MISSOULA — It's the week on the sports calendar every year that fans in the Treasure State look forward to, as Montana and Montana State are set for the 123rd Brawl of the Wild over in Bozeman on Saturday.
For the Grizzlies, who are 8-3 this season, it's been a roller-coaster path to the rivalry game up to this point.
Montana entered the season as the Big Sky Conference preseason favorite to win the league as well as No. 3 nationally in the FCS.
It was a difficult non-conference slate for the Griz, who opened the season with a victory over a strong Missouri Valley opponent in Missouri State in a close game, but followed that up with a ranked road loss to North Dakota where UM squandered a 17-point halftime lead.
After a blowout win over Morehead State, three straight shootouts followed for the Grizzlies, as their offense became one of the most high-powered statistically in the FCS, but the defense struggled.
First, it was another ranked game, this one a win over Western Carolina, followed by a back-and-forth barn burner in Cheney for their first win on the red turf at Eastern Washington.
Disaster struck the following week though as Montana was stunned at home by Weber State, as the Wildcats put up 55 points on the Grizzlies.
The next week UM bounced back with its second ranked victory, this one over Northern Arizona.
After the bye, the Griz took care of business in their longest road trips of the season back to back against Big Sky bottom dwellers Northern Colorado and Cal Poly.
But again a setback was waiting, as under the lights on national TV, Montana welcomed UC Davis in a top-7 game where the Aggies were too much for the Grizzlies as Montana fell at home once again.
Now, after a grind out victory over Portland State that saw plenty of drama and a second-half surge, Montana heads to Bozeman with eight wins and is ranked No. 9 in the FCS.
The playoffs are guaranteed, but a win or loss to MSU will have a major impact one way or another on where UM ends up in the bracket, as the Grizzlies look to get their first win in Bozeman since 2015.
