each.

As part of the Big Sky's partnership with ESPN that began in 2021, the broadcaster will air four other conference games nationally on linear networks this season, bringing the total to five – the most in league history. The slate of games starts on Week 1 when Idaho travels to Cal Poly on Aug. 28, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. on ESPN. Montana State then hosts Northern Arizona on ESPN2 Sept. 26 in a game that will kick off at 8:30 p.m. from Bozeman.

It will then be a Big Sky weekend double feature when Idaho hosts MSU in Moscow on ESPN Friday, Oct. 2, at 8:30 p.m. and UC Davis hosts Eastern Washington on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Grizzlies and Bengals cap the regular season slate of ESPN games on Nov. 14, with the exact network to be determined.

Montana opens its seven-game home slate on Aug. 29 against a renewed Big Sky Conference foe in Southern Utah, who rejoins the league in 2026. With the NCAA expanding the regular season to include "Week Zero" games this season, the UM/SUU clash marks the first time Montana will open the year with a conference opponent since 1986 when the Griz traveled to Reno to face Nevada.

UM will also host Drake and Utah Tech in September nonconference games before continuing the Big Sky home slate in October against Northern Colorado and Idaho, with two November home games against Portland State and Idaho State.

New Griz football season ticket packages are on sale now at GrizTix.com or GoGriz.com/tickets. Single game tickets are set to go on sale in July.

University of Montana Athletics

Griz to face Bengals under the lights on ESPN family of networks

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