North Dakota State moving to the FBS is anything but experimental or rash, even amid recent former FCS rival James Madison making the 2025 College Football Playoff.
For 15 years, NDSU owned the FCS with 10 national titles in 15 years, and two of those wins came against the Dukes. That said, the Bison stayed in the FCS while other powerhouses such as JMU moved up, and it seemed as if NDSU would just stay put due to geography and finances. Bison head coach Tim Polasek described his program’s recent move as quite intentional and well-planned.
“Right now, it’s all gas and no brakes, and we’re really excited,” Polasek told On3. “Could there come a time that we look back, ‘Hey, man, those FCS years were great.’ Sure. For me, personally, being connected to the program the way I was, even going back to the time when I left — there’s always been this little bit of eagerness.”
“The truth of the matter is, where college football is headed, where North Dakota State University wants to go, it’s perfect timing,” Polasek added.
NDSU has a 9-5 record against FBS teams, going back to 2006, so the big boys aren’t too much for the Bison anyway. Power Four teams avoided scheduling the Bison after upsets of Minnesota, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Iowa between 2011 and 2016. The Bison have only played two FBS teams since — Arizona in 2022 and Colorado in 2024 — and both were near upsets.
Tim Polasek: ‘We’re a National Brand’
America knows about the Bison thanks to the titles, the FBS upsets, the four College GameDay appearances, two top-three quarterbacks in the NFL Draft, and many NFL players who once played in Fargo.
“Because of the work of our former players, former coaches and former administrators, we are a national brand,” Polasek said. “The important thing is to continue to move that national brand forward, so that we’re not just labeled as the FCS. We’re a national brand because we play really good football.”
“We respect the opinions of our peers more than anything, and no matter what business or what venture you’re in. My number one goal is to continue to be respected by those guys. That we do play football the proper way,” Polasek added. “We do play a physical brand of football, and we’re a tough out.”
NDSU allowed 13 points per game last season, and piled on 41.08 points per game amid a 12-1 record. The Bison are often loaded in the trenches with playmakers all over both the offense and defense.
NDSU Players Get Good New Amid FBS Transition
The Bison have an FBS-ready roster, and there’s no overhaul around the corner, Polasek explained.
“The one thing we’re going to do is we’re going to take the Bison into this fight,” Polasek said. “We’re not cutting 20 guys, five personnel people and two coaches because we need to revamp everything. We’re just not going to do that. We’ll learn and grow through this thing together, and I’m excited about that.”
Polasek told On3 that he mainly focused on the development of the program itself right now before getting into spring practices.
North Dakota State Coach Sends Strong Message to FBS