Since North Dakota State announced the move to the FBS, speculation arose if the Bison will ever play the Minnesota Golden Gophers again.
NDSU has haunted the Gophers over the years since joining Division I football in 2004. The Bison nearly beat the Gophers, 10-9, at the Metrodome in 2006 and then defeated Minnesota the following year, 27-21. NDSU then beat the Gophers handily 37-24 in 2011 at then-TCF Bank Stadium.
“Sources have told WDAY and The Forum that Gophers head coach PJ Fleck has made it known he will not play NDSU as long as he’s head coach,” The Forum’s Dom Izzo reported on Feb. 13.
It could be a while before that changes since Fleck and the Gophers agreed to a contract revision that will pay him a $700,000 bonus in addition to his $6 million salary, The Associated Press reported on Feb. 12. Fleck will enter his 10th season as the Gophers head coach.
Izzo reported that other Big Ten teams, such as Wisconsin and Nebraska, “are filled up until 2029” and are “saying nothing if there’s even a desire to play the Bison.” That’s been a problem for the Bison since upsetting a No. 13 Iowa team in 2016, and NDSU went six years without playing an FBS team until games against Arizona in 2022 and Colorado two years later.
Who NDSU Could Play Among Power Four Schools
NDSU could start the FBS era with a bang by visiting USC on Aug. 29, but the Forum’s Mike McFeely reported that the Trojans have another team in the works.
While the Bison may wind up with no Power Four game in 2026, Izzo mentioned some teams that NDSU could find on the schedule in future seasons. The Bison don’t have a Power Four team scheduled until 2028, a rescheduled game at Oregon from 2020.
“I would look to potentially other P4 schools like Purdue, Northwestern, Maryland, Baylor, and Oklahoma State as opponents (none of those schools have openings as of today) that would guarantee a record payday for NDSU,” Izzo wrote. “The highest payday that NDSU has received was the $740,000 from Colorado in the 2024 season opener.”
Oregon Could Delay Bison Again
It’s possible that the Bison don’t get to play Oregon in 2028, as Izzo reported that “sources have indicated there’s potential for that game to be moved again.”
“It was scheduled when NDSU was an FCS school and Oregon might want to replace it with another FCS opponent in 2028 and kick the Bison down the road as a future G6 foe,” Izzo added. “The game was originally scheduled for September 2020, but was canceled because of COVID. NDSU is contracted to be paid $650,000 for that game, but that fee will go up regardless of when the game is now that NDSU is an FBS school.”
The 2020 game would have notably featured then-Bison quarterback Trey Lance, who went No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft to the San Francisco 49ers. A team loaded with draft picks fresh off a 16-0 2019 season, the 2020 Bison only played one game that fall because of COVID, and the Forum called it “the greatest team not to play.” Whether or not a Lance-led Bison team would have upset Oregon will never be known, and the Ducks are apparently still in no rush to face the Bison.
Gophers Coach Makes Decision on Playing North Dakota State: Report