North Dakota State couldn’t have asked for a better first day of FBS competition with a win over Jacksonville State and two key upsets in the Mountain West Conference.
Hawaii and UNLV lost their respective season openers, which leaves the Bison in first place for the Mountain West through Week Zero. Stanford beat Hawaii 37-27 at home, and Memphis stunned UNLV 27-21 in Las Vegas late Saturday night.
UNLV entered the season as the frontrunner for the Mountain West crown with Boise State off the Pac-12 this year. Hawaii likewise has conference title aspirations this year.
Both now have fallen behind the eight ball for standings in terms of overall record, and a Group of Six team losing any game is a major hindrance to College Football Playoff hopes. The Bison meanwhile took care of business against JSU with a 33-7 beatdown at the Fargodome, and NDSU could build on the momentum of the win and the early edge among the Mountain West contenders.
NDSU gets an FCS team in Fordham next on Sept. 5, which could allow for the Bison to develop depth if the team can build a big lead quicker than Saturday against the Gamecocks. The Bison will need to be careful to not let the Week 1 game be a trap game after a historic first FBS game win on Saturday.
Ripple Effect Waiting For Bison
Hawaii and UNLV meet in Honolulu for a key Sept. 5 showdown, which means one of those two teams will have a 0-2 record. That could ruin conference title game hopes for either team, and that will impact NDSU’s future games with the Running Rebels on Oct. 10 and the Rainbow Warriors on Nov. 14.
New Mexico, another Mountain West contender, also has a challenge with starting quarterback Jack Layne out for the season. The Lobos will get two games to feel things out with Central Michigan and Mercyhurst, but Oklahoma will be after that.
New Mexico later gets Hawaii early in Mountain West play on Oct. 17 before facing NDSU on Oct. 24. The Bison, which open Mountain West play on Sept. 12 at Air Force, could get a big jump on the conference with a strong start.
That said, NDSU will see a different kind of physical football from JSU and Fordham when that trip to Colorado Springs arrives. Bison head coach Tim Polasek, who once served on Wyoming’s staff in the Mountain West, is well aware of the challenges ahead.
UNLV Game Takes on New Wrinkle
Depending on how Memphis’ season plays out, NDSU could have a massive opportunity with the UNLV game on Oct. 10. Memphis entered the season as one of the top G6 teams, and how the Bison do against the Running Rebels can be measured against the Tigers‘ win in Vegas.
NDSU showed enough on Saturday to be considered among the G6’s elite this season, as JSU was a consistent winner in recent years. If the Bison can go into Vegas unbeaten, the Herd could gain more ground in the G6 race by outdoing Memphis’ performance against UNLV.
NDSU Receives Great News Amid FBS Debut