North Dakota State will be looking for FBS non-conference opponents in the coming years, and programs from Group of Six conferences will make for logical home-and-home matchups.
For now, Temple can be crossed off the list of options. The American Athletic Conference program’s head coach, K.C. Keeler, doesn’t want to see the Bison, as he is painfully familiar with the program.
“No interest whatsoever,” Keeler told the Fargo Forum’s Mike McFeely. “If I never see those uniforms again, that’s fine. And then playing [at the Fargodome] … that crowd. The great thing about North Dakota State is that they’ve earned the chip they have on their shoulder and they play with that chip on their shoulder.”
“That program and those fans, they’ve earned the fact they have something special going on and they live up to the standard,” Keeler added. “That history, it’s just absolutely incredible.”
Keeler saw it first hand in 2014 and 2017 during the FCS playoffs when the Bison bullied his Sam Houston Bearkats 35-3 in 2014 and 55-13 in 2017. The Bison also nearly beat Keeler’s 2021 Bearkats squad in the FCS playoffs on the road.
Sam Houston held on in that one, 24-20, despite former Bison stars Christian Watson and Braylon Henderson taking kick returns to the house for touchdowns in the third quarter. Keeler took the Temple job in 2025 after two FBS seasons with Sam Houston.
His Owls squad went 5-7 in 2025. He went 3-9 with Sam Houston in the Bearkats’ first FBS season in 2023 and 9-3 in the program’s second FBS season.
NDSU Has Unique Ties With Temple
The Bison drawing Temple would give the Herd a bigger-name non-conference opponent at home and a road game in an ironic setting.
Temple plays in Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where the Philadelphia Eagles play. Two former Bison quarterbacks, Carson Wentz and Cole Payton, have been drafted by the Eagles.
In addition, former Bison quarterback Quincy Patterson II transferred to Temple after the 2021 fall season. Adding to the irony, the Bison have a quarterback commit named Carter Temple for the 2027 class, which could add another layer of intrigue if the Bison and Owls were to meet.
As McFeely also pointed out, NDSU playing on the Eagles’ home turf would be most fitting for the Herd. All that said, playing Temple like wouldn’t boost NDSU’s strength of schedule.
Temple hasn’t enjoyed a winning season since 2019, but Keeler did notch the most wins for the Owls since 2019 last season. The Owls had a five-year stretch of winning seasons in the 2010s before the drought.
NDSU’s Reputation Will Impact FBS Scheduling
If Keeler’s comments are any indicator of sentiments beyond Temple, FBS non-conference scheduling won’t come easy for the Bison.
NDSU has a 9-5 record against FBS teams since moving to the FCS 22 years ago. The Bison have beaten Minnesota, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa, Iowa State and Colorado State. The Herd also nearly upset Colorado and Arizona in the past two seasons, and those were the only two FBS games on the schedule between 2017 and 2025.
While coaches don’t have to worry about losing to NDSU as an FCS team anymore, the Bison’s reputation is following them to the FBS thus far.
Temple Coach Sends Strong Message on Playing NDSU