The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 1984 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 12-team bracket.[5]
Montana State Bobcats
Montana State finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference); two wins came over Division II opponents (Mesa State and Portland State) and one win came over a Division I-A program (Fresno State).[6] Tied for second in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and seeded third in the tournament, the Bobcats received a first-round bye then defeated Arkansas State and second-seed Rhode Island to reach the final. This was the first appearance for Montana State in a Division I-AA championship game.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Louisiana Tech finished their regular season with a 7–4 record (5–1 in conference); three of their losses were to Division I-A programs (Southwestern Louisiana, Southern Miss, and Ole Miss).[8] Ranked ninth in the final NCAA I-AA in-house poll[7] and unseeded in the tournament, the Bulldogs defeated Mississippi Valley State, top-seed Alcorn State, and Middle Tennessee State to reach the final. This was also the first appearance for Louisiana Tech in a Division I-AA championship game.
^ abc"1984 I-AA National Championship". Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via YouTube.
^ abSmith, Bruce M. (December 16, 1984). "Montana State wins I-AA title". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. AP. p. D3. Retrieved May 5, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
^ abGeise, George (December 15, 1984). "Bobcats ready for I-AA championship shootout". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. p. 1-B. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^Nance, Roscoe (December 1, 1984). "I-AA playoffs spell trouble M-O-N-E-Y". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 2D. Retrieved April 22, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^"ISU gets first round bye". Palladium-Item. Richmond, Indiana. AP. November 19, 1984. p. A7. Retrieved May 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
^"Montana State Bobcats 1984 Schedule". cfbinfo.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.