North Dakota State beginning the FBS era can guarantee one thing for a Bison fan base accustomed to winning championships.
“If NDSU fans were bored in FCS, they certainly won’t be now,” ESPN’s Bill Connelly wrote.
Since 2011, the Bison won 10 FCS national championships, and some of those runs came in dominant and unbeaten fashion. NDSU had three unbeaten national championship seasons and a 2024 campaign that was perfect against the FCS.
The Bison won the Missouri Valley Football Conference 12 times during the dynasty. NDSU looked to end the 12th season of Missouri Valley dominance with an 11th national title, but Illinois State interrupted that in a nearly half-empty Fargodome. That wasn’t new, as attendance has been down for a while.
Fans once packed the Fargodome for FCS home playoff games, and the stadium seats 19,000 and reaches a decibel level of 115. Such dynamics made it a popular site for ESPN broadcasts during the FCS dynasty, and College GameDay came to Fargo twice.
That said, NDSU seasons in the FCS included many blowout wins in non- conference games and Missouri Valley games alike. The playoffs often looked similar in the early rounds, and the Bison sometimes blew out semifinal opponents and championship game opponents.
Football season became predictable and, therefore, boring for a Bison fan base so accustomed to winning every week. The Bison don’t have that dynamic anymore in the FBS and the Mountain West Conference.
Predictions range from the Bison going 12-0 to having ups and downs with an 8-4 season.
Bison to the FBS Overdue
Connelly went on to illustrate how overdue NDSU’s move to the FBS truly is.
It took years as the Bison awaited a conference invitation, and geography and money remained barriers for the Herd. The Mountain West Conference’s latest shakeup, with five teams leaving for the new Pac-12, finally opened the door for the Bison, winners of 18 national championships in lower levels of college football.
“Five years ago, 10 years ago and 40 years ago, North Dakota State won the national title,” Connelly wrote. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a while. NDSU is one of the most storied brands in college football, and it’s finally playing at the top level of college football.”
“The Bison won small college national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969, then landed in Division II and won titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990. Then came a bigger jump and broader level of domination: They won FCS titles in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024,” he added.
“They forced schools like James Madison and South Dakota State to raise their levels, and even when those programs got the better of the Bison, the advantages didn’t last long. They were good for FCS, but it was time to jump. I can’t wait to see how this goes,” Connelly concluded.
FCS Will Be OK Without NDSU
Connelly believes the FCS will be OK without NDSU going forward.
Fans in Montana and South Dakota particularly look forward to clearer paths to national championships. That said, Connelly thinks the FCS will fare well overall outside of the regions that boast the few remaining powerhouses.
“I was at last year’s national title game,” Connelly wrote. “The crowd was great, and the game was great. There are plenty of proud brands remaining, and if they share the NDSU-less spotlight for a bit, I’m not thinking the sport will suffer for it. This is a win-win as far as I’m concerned.”
Other teams to watch for, based on Craig Haley’s preseason top-25, include Illinois State, UC Davis, Rhode Island, Villanova, North Dakota, Tarleton State and Youngstown State.
Analyst Makes Promise to North Dakota State Fans