Christmas came early in the Big Sky Conference.

For Montana and Montana State that meant some unexpected treats from the Division I Football Championship Series selection committee, but for Portland State a lump of coal soured its morning.

The Grizzlies (10-1) put down "home field throughout the playoffs" in their letter to Santa, while the Bobcats (7-4) just wanted to be included, but apparently were pretty good boys this year since they got more than what they were asking.

After losing to UM 13-7 on Saturday, MSU was sitting on the playoff bubble at 7-4. Not only did the Bobcats get an invite, but they'll play at home against the Furman Paladins of the Southern Conference this Saturday in Bozeman.

The game will be the first I-AA playoff game at home for MSU since 1984 when it won its most recent national title.

While the Bobcats won't go into the playoffs as favorites, they won't have to look too far back to find an underdog champion. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series this year with the worst regular season record for a champion of all time and the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl last year after barely qualifying for the NFL playoffs.

After starting the season with a stunning win over Colorado, the Bobcats lost three straight games at home to put their playoff chances in jeopardy. The selection committee may have recognized that MSU's losing streak coincided with numerous injuries to key players.

The selection committee only seeds the top four teams, while one of the variables that determined where the remaining 12 are placed is based on financial considerations. MSU was able to have sell-outs or near sell-outs for all of its home games and that may explain why it was selected to host -- the equivalent of being a No. 8 seed -- its first-round game.

If MSU wins, it will play the winner of the Coastal Carolina at No. 1 seeded Appalachian State game.

The UM gift came in the form of the No. 2 seed, which wasn't a complete shock. The Grizzlies were one of three teams with one loss being considered for the top two seeds, which carry with them home-field advantage until the title game.

UM's selection as the second seed left Massachusetts with the No. 3 seed. If both teams win, their first two games the Minutemen will have to travel to Missoula for a semi-final game. UMass came close to beat I-A foe Navy losing 21-20, while Montana was blown out by I-A Iowa 41-7, but the Minutemen played a Division II team and a weaker non-conference slate, which may have swayed the committee UM's way.

The Grizzlies will play McNeese State (7-4), champions of the Southland Conference, in Missoula. It will mark the eighth consecutive year that Montana has hosted a first-round game.

If Montana wins, it will host the winner of the Tennessee-Martin at Southern Illinois game. The Bobcats and Grizzlies can only face each other again this season if they both advance to the championship game to be held in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Dec. 15.

Portland State (7-4) was rumored to be at the top of the Big Sky's list of teams to push for a playoff game, but it appears the selection committee didn't look favorably on the Vikings 14-0 loss to MSU a few weeks ago.

PSU had played three Division I-A teams winning one, but wasn't close to winning the other two. The Vikings were plauged by injuries to their starting quarterback and running back, but both started in the loss to MSU.

The other four games pit 2004 champion James Madison at No. 4 seed Youngstown State, New Hampshire at Vermont, Lafayette at UMass, and Illinois State at Eastern Illinois.

Elsewhere in the Big Sky Conference Northern Arizona quarterback Jason Murrietta wrapped up his campaign for the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the top I-AA player.

He threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns in a 54-3 road win over Northern Colorado.

The four-year starter finished his college career with 10,504 yards, which is second all-time at NAU and sixth in the Big Sky Conference. He set the NAU record for touchdown passes last week and finishes with 94, which is second-best in the conference, three behind former Idaho quarterback Doug Nussmeier.

Weber State sent Idaho State to another defeat winning 39-27 in Pocatello, while Sacramento State gave up two fourth quarter touchdowns to ruin its bid for five wins in a 30-16 loss to UC-Davis in the Causeway Classic.