Finally playoff time for Cats, Griz

The Montana Grizzlies haven't been here in four years. The Montana State Bobcats haven't been here in 365 days. And while the two bitter rivals FCS playoff time lines are a little different, it doesn't change the fact that Saturday is a big, big day for NCAA football in the Treasure State.

The No. 5 Bobcats (9-3), after a week off, host 25th-ranked Albany in an FCS second-round game Saturday in Bozeman. On the other side of the Divide, the No. 6 Grizzlies play un-ranked Southeast Louisiana for a second-round showdown in Missoula.

And while the Cats' and Griz' paths to Saturday were different in many ways, they were also very similar.

MSU is making its second straight second-round appearance in the playoffs. But, this December, the Cats are a Top 8 seed, where last year, they were an at-large team that had to go on the road to unbeatable North Dakota State. So there's no doubt MSU is in a much better spot in head coach Jeff Choate's second playoff appearance - though it wasn't always looking that good after back-to-back losses to Sacramento State and North Dakota, two more playoff teams.

Now though, the Cats welcome in the Great Danes with plenty of mojo, having won three straight to close the regular season, including the famous 48-12 whooping they put on rival Montana two weeks ago in Bozeman.

"I hope that we can approach this game exactly like we have our backs to the wall, because we do," Choate said Monday during his weekly presser. "It's win or go home. Playoff football.

The Cats, who have been in playoff mode since the loss at UND, haven never played the Danes, but Albany has been to Montana before, having played the Grizzlies in a non-conference game last decade. And while Albany seems like a big underdog coming in, the Danes did thump 11-1 Central Connecticut State last Saturday, and while MSU, one of the top rushing teams in the FCS and one of the stingiest scoring defenses, is playing its best football of the season, it won't take Albany, or Saturday's home game for granted. Should the Cats win, they could have a rematch with the Hornets in the FCS quarterfinals.

"I just think it's a really good, sound football team that very clearly deserves to be in the tournament with the way they played in Round 1," Choate said. "I think it's going to be a very challenging matchup for us on Saturday.

"I just hope our kids are still hungry, which I think they are," he added. "I think the energy they had this morning showed that, and I think we're excited to be able to play some more football."

Hungry won't even begin to describe the Grizzlies right now. Montana was the winningest program in college football from 2000 to 2010 and never missed a playoff under head coach Bobby Hauck in his first run with the Griz. But Saturday will the Grizzlies' first playoff game since a 2015 loss to North Dakota State, and the Griz couldn't be more excited.

"Certainly, it's exciting to have playoff football back in Missoula with the big second-round game against Southeastern Louisiana," Hauck said. "I think our fans need to rise up this weekend. Playoff football's always fun, so we need a great Saturday in the stadium. Southeastern Louisiana's obviously a really good football team."

SELA (8-4) is a very good team and proved it with a win over ninth-ranked Villanova last Saturday. The Lions are also a pass-happy team with tons of FBS transfers in its two-deep and, let's face it, Montana is still banged up after games against Weber State and MSU took their toll.

And yet, the Griz have no choice but to forge ahead. Montana drew the No. 6 overall seed in the playoffs, which was not only a sign of respect for the current state of the program, but also a much-needed week off for the Grizzlies.

"I think with our health being as bad as it was and is, I think that the ability to not play on Saturday was great for us. It would have been hard to limp out there last Saturday," Hauck said. "I think they'll be excited to play, which is the critical thing. They're excited to play, and that's what's important."

The Griz should be excited. Not one player on Montana's roster played in the 2015 playoffs, so, this is, in essence, a brand new era in Grizzly football. It also could set up a potential rematch with Weber State in the quarterfinals.

Saturday's game between the Grizzlies and Lions will kick off at 1 p.m. in Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The game between MSU and Albany also kicks off at 1 p.m. in Bobcat Stadium. Both games are televised on ESPN+.