North Dakota State had achieved all there was to achieve at the FCS level, and so this season for the first time, they’ve made the move up to FBS, the highest level of Division I college football.
So far, the move is going swimmingly. The Bison are 4-0, and they’re already starting chatter as a potential darkhorse College Football Playoff contender if they can go undefeated.
In the process, they’re putting the whole nation on notice with their well-rounded style of play — that includes one stat in which they lead the entire country.
NDSU Leads Country in Key Stat
The Bison have more defensive touchdowns than any other team in FBS.
They’ve taken three defensive plays back to the house — two fumbles and one interception.
Sure, they’ve played four games, but that’s still quite the accomplishment in a team’s first season at this level.
Through Week 3, North Dakota State @NDSUfootball leads the nation in defensive TDs in FBS with 3.
2 fumble return TDs and 1 interception return TD.
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) September 21, 2026
The first defensive touchdown came in Week 0 against Jacksonville State, a game that the Bison won 33-7.
Already with a 20-7 lead, the defense forced a fumble with Jacksonville State backed up, and Blake Schiltz fell on it in the end zone for a TD.
The next defensive score came in Week 1 against Fordham, a game NDSU dominated to win 38-0.
Marion Moore snagged a Rams pass early in the third quarter and took it 37 yards to the house for a touchdown.
NDSU didn’t score defensively in Week 2, when the Bison held on late for a 38-32 victory to open their conference slate 1-0.
They took care of business on that side of the ball again in the first quarter of Week 3 against Sacramento State. Less than four minutes into the game, Darius Givance picked up a loose fumble and took it back to the painted grass for a 14-0 NDSU lead on the way to a 31-10 victory.
If North Dakota State keeps averaging three defensive scores every four games, they’ll be tough to beat.
NDSU to CFP? Schedule Matters
North Dakota State’s only chance at the College Football Playoff in its first year in FBS — which the Bison are indeed eligible for — is to go undefeated.
Even then, it’s not clear it’d be enough. The non-conference and Mountain West schedules aren’t great.
North Dakota State has a bye in the weekend ahead, then will play Wyoming at home on Oct. 3.
From there, they go to UNLV on Oct. 10 before hosting Nevada on Oct. 17.
Then it’s a trip to New Mexico on Oct. 24. The Bison are back home against UTEP on Halloween afternoon.
They have a bye the weekend of Nov. 7, then make the trip to Hawaii for Nov. 14 action.
They close the regular season at home against Northern Illinois (Nov. 21) and on the road at San Jose State on Friday night, Nov. 27.
Will that be enough for NDSU to impress the CFP committee? They’ll have to keep winning to find out.
NDSU Nation-Leading Feat Starts Undefeated Talk, CFP Push