When North Dakota State announced the move to the FBS, speculation grew on whether or not the Bison and Minnesota Golden Gophers would meet on the field again.
Less than four hours apart, the geography would make sense, and the teams played three times between 2006 and 2011 when NDSU became an FCS powerhouse that eventually won 10 national championships in 15 years. Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck finally addressed the Bison joining the FBS during a recent spring practice when asked about it.
“I got 99 issues, problems, things and that’s not one of them,” Fleck told reporters via Andy Gerder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “But I wish them all the best, I guess. But my focus is on the University of Minnesota.”
It didn’t help that the Bison beat the Gophers twice in 2007 and 2011 before Fleck became the head coach. NDSU also nearly upset the Gophers at the Metrodome in 2006.
Big Ten Teams Hesitant to Play NDSU
Big Ten teams have shied away from facing the Bison during the FCS dynasty, and NDSU’s upsets came to a culmination with a win over a ranked Iowa team in 2016. The Bison will face a Big Ten team again in Oregon for the 2028 season, but that game first landed on the calendar when the Ducks played in the Pac-12.
NDSU also couldn’t get USC on the schedule for Week Zero before the Trojans officially announced San Jose State as the opponent. The Bison weren’t able to schedule any Power Four teams for 2026, and there aren’t any others besides Oregon for the foreseeable future.
NDSU has a 9-5 record against FBS teams since moving up to the FCS from Division II in 20024. The Bison have a 5-4 record against Power Four teams in that span with wins over Iowa State and Kansas State in addition to the Hawkeyes and Gophers.
Three of those four losses were by one score, and the only loss where that didn’t happen occurred during the Bison’s last losing season in 2009. Iowa State beat the Bison 34-17 in Ames that year, but NDSU returned in 2014 during the five-year title run and routed the Cyclones 34-14.
NDSU’s first Power Four conference loss came against the Gophers in 2006 when former Bison kicker Shawn Bibeau missed a 43-yard field goal as time expired in a 10-9 loss. The Bison fell short by a field goal, 31-28, against Arizona in 2022, where a late turnover on downs cost the Herd.
NDSU’s rally against Colorado came up short, 31-26, in Boulder, as former quarterback Cam Miller went for a game-winning touchdown pass. Former Bison wideout Tyler Terhark hauled in the 49-yard pass at the Buffaloes’ 4-yard line, but Terhark couldn’t break free to score as the clock hit zero.
NDSU’s 2 Statement Wins Over Gophers
In 2007, NDSU returned to the Metrodome, and former Bison running back Tyler Roehl dominated the Gophers with 263 yards rushing and a touchdown on 22 carries.
NDSU beat the Gophers 27-21 on the way to a 10-1 season where the Bison sought a bowl invite since the program wasn’t yet eligible for the FCS playoffs. The Bison went through a couple of down years after that but were retooled for the dynasty run in 2011 when they met the Gophers again.
That time around, the Bison won soundly again at the former TCF Bank Stadium with a 37-24 victory over the Gophers. Former Bison defensive back Marcus Williams returned an interception for a touchdown that broke open the game in the fourth quarter.
NDSU went on to win the first to 10 FCS championships that year.
Gophers Coach P.J. Fleck Gets Brutally Honest on NDSU