North Dakota State made the move to the FBS for the long term, and recent developments in the College Football Playoff’s future look promising for the Bison.
The CFP committee released a statement on Tuesday regarding the expansion of the CFP from 12 teams to 24 teams in 2027. While there has been talk for a while about the expansion, the CFP’s latest announcement sets a 30-day negotiation window with ESPN, per ESPN’s Heather Dinich.
“The CFP has decided to move forward in its evaluation of potential Playoff expansion to 24 teams by beginning a media rights discussion with ESPN,” the CFP statement read. “This does not represent a decision or commitment to expand, but rather an opportunity to engage with ESPN and gather additional information to help determine a path forward. The CFP will provide additional updates when appropriate.”
NDSU will be among the many Group of Six conference teams watching for how this plays out. It’s not conclusive that the G6 will gain more entries with an expanded field, but that is a possibility, which hinges on what Power 4 conferences want — especially the Big Ten and SEC.
For the Bison, playoffs are an annual tradition in Fargo with 10 national championships in 15 years at the FCS level. The Bison made the FCS playoffs 16 consecutive years from 2010 to 2016.
NDSU’s Current CFP Outlook
With a 2-0 start, NDSU is off to a good start to make a run for a CFP spot this year. The Bison beat Jacksonville State 33-7 and Fordham 38-0 in the first two games of the season, and a big test arrives on Saturday with Air Force on the road in their Mountain West Conference opener.
That said, the Bison have a mountain to climb to reach the CFP this year with a weak strength of schedule. Dinrich considers Boise State and Memphis as the current bubble teams for the G6 instead of the Bison.
Boise State has a leg up on the Bison in the G6 race after nearly upsetting former No. 2 Oregon, 34-27, on Sept. 5. Memphis also sits well with an upset of UNLV to open the season in Week Zero.
The Broncos and Tigers will settle things on Saturday on the blue turf in Boise, Idaho. Other G6 teams that could still be in the mix include UNLV, Navy, New Mexico and James Madison.
While Dinrich has Boise State in the CFP, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach projects the Bison as the No. 12 seed going up against No. 5 seed Oregon in Eugene on Dec. 19. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura projects the Bison for a return to Honolulu with the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 against San Diego State.
NDSU’s Common Opponent Factor Status
NDSU has seen some ups and downs on the common opponent front thus far, and what’s ahead in Week 2 could be interesting. The Bison play teams that face the following Power 4 teams and G6 contenders this season: USC, Oklahoma, Michigan and Memphis.
USC routed San Jose State to open the season during Week Zero; the Bison close out the regular season with the Spartans. Michigan fell out of the top-25 after barely beating Western Michigan on Sept. 5 amid a controversial last-second call. The Wolverines face UTEP on Sept. 19, and NDSU hosts the Miners on Oct. 31.
Oklahoma bulldozed UTEP to start the season, and the Sooners face New Mexico on Sept. 19. NDSU impressing against New Mexico could go a long way on Oct. 24 if the Lobos challenge or shock the Sooners.
Lastly, Bison fans will want to pull for Memphis beating Boise State on Saturday because that could make the dominos fall NDSU’s way. If the Bison get a strong win over UNLV on Oct. 10 coupled with a Memphis win over Boise State, the Bison significantly improve CFP hopes.
How the Latest CFP Expansion News Impacts North Dakota State