No. 2 Sam Houston (9-0) vs. No. 1 South Dakota State (8-1)

When: 1 p.m. Sunday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas

Broadcast: ABC, Westwood One

The Matchup: Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler opened his press conference this week with the perfect description of this game.

"This is the one where you get the gold ring which is the ultimate goal for everyone who plays this sport,” Keeler said.

The only difference between this week and the previous three playoff games for the Bearkats is the finality. Both teams will turn in their equipment on Monday morning, but only one team will still be celebrating.

"To win the national championship, we're going to have to beat the best three teams in the country back to back to back,” Keeler said.

This week’s opponent is a South Dakota State team built in the same mold of North Dakota State and James Madison, who the Kats defeated the last two weeks.

The Jackrabbits have one dimension the Bearkats have not worried about too much the last two weeks, a talented dual-threat quarterback.

Freshman Mark Gronowski has been brilliant in his first collegiate football season, passing for 1,549 yards with 15 touchdowns while adding 567 yards and seven touchdowns rushing.

Gronowski has been excellent at making decisions in the passing game this spring, completing 57.5 percent of his passes with only three interceptions.

SDSU brings something very familiar to the Bearkats, a dynamic rushing attack led by Pierre Strong (650 yards, 3 TD) and Isaiah Davis (641 yards, 7 TD).

"These guys are really good. This is a great football team we're playing,” Keeler said. “The freshman quarterback has played out of his mind. They have an outstanding tailback, and the offensive line is as good as anything we've seen the last three weeks. Their defense is so aggressive."

SHSU possesses plenty of weapons on both sides of the ball, something the Jackrabbits players and coaches noticed on tape.

"They're an explosive offense,” SDSU linebacker Logan Backhaus said. “They make a lot of big plays, and they're good on special teams. They can score fast and change the game quickly.

"They scored 21 points in two minutes last week, and something we've focused on all season is once we get the lead, to stay on the gas. That's going to be very important this week. We have to limit their explosive plays."

"They are unbelievably fast at every position,” Jackrabbits coach John Stiegelmeier added. “They have no weaknesses on defense or offense. They have difference makers at every position."

One team will depart Toyota Stadium on Sunday with its program’s first FCS national championship trophy in tow. 

The time for talk is over. Let the fun begin!

Players to Watch: 

SHSU - Eric Schmid, QB, Jr, The Woodlands, Texas (The Woodlands HS)

Ramon Jefferson, RB, Jr, Bronx, N.Y. (Maine)

Jequez Ezzard, WR, Gr, College Park, Ga. (Howard)

Jahari Kay, DL, Sr, Berkeley, Calif. (Laney)

Zyon McCollum, DB, Sr, Galveston, Texas (Ball HS)

SDSU - Mark Gronowski, QB, Fr, Naperville, Ill. (Nequa Valley HS)

Pierre Strong Jr., RB, Jr, Little Rock, Ark. (McClellan HS)

Jaxon Janke, WR, Soph, Madison, S.D. (Madison HS)

Logan Backhaus, LB, Sr, Spirit Lake, Iowa (Spirit Lake HS)

Josh Manchigiah, S, Jr, Papillion, Neb. Papillion-La Vista HS)

Key to Victory: There are plenty of distractions during national championship week, but Sam Houston has an added distraction that will require plenty of focus - semester finals.

"Our academic advisor Mike Reed came in today and talked to us about finishing up this last week while preparing to go to Frisco,” Bearkats defensive lineman Jahari Kay said.

"Our coaches are telling us to stay focused and take it one day at a time even though it is the national championship,” SHSU running back Ramon Jefferson added.

Keeler preaches a constant and consistent message to his team, which applies on and off the field.

"We have to manage the moments because the moments can be overwhelming. We have to play the next play,” Keeler said. “You saw for about seven minutes last Saturday where we allowed the 'what if we lose' into our brain, and we can't do that."

South Dakota State added a position within the program the Jackrabbits hope makes a difference this week.

"We hired Kris Kracht, a mental strength coach,” Backhaus said. “He's done a great job trying to limit the static in our lives, whether it be stress from school, relationships, or from having the football season canceled."

Prediction: This game is very tough to predict. Both teams are very similar in all three phases of the game, and both have avoided turning the ball over in the playoffs.

Neither team has been forced to travel during the playoffs, which adds a new component for the coaching staff to mitigate.

This is the third consecutive week the Kats are underdogs, according to the betting odds. 

In a game this close and evenly matched, prior national title game experience typically determines the winner. That edge belongs to the Bearkats.

Sam Houston by 1