North Dakota State was the No. 1 seed in the 2025 FCS playoffs before losing to Illinois State 29-28 in the first round on Dec. 6. The Bison ultimately ended the season with a 12-1 record and decided to make a big move for its 2026 season on Monday.
According to reports, North Dakota State has finalized a deal to join the Mountain West for football only in 2026.
North Dakota State Leaves FCS in Strategic Shift As Early MWC Contention Already Expected
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the school is expected to pay nearly $12 million to join the conference, in addition to the $5 million to the NCAA to move from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
NDSU’s football-exclusive addition will bring the Mountain West to 10 teams in 2026, with the official announcement expected on Monday. The decision comes as the Mountain West seeks both revenue and competitive strength amid the yearly roster shifts to higher levels, and senior FCS analyst Sam Herder offered a pointed take.
“There was FCS fatigue in Fargo,” Herder wrote. “And Bison fatigue in the FCS. The more FCS titles NDSU won, the more Bison fans wanted to leave, while other FCS fans were getting bored of the same result. That scenario wasn’t good for the FCS or for the NDSU football program. Losing its top brand has its obvious cons for the FCS. And it weakens the subdivision.”
“But there are also some pros in this case…I think it makes the FCS playoffs more exciting. It opens the door for newer storylines in the national FCS picture, and we saw that this season in the bracket when NDSU exited early, which resulted in more intrigue and stronger TV viewership…This move makes sense for NDSU and the MWC. The Bison will be among the top G6 teams. And I don’t think many in the FCS, besides a few fan bases, are sad to see them leave…”
NDSU is a national powerhouse in the FCS, having won 10 of the last 15 FCS championships, capturing titles in 2011 through 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024. Before joining the FCS, NDSU won Division II championships in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, and 1990.
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The school has won at least 11 games every season since 2011, except in 2020, when it went 7-3. With NDSU becoming the latest team to enter conference realignment, football analyst Stewart Mandel offered a positive outlook on the program’s future.
“This is going to be fascinating. I assume they’ll dominate the MWC by Year 2,” Mandel tweeted.
NDSU will now join a Mountain West football lineup that includes the 20th-ranked team on the PFSN College Football OFFi Metric, Air Force Falcons, as well as Northern Illinois, Hawai’i, Nevada, New Mexico, UTEP, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming.
The addition will strengthen a league that lost Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah State, and Fresno State to the Pac-12.
