Although our local squads won’t be involved — Tennessee State and Austin Peay did not qualify, and Tennessee Tech was eliminated in the first round by North Dakota — the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA) national title game will be played in Nashville at Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium in January. The FCS national championship game took place in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Frisco, Texas, from 2010 to 2025, but Music City won a bid to host the contest in 2026 and 2027. The competition isn’t unfamiliar with the Volunteer State, however, as Chattanooga played host from 1997 through 2009. Last season's runner-up, No. 2 Montana State, is set to face off against unseeded Illinois State. The Bobcats will be looking to win their first championship since 1984, while the Redbirds will be seeking their first title in program history. And for the first time since the 2016 season, neither North Dakota State nor South Dakota State will be playing in the final game.Â
6:30 p.m. at FirstBank Stadium
2601 Jess Neely Drive
