North Dakota State received a hard dose of reality on Saturday night in a loss to the UNLV Running Rebels.
The Bison offense couldn’t get anything going in a 13-7 defeat, and College Football Playoff dreams are now on thin ice. NDSU entered the game with a 5-0 record and among the favorites for the Group of Six bid, and the Bison now have zero room for error for CFP contention.
That said, the Bison have bigger issues than that. Three turnovers, nine penalties for 84 yards and 4-12 on third downs are concerning issues.
UNLV beat the Bison at time of possession by almost seven minutes, and the Bison didn’t lead in a game for the first time under head coach Tim Polasek. That’s going back to 2024, and that includes the loss to Colorado.
NDSU can get back on track next Saturday at home against Nevada (2-3), and the Bison then have a key road game against New Mexico (4-1) on Oct. 24. The Bison can still win the Mountain West Conference, and the CFP is still in reach, however remotely.
Boise State moving into the top 25 last week doesn’t bode well for the Bison, however, and the Broncos are primed to roll through the Pac-12 this season. James Madison (6-0) definitely moves ahead of the Bison, and Oregon State (4-2), UNLV (4-2) and Memphis (5-1) are also contenders.
NDSU Needs Help in the Mountain West
The Bison no longer control their own destiny in the Mountain West race.
UNLV owns the tiebreaker over the Bison, but both the Rebels and Bison face New Mexico over the next five weeks. If the Bison beat New Mexico, that win could cancel out the Lobos-Rebels game in November for earning a Mountain West title game spot.
That said, NDSU would be traveling back to Las Vegas for the Mountain West title game if UNLV wins out. Otherwise, NDSU could land the title game in Fargo by winning out and New Mexico beating UNLV in November.
For now, the Bison need to regroup after a loss where the offense failed to produce double figures for the first time since December 2019 against Illinois State. The Bison won that game, 9-3, but the real silver lining is that the Herd won the FCS title that season with a quarterback named Trey Lance.
NDSU has rebounded before after disappointing losses to take home postseason hardware.
Offensive Concerns Abound For Bison
While NDSU clearly has one of the best defenses in the country, the offensive issues are now alarming.
It started with the offensive line that gave up two sacks and six tackles for loss, and the Bison went 0-2 on short-yardage fourth downs. Bison quarterback Nathan Hayes struggled compared to his first five games, and the running attack couldn’t gain consistency despite 176 yards on the ground overall.
Those things come down to physicality, playing a level up from the FCS. The Rebels defense simply shut down the Bison offense on Saturday, and that may be a one-time thing.
However, it’s early enough in the season to question if the Bison could be in for more tough Saturdays with a more physical slate of opponents than in years past in the FCS.
Where NDSU Goes From Here After Big Loss to UNLV