Illinois State vs Montana State Opening Odds, Spread & Line for FCS Championship 2025

• No. 2 Montana State is an 8.5-point favorite over Illinois State in the FCS Championship
• The Bobcats have won 13 straight games, with 11 victories coming by at least 17 points
• Keep reading for the Illinois State vs Montana State opening odds, spread, and total for the FCS Championship

The FCS Championship is set and it’s a real David-versus-Goliath matchup. No. 2 Montana State will face unranked Illinois State, with each program seeking to snap title droughts. The Redbirds have never won the FCS crown, while the Bobcats are seeking their first championship since 1984.

Online sportsbooks are, not surprisingly, siding with Montana State, pegging them to end Illinois State’s run in convincing fashion per the latest college football odds.

The FCS Championship is set to kickoff on Monday, January 5th, from FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, TN. Below, find the Illinois State vs Montana State opening odds, spread and game total, as well as my early prediction.

Illinois State vs Montana State Opening Odds

The Bobcats opened as 8.5-point favorites and -350 on the moneyline. That gives them a 78% implied probability to win the title, and close out the season on a 14-game winning streak. The Redbirds come back as +285 underdogs, while the total is set at 56.5.

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Odds as of December 21 at 7:00 am ET at FanDuel. Be sure to check out the best FanDuel promo code before placing a bet on any College Football matchup.

Illinois State vs Montana State Early Prediction

• Pick: Montana State -8.5 (-115 at FanDuel)

Montana State began the 2025 season by losing to CFP Bracket contender Oregon and multiple time FCS champ South Dakota State. Since then, they’ve run the table, ripping off 13 wins. 11 of those victories have come by 17+ points, including each of their last two playoff contests. The Bobcats blew out Stephen F Austin in the quarters, and then destroyed in-state rival Montana in the semis.

QB Justin Lamson shredded the Grizzlies on Saturday, throwing for 2 TD and rushing for 2 more. Adam Jones piled on 131 rushing yards and 2 scores of his own, while the defense recorded a pick-six to seal the 48-23 win.

The Bobcats outgained their biggest rival by over 100 yards, and held the most explosive offense remaining in the playoffs to their lowest scoring output of the season. Now, Montana State is back in the FCS Title Game for the second consecutive season, and for the third time in five years.

They’ll face a true Cinderella in Illinois State, a team that was an after thought heading into the playoffs. The Redbirds were blown out by Southern Illinois in their regular season finale, one of the worst teams in the MVFC. Since then however, they’ve ripped off four consecutive road playoff wins, becoming the first FCS team to accomplish that feat.

On Saturday, they barely broke a sweat against No. 12 Villanova, cruising to a 30-14 victory. The Redbirds outgained the Wildcats by 126 yards, holding them under 200 passing yards, and limiting them to a 10% third down conversion rate. They had the worst defense remaining of the final four teams, but after their semifinal triumph they’ll now play for the program’s first title.

It’s been an incredible run, but frankly I don’t see it continuing. Regression is coming for Illinois State, and it’s coming in the form of the wagon that is Montana State.

Through their first three playoff wins, the Redbirds had exceeded SP+ projections by an average of 21.5 points per game. They overcame 5 interceptions by QB Tommy Rittenhouse in the second round upset of No. 1 North Dakota State, and won a track meet in the quarters despite yielding over 500 yards.

That quarterfinal victory was fuelled by multiple 90+ yard touchdowns, and they simply won’t be able to generate those kinds of explosive plays versus a Bobcats defense that was among the league leaders in points and yards allowed.

I’m happy to lay 8.5 points with Montana State in this matchup, as they’ve proven time and time again the ability to bury opponents. I wouldn’t wait though, because as more people dig into this matchup they’re going to realize the Redbirds are in over their heads.