North Dakota State showed initial success in the FBS with a big Week Zero win, and it’s no surprise in the Bison locker room.
Bison senior wide receiver Mekhi Collins said as much when he talked with Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer ahead of the Week Zero game against Jacksonville State. After all, the Bison had a 9-5 record against FBS teams during the FCS era in 22 seasons. Collins played in the last NDSU game against a Power Four team, Colorado in 2024, which was a 31-26 loss in Boulder.
“I think from our perspective, there’s no difference playing FBS, which, truthfully, I don’t think there should be,” Collins told Fischer. “You might see a couple of faster guys at the skill positions, but a lot of the positions it’s about the same strength-wise, speed-wise. I feel like a lot of the guys on our team could go to any other [FBS] place and play the exact same as they are now.”
Collins’ last point has been a reality for the Bison with multiple transfer portal losses over the years. NDSU kept winning FCS titles despite that, but moving up to the FBS only became more urgent by the year.
Collins has played his whole career with the Bison, and the North Mankato, Minnesota, native has 23 receptions for 473 yards and five touchdowns in his career. He had an 11-yard catch in Saturday’s 33-7 win over JSU.
It’s Been a While For the Bison
Saturday’s win over the Gamecocks marked the first win against an FBS team for NDSU since 2016.
For a team that has won 10 FCS championships in 15 years, that seems like an astronomically long time, but that’s because FBS teams quit playing the Bison. After an upset over No. 13 Iowa in 2016, the Bison didn’t play an FBS team again until 2022 against Arizona.
NDSU came up short against the Wildcats, as the Bison did against the Buffaloes in 2024. However, NDSU challenged both former Pac-12 teams to the end in one-score losses.
The Bison failed to convert on a fourth down against Arizona, and former Bison quarterback Cam Miller came up short in Boulder on the final drive. NDSU’s gap for FBS games would have only been four years if COVID-19 hadn’t wiped out the Oregon game in 2020, which would have been a chance for the Bison to showcase a team that was fresh off of a 16-0 season in 2019.
Big Ten, Big 12 Teams Have Stayed Away
The Bison and Ducks will meet in 2028 for the rescheduled game. While the Pac-12 was willing to schedule the Bison, the Big Ten had already bowed out after two losses for Minnesota and one for Iowa against the Herd.
Oregon joined the Big Ten after the game with NDSU was scheduled. Big 12 teams haven’t scheduled the Bison since 2014, when the Herd beat Iowa State. NDSU previously beat Kansas and Kansas State earlier in the decade.
The Bison went 1-1 against Mountain West Conference teams during the FCS years with a win over Colorado State and a loss to Wyoming. NDSU went 2-0 against the MAC with wins over Ball State and Central Michigan.
North Dakota State WR Sends Message on Playing FBS Teams