North Dakota State’s college football dynasty finally reaches the big leagues

North Dakota State’s football resume speaks for itself. 12 Missouri Valley Football Conference titles. Five Division 2 national championships. Ten Division 1 FCS titles, including five straight titles from 2011 through 2015. Over 750 wins at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, more than any non-Ivy League program. And an all-time record of 811-385-34, good for a .673 winning percentage. Only Oklahoma is better among all Division 1 programs.

But every resume needs a boost now and again, and this year, NDSU will start that process.

After moving to the FCS for the 2004 season, and enjoying more than two decades of success at that level, the Bison are moving up again. The 2026 college football season marks NDSU’s debut in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, as the Bison are joining the Mountain West Conference.

North Dakota State announced the move back in February, accepting an invitation from the MWC to join the conference.

“This is a proud moment for NDSU,” said former NDSU President David Cook, who is now at Iowa State. “We’ve built something special here by being thoughtful, disciplined, and willing to take bold steps when the time is right. We’ve made a move like this before, and it strengthened our university in lasting ways. Joining the Mountain West builds on that legacy and reflects our confidence in the people, programs, and purpose that define NDSU. It allows us to extend our impact, expand our national connections, and create new opportunities for our students and community while staying true to our mission.”

“This is a historic day for NDSU Athletics. Our football program has earned this opportunity through the sustained success and leadership of our student-athletes and coaches past and present,” added NDSU Director of Athletics Matt Larsen. “Joining the Mountain West is an exciting new opportunity for our team to compete at the highest level, for our fans to see FBS opponents coming to Fargo, and for Bison football to reach a wider national audience through expanded television coverage.”

Now the Bison embark on the next part of their football journey in the MWC, joining teams such as UNLV, New Mexico, Air Force, Wyoming, Hawai’i, and Nevada.

How are they going to fare in their first year?

There is reason to believe that the Bison will make a smooth transition to the FBS in their first season. While they lost starting quarterback Cole Payton to the NFL, senior Nathan Hayes steps in under center, and behind an offensive line that returns three starters and expects to see Kansas transfer Kene Anene step into the right tackle spot. The left tackle position is one of the spots to watch, as sophomore Ryan Babatz and freshman Gavin Wang are players to watch there. Babatz started NDSU’s second-round playoff game against Illinois State, while Wang was a three-star recruit coming out of Annandale High School in Minnesota.

Around Hayes, the Bison will need some players to step up at skill positions. Running back DJ Scott returns after rushing for 502 yards in a rotational role, and he will be expected to be the lead back ahead of redshirt freshman Myles Mitchell and true freshman Braylon Toliver. Tight end Reis Kessel is the leading receiver to return, as he caught 15 passes for 335 yards — a stunning average of 22.3 yards per reception — and a touchdown. Jackson Williams is the top returning wide receiver, and he caught 17 passes for 293 yards and a score a year ago.

On the defensive side of the ball, NDSU lost standout linebacker Nathaniel Staehling on the final day of the transfer portal to Michigan, but All-MVFC linebacker Donovan Woolen is back to shore up the second level of the defense. NDSU returns safeties Darius Givance, Taylen Eady, and Jaylin Crumbly, and transfers EJ Davis and DJ Voltz arrive from the Division 2 level to step into the cornerback spots.

So just how well will the Bison fare in their inaugural FBS campaign? This is a program that has gone 9-5 all-time against FBS schools, and with the NCAA repealing the two-year postseason ban for teams moving to the FBS to the FCS, we could see the Bison in a bowl game this year:

In the Athlon Sports college football preview magazine, editors tapped NDSU as the fourth-best team in the conference, predicting that the Bison would earn a spot in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Toledo. The Sporting News preview magazine had NDSU one spot better in the conference, predicting a third-place finish.

But according to an interview Athlon Sports conducted with an assistant in the conference, those in the MWC believe the Bison are going to make a very smooth transition:

That transition is not going to be as [difficult] as maybe people outside the sport think it’s gonna be. All the coaches who are in the know, they know who North Dakota State is. I think those guys are going to be contending in the Mountain West. They moved up and paid all that money because they felt good about where they are from a talent standpoint.

I just don’t think you make that move if you look at your roster and go ‘Man, I don’t know how good we are.‘

You look at the amount of guys that they’ve put in the NFL, they have a confidence in how they develop. Yeah, they lost their quarterback and top receiver, but the rest of us don’t know who they have behind them. They do, and they feel very confident in the guys they have.

NDSU opens up its FBS journey against Jacksonville State on August 29, and they begin conference play on September 12 against Air Force.

We will see where they end it.