North Dakota State received six votes in the US LMB Coaches Poll this week after a 2-0 start, which bodes well for the Bison amid the team’s FBS debut.
The Bison moved up to the FBS this year after dominating the FCS with 10 national championships in 15 years, so NDSU bursting onto the FBS scene is no surprise. NDSU received more votes than several notable teams, including one that fell out of the top 25.
That’s the Clemson Tigers (0-1), which got demolished by No. 8 LSU on Sept. 5. NDSU also received more votes than Navy (1-0), UCLA (1-0), Duke (1-0), UNLV (1-1), San Diego State (1-0), North Carolina (1-0) and Colorado (1-0).
The Bison will want to stay ahead of UNLV, a Mountain West Conference contender, and Navy and SDSU are two other Group of Six teams the Herd will need to be on the lookout for. Meanwhile, the Bison are chasing Boise State (0-1), which received 43 votes after nearly upsetting former No. 2 Oregon, and NDSU is looking to catch up with Memphis (2-0), which beat UNLV to open the season.
Memphis received 24 votes in the poll, and the Tigers and Boise State have a showdown in Idaho on Saturday that will impact the G6 race. NDSU simply needs to keep winning impressively, and that’s the task ahead at Air Force on Saturday in the Mountain West opener and debut for the Bison.
NDSU Receives Top Ranking in Mountain West
Nevada Sports Net’s Chris Murray produces a Mountain West ranking each week during the season, and the Bison topped his ranking this week.
“NDSU has outscored its two opponents – Jacksonville State and Fordham – by a combined score of 71-7, including last week’s 38-0 romp of FCS Fordham in which the Bison allowed just 135 yards,” Murray wrote. “NDSU has allowed only 104 rushing yards on 57 carries (1.8 yards per attempt), which sets up a matchup this week at Air Force, which runs the triple-option. This is an excellent first MW test for the Bison.”
Murray then ranked New Mexico at No. 2 after the Lobos’ 38-7 win over Central Michigan. UNLV came in third after beating Hawaii 21-6 and Nevada fourth after beating Western Kentucky 49-13. Air Force received the No. 5 ranking after a 34-0 win over Duquesne.
Mountain West Analyst Notes Advantage to Bison
NDSU faces a run-heavy Air Force squad that features the triple option, and that’s an offense the Bison have been successful stopping in years past. It’s also promising that the Herd already shut down a strong running team as Mountain West Connection’s Sean OToole pointed out.
“This is why that week zero game against Jax State is a really important artifact to this week’s matchup,” OToole wrote. “Last year, Jacksonville State had a dynamic ground attack behind Caden Creel. In their opener, Creel and company couldn’t muster 200 yards of total offense.”
“The Bison completely bottled up the rushing attack, and it was obvious from the start, a one dimensional passing offense would not be a recipe for success versus North Dakota State,” OToole added.
NDSU will need a similar performance on Saturday night to keep things rolling against Air Force.
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