North Dakota State celebrated its kick off as an FBS program to start July, leaving behind the FCS after a dominant 22 seasons with 10 national championships.
NDSU insider Mike McFeely of the Fargo Forum claims the Bison would have been worse off than if they had stayed another year or beyond in the FCS despite the program’s dominance. The FBS will present new challenges, but McFeely detailed why staying in the FCS was a greater risk. His column can be read here.
NDSU outgrew the FCS years ago with the five consecutive national championships, followed by a three-peat from 2017 to 2019. Talk already arose about the Bison going to the FBS, but geography and finances looked like major hurdles, and it was enough to stay put.
Of course, the Bison needed a conference invitation, and that didn’t arrive recently, with the Mountain West Conference in flux. The Bison give the Mountain West another quality team amid the losses of Boise State, San Diego State and Fresno State.
NDSU’s Success Against FBS Couldn’t Be Ignored
NDSU already has proven success against the FBS with a 9-5 record overall during the FCS era. The Bison beat Minnesota twice, Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, Iowa, Colorado State, Ball State and Central Michigan during that span.
Almost all of NDSU’s FBS losses were by one score – Colorado, Minnesota, Wyoming and Arizona. The only time NDSU didn’t lose by a score was in 2009 against Iowa State when the Bison were beset by injuries and growing pains in a losing season.
FBS teams became afraid to schedule NDSU, and the Bison have only played two FBS teams since 2016, when the Herd upset a No. 13 Iowa team.
FCS Concerns Were Growing For the Bison
The lack of competition is one of the many reasons why NDSU’s move up to the FBS made too much sense. That’s especially the case as the FCS dwindled with the defection of top teams to the FBS.
NDSU’s former top FCS competitors include James Madison, Sam Houston, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina – all of whom moved to the FBS in the past decade. Appalachian State also made the move before the Bison really ever had a chance to face the Mountaineers.
The FCS has become watered down, with only a few elite teams that can give an FBS a scare during an early-season non-conference game. That list could grow even shorter if FCS powers South Dakota State, Montana and Montana State join the FBS party.
NDSU and fellow FCS powers have dealt with the transfer portal losses and head coaching losses, as both players and coaches seek bigger opportunities. The FBS will cost but also draw in more money, but the Bison were clearly losing money as an FCS team.
The Fargodome Mystique Returns?
NDSU’s regular sellouts of the Fargodome dissipated as the Bison’s dominance became boring for the fan base. That included playoff games, too, and NDSU’s final FCS playoff game at the dome ended in a stunning loss to Illinois State in front of 10,000 fans.
NDSU’s home field advantage being less than what it was coupled with personnel and financial concerns, made the FBS necessary. The Bison may never hoist another national championship trophy unless everything comes together for a magical Indiana-like season, but the program can keep going strong at college football’s highest level.
NDSU Insider Makes Strong Statement on Leaving FCS