For the unbeaten Griz to get back to the Football Championship Subdivision title game, they'll have to survive a playoff bracket that includes two-time defending champion Appalachian State, 2004 champ James Madison and, of course, No. 13 Wofford.
It is Wofford, in just its second playoff appearance since joining the Southern Conference in 1997, that 11-0 Montana plays Saturday at 12:05 p.m. at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The Terriers gathered with some fans at Leonard Auditorium on their Spartanburg, S.C., campus to find out their destination Sunday afternoon.
“And from what I understand, the faithful up there really support your team. You have a great team and a great following. That makes it that much tougher.”
Neither destination is close to Wofford, a private school of just 1,378 students, but the Terriers are ready to travel.
“If we had to bus it, I'd really be concerned,” joshed the 59-year-old Ayers. “They're saying we're going to get a plane, so we feel pretty good about it.”
The 8-3 Terriers have plenty to feel good about, including a running attack that is second only to Georgia Southern's. The Eagles edged Wofford 38-35 in a SoCon battle on Nov. 3, but didn't make the 16-team playoff field.
Wofford's 31-13 mark in SoCon games over the past six seasons is second only to Appalachian State, which is 34-9 in that span. The Terriers knocked off the then-No. 1 Mountaineers 42-31 on Sept. 22.
Beyond that, the combatants are waiting on film to find out more about each other.
“I've been on the circuit here since noon,” said Bobby Hauck, Montana's fifth-year head coach. “Film exchange is always an issue, especially in the first round.”
Ayers was singing the same tune.
“The film exchange is, for some reason, not as smooth as you'd like it to be,” he said Sunday evening. “We need to practice tomorrow. We're hoping to try to figure this out before too long.”
Ayers mentioned that transmitting game tapes electronically was being attempted, without much success.
“I guess it's all about technology,” he said. “If it works, it's great.”
Wofford and No. 6 Appalachian State are both on the Grizzlies' side of the bracket. Add in No. 14 JMU and unbeaten McNeese State, and it's tough sledding.
“The teams that have won the last three championships are on our side of the bracket, which is interesting,” said Hauck.
The Grizzlies, criticized at times for a soft schedule, surprisingly drew a No. 3 seed. That means they can't count on more than two home playoff games. Fourth-ranked McNeese, which dropped a 31-6 decision to Montana in last year's playoffs, is seeded second and could end up hosting UM in a semifinal.
Then again the Griz can truly count on just one game, this Saturday.
“I think it's irrelevant until we get down the road,” Hauck said. “I'd like to get to the point where that's a topic of discussion.”
McNeese drew No. 15 Eastern Washington, the other Big Sky Conference entrant in the field. McNeese State memorably was a No. 1 seed in 2003 and lost a first-round home game to Big Sky entrant Northern Arizona, 35-3.
The Eastern Eagles, who lost a 24-23 heartbreaker to UM on Oct. 6, thumped Weber State 38-16 Saturday to go to 8-3.
“I'm glad to see them get in,” Hauck said. “I was assuming that they would get in if they won against Weber, and I wasn't sure how that was going to go. I think Weber's a pretty good football team.
“But Eastern will acquit itself well.”
The Grizzlies are intent on doing the same, after dialing up some game film, a game plan and maybe some 30-degree temperatures Saturday.
“Cold weather would be good,” Hauck said. “That always helps when we play southern teams.”
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