NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When Montana State takes the field at FirstBank Stadium for the FCS national championship against Illinois State, emotions will already be running high.
But for one newly-engaged couple, this game comes with a little extra pressure … and a whole lot of bragging rights.
Dan McGee grew up in Billings and says there was never much question about where his loyalty would land.
“Growing up in Montana, you’re either a Griz fan or a Bobcat fan,” he said. “My family has always been Bobcat fans. I never even applied anywhere else — I always knew I was going to Bozeman.”
McGee attended Montana State from 2018 to 2022 before heading to dental school at the University of Michigan.
WATCH: Engaged couple on opposite sides of FCS title game
On the other side of the relationship is his fiancée, Alexis “Lexi” Showalter, who has Illinois State woven into her DNA as a 2022 grad. She grew up in Normal, Ill. — the town the university calls home. Her grandparents graduated from ISU. Her parents went there and are close friends with members of the athletic department,.
“I spent 22 years there,” she said. “It was always part of my life. I grew up going to games. Illinois State has always just been home.”
The pair met in dental school in Michigan, bonded over long study days and mutual friends, and recently were engaged during a December trip to New York City — complete with a Central Park proposal and plans for a lifetime together.
And right in the middle of engagement bliss … their alma maters started winning football games. There’s not a lot of connections between the two schools, so this might be the only Bobcat/Redbird relationship in the country.
Showalter admits she wasn’t following Illinois State’s playoff run closely at first — not until the Redbirds stunned North Dakota State.
“After that, everyone started paying attention,” she laughed.
Suddenly, the playful trash talk began. Suddenly, their separate undergrad worlds were sprinting toward each other.
And then it happened: Montana State vs. Illinois State for the national title.
They’ve already given each other campus tours. Dan proudly brought Lexi to Bozeman, where she got the full Bobcat gameday experience — including tailgates, the rodeo team run-out, and passionate fans.
“It’s a totally different environment,” she said. “One thing that surprised me the most was that you could leave at halftime and go have more tailgate food."
They won’t be able to travel to Nashville for the game — dental school exams come first — but they’ll be watching from home, surrounded by friends (who may or may not be forced to choose a side).
For now, the rivalry is friendly. No harsh wagers. Mostly family text-thread teasing and playful tension. But don’t mistake that for indifference; both desperately want to win.
Lexi is confident in Illinois State.
“We’re really good on the road,” she said. “I think Illinois State is going to kill it, they’re going to blow them out."
Dan expects a tight one — and believes Montana State will be prevail in a shootout, 45-32 in the end.
Whatever happens, they both know they’re living a story they’ll be telling for a long time: The engagement, the timing, the coincidence, the championship.
And soon enough, one of them will forever hold the scoreboard advantage in the relationship.
