BILLINGS - It’s been nearly 40 years, but the Montana State Bobcats are heading to Frisco, Texas to take on the North Dakota State Bison on Jan. 8 for the FCS National Championship game.
And tickets for the game are flying fast and travel is costing a pretty penny.
Billie Ruff with Travel Café in Billings says agents have been fielding calls all Monday morning from eager Bobcat fans trying to make travel plans to the game.
“It has been a crazy morning, which is exciting. You know, we're all happy that Montana is going to a championship,” said Ruff.
As of Monday afternoon, a chartered flight out of Billings to Texas was still up in the air, however, Ruff is confident more fans will come forward.
“Right now, we’re scrambling trying to get some more seats out of Billings, possibly out of Bozeman. I know there's been some activity in other Montana cities. We tried to book just group travel and it's partially full already,” she said.
But getting there is going to cost you.
MTN News tallied up some costs with a simple google search with an average $700 round trip airfare, a hotel room costing roughly $200 a night and the cost of a rental car for some $100 a day, a fan could spend as much as $1,700 for travel and accommodations there.
But that doesn’t include the ticket to the game, which is averaging anywhere from $485 to $1,500 for a seat at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.
Ruff said some of the chartered flights were average about $1,800 but that cost also includes alumni events and transportation to and from those events and the game.
But, she says, Montana fans are known to travel for FCS Football
“They are diehard Bobcat fans, they probably were at The Den last night and you know, we all saw them on TV,” she laughed. “And they are sometimes people with means that just want to go and be part of the celebration.”
And as fans navigate the best travel plans for themselves, Ruff gives us one piece of advice.
In all, as you navigate your own travel plans, Ruff has one piece of advice for anyone: “The best advice I can give people is to pack your patience.”
