BILLINGS — The euphoria of winning a national championship will last for years at Montana State. And to the victor belong the spoils.
By virtue of the Bobcats' 35-34 overtime win over Illinois State in the FCS title game Monday in Nashville, Tenn., fifth-year coach Brent Vigen hit several on-field performance incentives as laid out in the restructured contract he signed with Montana State on Dec. 29, 2024.
MSU's first national title since 1984 earned Vigen $232,500 in extra on-field performance earnings, not including other incentives such as season ticket sales, Quarterback Club fundraising and academic performance. Vigen's base salary, according to the contract that runs through March 31, 2029, is $295,000.
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Vigen agreed to the contract last year after flirting with the Washington State coaching vacancy near the end of the 2024 season.
Following is a breakdown of the incentives that Vigen earned for a national-championship performance for 2025:
- $70,000 for playing an FBS team (MSU faced Oregon on Aug. 30)
- $10,000 for being named Big Sky Conference coach of the year
- $10,000 for being named Region 5 coach of the year
- $12,500 for winning the Big Sky championship
- $7,500 for winning eight games
- $7,500 for winning nine games
- $7,500 for winning 10 or more games
- $7,500 for making the FCS playoffs
- $7,500 for making the FCS second round
- $10,000 for making the FCS quarterfinals
- $2,500 for hosting an FCS quarterfinal game
- $5,000 for making the FCS semifinals
- $10,000 for hosting an FCS semifinal game
- $15,000 for making the FCS championship game
- $50,000 for winning the FCS championship
Vigen's coaching staff also earned an additional $9,500 in performance incentives, as stated in the contract.
Vigen guided the Bobcats to a 14-2 record in 2025 and an 8-0 mark in the Big Sky, which resulted in MSU winning the outright Big Sky title. It was the third conference crown in Vigen's five-year tenure in Bozeman.
Brent Vigen's MSU coaching contract:
The Bobcats closed the season on a 14-game winning streak, which included a 31-28 win at rival Montana on Nov. 22 to win the league crown and a 48-23 rout of the Grizzlies in the playoff semifinals in Bozeman on Dec. 20.
The championship game itself was nothing short of a classic — MSU survived an Illinois State surge by blocking a field goal near the end of regulation and swatting away a point-after kick in overtime; Justin Lamson's 14-yard touchdown pass to Taco Dowler on a fourth-and-10 play tied the game in overtime, and Myles Sansted's ensuing extra-point kick won it.
Vigen now has a 61-12 overall record at MSU — a winning percentage of .836 — and a 37-3 mark in Big Sky games. Vigen is 40-2 at Bobcat Stadium (including playoffs) and is yet to lose to a Big Sky Conference opponent at home.
He has guided MSU to three FCS championship games in five years, finally leading the program over the hump for the first time in 41 seasons.
Similar to what occurred with Washington State in 2024, Vigen was reputed to be one of the top candidates for the head coaching vacancy at Oregon State a couple months back. But like he did in 2024, Vigen decided to stay with the Bobcats and see the season through to the end.
The 50-year-old Vigen, a North Dakota State alum and previously a top Bison and University of Wyoming offensive assistant, should again be a red-hot name during the next hiring cycle. But that's a bridge for Montana State to cross when the time comes.
For now, Vigen, the Bobcats and the MSU athletic department are basking in the glow of a national championship — and the incentives and perks that come with it.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect incentive total for Montana State's game against Oregon
