Week 6 · Friday, October 2, 2026
How to Watch Montana State vs.
Idaho
The 5–0 Bobcats go to Moscow on a Friday night — the only non-Saturday date on the 2026 card — and this one is a national ESPN window, not a Montana broadcast. Here is the kickoff time, the channel, the stream and the radio call, all checked this week against MSU Athletics, Idaho Athletics and the Big Sky.
- Kickoff
- 8:30 p.m. Mountain · Friday, Oct 2 7:30 p.m. Pacific at the stadium · P1FCU Kibbie Dome, Moscow, Idaho
- TV
- ESPN — national Not a Montana broadcast. There is no over-the-air option this week and nothing on The Spot – MTN.
- Stream
- ESPN app with a TV login Or an ESPN Unlimited subscription, or any live-TV service that carries ESPN. Not ESPN+.
- Radio
- Bobcat Radio Network KXLB 100.7 FM in Bozeman · free audio on the Varsity Network app.
What channel is the game on?
ESPN — the main channel, coast to coast. That makes this one of the easiest games of the season to find and also the week where the usual Montana channel table does not apply. Say it plainly: no Montana station is carrying this game. The Spot – MTN is not involved, so the Bozeman 7.2 / Billings 2.2 / Missoula 8.2 subchannel numbers that work most weeks will get you nothing on Friday night. An antenna alone is not enough this week.
What you need instead is a TV package that includes ESPN — which nearly every cable, satellite and live-TV plan does, at the expanded-basic tier or above. The channel number is the only thing that varies:
| Provider | ESPN channel |
|---|---|
| DirecTV | 206 |
| Spectrum | Varies by Montana market — search “ESPN” in the guide |
| DISH / other cable | Varies by package — use your guide's channel search |
| Over the air | Not available — ESPN is cable-only |
DirecTV's own channel guide lists ESPN at 206 nationwide. Cable and DISH assignments differ by market and package often enough that a number printed here would be wrong for somebody, so use the channel search in your guide rather than a list. If you normally watch the Cats with an antenna, this is the week to find a friend with cable or a streaming login.
Can I stream it?
Yes, three ways. Sign in to the ESPN app or ESPN.com with your cable, satellite or live-TV credentials and the game is there. Or subscribe to ESPN Unlimited, ESPN's own direct-to-consumer tier, which includes the linear ESPN channel and needs no TV provider at all. Or use any live-TV service that carries ESPN — YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, DirecTV Stream and Sling's Orange package all do.
The trap this week is the opposite of the usual one. Most Bobcat games land on ESPN+, a separate paid subscription that a cable login does not unlock. This game is on ESPN, the cable channel — so an ESPN+ subscription on its own will not show it to you, and the cable package that failed you in September is exactly what works on Friday. Two products, one name, and it costs somebody the first quarter every year.
Radio and audio
The Bobcat Radio Network carries every game with Keaton Gillogly on play-by-play, Leo Davis in the booth and Dan Davies on the sideline. The Bozeman flagship is KXLB 100.7 FM. Around the state:
- BozemanKXLB 100.7 FM
- BillingsKGHL 790 AM / 94.7 FM
- ButteKXTL 1370 AM
- MissoulaKMPT 930 AM
- Great FallsKINX 102.7 FM
- KalispellKGEZ 600 AM / 96.5 FM
Out of range of all of those, the radio call streams free on the Varsity Network app and at msubobcats.com — and on a Friday night with no TV login handy, that is the fastest fix.
What to know before kickoff
Montana State arrives off a 28–14 Homecoming win over Northern Arizona, played short-handed: Patrick Duchien started for the injured Justin Lamson and went 16 of 20, and Colson Coon ran for 199 yards in place of Adam Jones. That was the nineteenth win in a row, a program record and the second-longest active streak in Division I, and the Cats sit at No. 1 in both the Stats Perform and AFCA coaches polls.
Idaho is 0–4 but not as far off as that looks — three of the four losses were by four points or fewer (38–34 at Cal Poly, 23–17 to Lamar, 41–39 to Abilene Christian), with a 66–14 trip to FBS Utah in between. The Vandals have not beaten the Bobcats recently: the last meeting was the December 2024 FCS quarterfinal in Bozeman, a 52–19 Montana State win, and the two did not play in 2025.
Two things about the venue. The P1FCU Kibbie Dome is indoor, so weather is not a factor and it gets loud. And Moscow is on Pacific time — the 8:30 p.m. Mountain kickoff is 7:30 p.m. at the stadium, which is worth knowing if you are driving over.
Verified September 27, 2026 against msubobcats.com, govandals.com, the Big Sky Conference and DirecTV's channel guide. Kickoff times and TV windows move; check your local listings on gameday. msucats.com is a fan site and has no affiliation with Montana State University.