Illinois State vs Montana State Prediction & Updated Betting Line for FCS Championship

• The Montana State Bobcats are 10.5-point favorites over the Illinois State Redbirds in the FCS Championship
• Illinois State knocked off top-ranked North Dakota State en route to the championship final
• Read below for my Illinois State vs Montana State prediction and the most recent betting line

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With powerhouse North Dakota State vanquished, either the Illinois State Redbirds (12-4) or the Montana State Bobcats (13-2) will get a chance to hoist the FCS Championship when they meet for it all Monday.

Illinois State, seeking its first FCS title, finds itself as heavy underdogs in the college football odds, taking on a Montana side that’s in its third final in five seasons, yet hasn’t won it all since 1984 (that is not a typo).

Action gets underway at 7:30 pm ET from FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, TN, home of the NFL’s Titans, with ESPN carrying the broadcast coverage.

See below for my Illinois State vs Montana State prediction, plus the latest odds and FCS Championship betting line.

Illinois State vs Montana State Prediction

The Montana State Bobcats know the climb up the mountain — now they are perhaps in their best position to finally get to the top.

After a crushing three-point loss to North Dakota State last year, the boogeyman is out of the picture (more on that below), and it’s been smooth sailing for Montana State.

After beating Yale and Stephen F Austin, they ripped through in-state rival Montana in the FCS Semifinals 48-23, though they did watch a 20-9 lead vanish into a 23-20 deficit with two minutes to play in the third quarter, before scoring the last 28 points of the game.

The Bobcats are built for that though: they boasted the second-highest scoring offense in the Big Sky Conference at 38.1 points per game, while owning the top scoring defense, allowing just 18 points per contest.

They’re powered on offense by Stanford transfer Justin Lamson, who’s been on fire in his last 11 games, throwing for over 2,100 yards with 21 touchdowns against just one interception.

But the run game is the true bread-and-butter: led by Adam Jones and his 1,047 yards and 15 TD’s, Montana State ripped off 234.5 rushing yards per game.

And yet, nothing should feel daunting for Illinois State, whose title run as an unranked team is already legendary, with one more large obstacle to complete the unthinkable.

It started with a 21-3 win at Southeastern Louisiana, before they became giant killers, toppling top-seeded North Dakota State on the road in a 29-28 thriller. The good times kept rolling as they hung 42 on UC Davis in an 11-point win, then travelled to Villanova and crushed the Wildcats 30-14 in the semis.

The Redbirds ranked fifth in the Missouri Valley in scoring at 30.6 points per game, while allowing 25.1 per contest, which was in the Top 4. They’re inside the conference’s Top 6 in both rushing (170.8) and passing (214.8).

Their offense has been led by QB Tommy Rittenhouse, who has thrown for more than 3,200 yards and 36 TD’s, but he’s been all over the map in these playoffs, including a 5-INT game against NDSU. He has eight TD passes and seven interceptions in the last three games.

He does have some serious skill guys, led by WR Daniel Sobkowicz, who leads the team with 78 catches, 1,089 yards and 18 TDs, while RB Victor Dawson has been shredding defenses in the playoffs, with a healthy 5.3 yards per carry and 517 total rush yards.

While the run has been nice, Montana State has both the burning desire to finally break through, coupled with the pedigree of a championship team.

The Bobcats have not lost since Week 2, and that marked their only loss to a non-Power Four opponent, a 30-24 loss to South Dakota State. The Bobcats’ other loss came to Oregon in Week 1.

However, Montana State still hasn’t been able to seal the deal, and that should count for something against a Redbirds’ side that’s 5-0-0 against the spread as underdogs in its last five games, with three of those coming in these playoffs.

I like the Bobcats to win their first title since the ’80s, but for Illinois State to give them all they can handle.

Illinois State vs Montana State Odds – FCS Championship

The interactive table above will automatically update as the college football odds move over the course of the day.

For those wanting to wager Montana State against the spread, you can find them as 9.5-point favorites at DraftKings, a full point less than the +10.5 Illinois State is getting at FanDuel.

For bettors picking the Redbirds to win outright, the best odds we could find were +325 over at BetMGM. The Bobcats are extremely short -400 favorites at bet365.

As for the total, Under bettors can find the line at 57.5 points over at FanDuel, a full point more than what’s being offered at DraftKings, which would suit Over bettors much better.

In terms of FCS player props available, read the Best Player Prop Bets for Illinois State vs Montana State.

Odds as of Jan 5. Be sure to check out the best FanDuel promo code before placing a bet on Illinois State vs Montana State or College Football Playoff action.