Notre Dame has games to fill for the 2027 and 2028 schedules, and Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and company could go with the new kid on the block in college football.
That’s 10-time FCS champion North Dakota State, which announced on Monday a move up to the FBS. The Bison will join the Mountain West Conference after a dominant 21-year run in the FCS, which consisted of 10 national championships in 15 seasons.
NDSU had more success at the FCS level than College Football Playoff entrant James Madison, which slipped into the 2025 postseason as a second Group of Six conference winner. That addition contributed to Notre Dame getting left out of the CFP instead of Miami, which ended up making the national championship game.
Strength of schedule is important for Notre Dame when it comes to the CFP because of no conference, and for that reason, the Fighting Irish would benefit from scheduling the Bison. NDSU has a 9-5 record against FBS teams since becoming a Division I program, and those wins consist of Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, Colorado State, Ball State, and Central Michigan.
The Bison also nearly beat Arizona and Colorado in the past three years, but NDSU also seldom played FBS opponents because programs stopped scheduling the FCS powerhouse to avoid the upset.
Notre Dame Would Find a Quality Opponent in the Bison
Notre Dame would receive a physical and challenging opponent in the trenches on both sides of the ball since the Bison regularly produce NFL talent along the offensive line and beyond.
Notable offensive linemen in the NFL from NDSU include Cody Mauch of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dillon Radunz of the New Orleans Saints, and Seattle Seahawks offensive linemen Jalen Sundell and Grey Zabel. The Bison also produced two top-three draft picks at quarterback in Carson Wentz and Trey Lance, and the tradition of strong quarterback play has continued with Cam Miller and Cole Payton. Both Miller and Payton could be on NFL rosters this fall.
NDSU moving to the FBS gives the Group of Six a serious playoff contender, so playing the Bison would be on par with facing Boise State, which the Fighting Irish did last season. The Fighting Irish regularly play Group of Six teams in Army and Navy each season, and both teams’ physical brands of football produce quality games for Notre Dame.
NDSU Wants to Make the 2026 College Football Playoff
If Notre Dame welcomes the Bison to South Bend in 2027 or 2026, the Fighting Irish could be facing a recent CFP team.
NDSU is petitioning the NCAA to lift the two-year postseason restriction on teams transitioning between divisions. The Mountain West is supporting the request, according to the Fargo Forum.
It’s not a moonshot for NDSU to top the whole Group of Six and get into the CFP this year. NDSU ranked No. 40 in the Sagarin rankings, right behind ACC champion Duke, which impacted the Irish’s playoff changes. Tulane was 50th in those rankings and JMU was No. 24.
NDSU beat JMU in two FCS championship games and split playoff games during the Bison dynasty. The Bison look to best JMU again and play at storied programs such as Notre Dame along the way.
Why Notre Dame Could Add New FBS Team to Schedule Soon