He doubts that Southern Cal is the final piece to the puzzle, however.
O'Day, who has been Montana's AD for 18 months, said he has heard the rumors about the Griz playing national power USC this coming fall. But he says he hasn't heard from USC.
Such a game would've been another leap for one of the top programs in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly Division I-AA. In 2004 the Griz played at Oregon for $450,000; last year they went to Iowa for a $650,000 paycheck.
The Grizzlies, who finished last season ranked No. 4 after losing in the I-AA semifinals, have open dates on Sept. 15 and Sept. 22. O'Day is clear about what needs to happen for UM, which has six home games on the docket, to complete its schedule.
“It will either be a home game or a guarantee game,” said O'Day.
O'Day counts Montana's 2006 schedule as a boon for a couple of reasons. One was the big pay day in Iowa City. Another was the Griz-Cat game in November.
“Playing the Grizzly-Cat game at home is almost like playing two home games,” O'Day said. “In budgeting terms, it was almost like an eight-game home schedule.”
This year's “Brawl of the Wild” will be in Bozeman on Nov. 17. And as of yet, there is no guarantee game.
The schedule as it stands begins with Southern Utah of the FCS Great West Conference at home on Sept. 1. Division II Fort Lewis (Colo.) visits Sept. 8 (for argument's sake, that's when USC has an opening on its schedule).
Big Sky play opens with Weber State on Sept. 29, and the Griz also host league foes Eastern Washington (Oct. 6), Northern Colorado (Oct. 20) and Portland State (Nov. 3).
The Grizzlies go on the road to face MSU, Idaho State (Nov. 10), Northern Arizona (Oct. 27) and Sacramento State (Oct. 13).
That means three of their last four games are on the road, as well as four of their last six.
“It's pretty front-heavy,” O'Day said. “Scheduling is really interesting anymore, and it is for everyone. Everybody has their own challenges.
“North Dakota State, I think, right now still has four games to schedule next year. No one wants to play them. (But) they're somebody who we've talked with.”
O'Day hopes to schedule a home-and-home series with another FCS program, but that's dicey considering Montana's recent history. The Griz haven't been to Cal Poly, a nearly perennial foe, since 2001. They bought out a return trip to Hofstra scheduled for 2005, irritating Pride coach Joe Gardi.
They just bought out South Dakota State instead of taking a trip to Brookings in September, hence the two-week gap in their schedule. O'Day is hoping to restart a home-and-home with the Jackrabbits, with it starting at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in 2007. So far, SDSU isn't on board.
“We understand why people would be upset,” said O'Day, who is still working at leveling an athletic budget that ran $1 million to the red in 2004. “But we have to continue to move on.”
Moving on could mean a home-and-home with an Ivy League team, or one of the Dakota schools: North Dakota State had Montana State opt out of its 2007 game at Fargo.
Or it could mean a money game, if the price and timing are right. It's worth noting that nearly a year ago Montana bought out a home game with Division II Central Washington and picked up Iowa.
“I would like to get this done within the next month,” O'Day said of the schedule. “The opportunities get better the longer you wait at times.”
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