George Ferguson: March Madness is the exclamation mark on a year Montana State sports will never forget

What a year it's been for Montana State University and its fans. Yes, if you love the Bobcats, the 2021-22 school year has had to be one that will live forever in your hearts.

And it's not over yet.

Bobcat Nation will get to show its pride this weekend when both the men's and women's basketball teams play in the NCAA Tournament. It's the first time in school history that both Cat basketball teams have qualified for March Madness in the same season. And that historic feat comes on the heels of MSU's magical run to the FCS Championship game against North Dakota State back in January.

Again, what a ride it's been. And what wonders it will do for the future of MSU athletics.

Starting with the Cats' championship game appearance in football, and all the exposure that brings, will only enhance not only the football program, but the athletic department in general. And as I said back in January, from a standpoint of what it will do to improve the program, it really didn't matter if the Cats beat North Dakota State in the championship game, the mere fact that MSU was on ESPN for three straight weeks, all the exposure that came with that, and the title game experience itself, that will serve to make the football program better for decades. It's that big of a deal to go on a run like that.

It also doesn't hurt that star linebacker Troy Andersen just made headlines of his own, as he was the fastest linebacker at last month's NFL Combine, and in doing so, will give MSU even more exposure when he's likely drafted in next month's NFL Draft in Las Vegas. Again, that will be another huge boost for MSU's brand.

All of that in football, and now comes hoops.

Friday, the No. 13 seed Bobcats play Texas Tech in the first round of the West Region in the NCAA Men's Tournament. It's MSU's first trip to the Big Dance since 1997. And while everyone will be pulling for the Cats to go on a Cinderella run, starting with an upset of the Red Raiders in San Diego, it doesn't matter what they do, the damage has already been done.

And the same goes for the MSU women when they take on Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tournament this weekend in Palo Alto, California, in a classic 1 vs 16 matchup. It doesn't matter what the final score is.

It doesn't matter because, for mid-major programs like the MSU men and women, getting to March Madness is what it's all about, and getting there means they won the Big Sky Championship, which, again, for teams like the Cats, is the ultimate goal, and the biggest prize.

Now, obviously, we've all seen teams like the Cats pull off huge upsets in The March. That's what The Madness is all about. It's part of the appeal. And here's hoping both MSU teams do just that this weekend.

Still, it makes no difference if they do or not - it's all gravy for the Bobcats at this point. You see, the money from making the NCAA Tournament, the television and recurring exposure, and the experience, the Cats will get all of that whether they shock the Raiders and Cardinal in the first round, or whether they both lose by 50 points.

No matter what, MSU will reap the rewards of both teams going to the NCAA Tournament for years to come. It's that big of a deal.

And it's been that big of a year for the Cats.

In just three months, MSU's three biggest teams will have played for a national championship in football, won two Big Sky championships in basketball, and will have played in the one of the biggest sports spectacles the world watches every year. It's huge, you can't put a price on all that has happened to the Bobcats this year.

And like I said, MSU will be reaping the rewards from the last three months for years to come.

Note: The Montana State men play Texas Tech at 11:45 a.m. MDT in San Diego. The game will be live on TNT. The MSU women play Stanford Friday at 8 p.m. MDT with that game on ESPN.