MISSOULA — Many Montanans say that their Super Bowl every year falls right before Thanksgiving, and that's the Brawl of the Wild.
Saturday it's a rematch for something bigger than a trophy on the line, a trip to the FCS Championship.
With a game of this magnitude, the University of Montana's Alumni Association steps in to get Griz fans from across the nation involved in their own way.
Coordinating watch parties is one of Jay Beagle's jobs as the Engagement and Outreach Coordinator for the Alumni Association. Since they didn't know there was going to be more watch parties until after the Griz beat the University of South Dakota, time is of the essence.
"We had a week to plan 50 parties across the country," Beagle said. "I'll send out a mass email to all of them just running down, the game this weekend is on ABC, it's at 2 o'clock mountain time, and they all have their individual questions that I can answer."
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Putting on a watch party at venues across the country isn't cheap, either. Since the Alumni Association is a non-profit, they rely on donations and other means to raise money for these events.
"People can donate to us, and we collect donations. A lot of them put together raffles and things like that to cover some of the costs, since we're shipping 100 boxes from Hawaii to New York, so that does get a little expensive." Jay said.
All of the planning for the watch parties takes place at Brantly Hall on the University of Montana's campus, but one location of a watch party in Missoula is where the magic happens.
The owner of Red's Bar, Mike Helean, played for the Griz in the 1980s, has one thing to say about this FCS semifinal.
"I think this is the biggest Griz-Cat game ever." said Helean.
Helean expects his bar to be packed to the brim with Montanans for kickoff.
"I think we'll be full," Mike said. "Every seat should be taken, with maybe a little standing room also."
If the Griz end up winning tomorrow, fans, including Mike, have one priority in mind.
"If the Griz win, everybody's trying to figure out a way to get to Nashville. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
