Rumors swirled for months about a multitude of Football Championship Subdivision schools trying to make the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision level by joining the Mountain West Conference. Those rumors became reality Feb. 9, when it was announced that FCS powerhouse North Dakota State will transition to the FBS and join the Mountain West as a football-only member beginning with the 2026 season.
“We are thrilled to welcome North Dakota State University’s football program to the Mountain West,” Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a conference news release. “The Bison bring a championship mindset and a bold vision for growth that aligns with the unwavering commitment to excellence of the Mountain West. Their dedication to elevating the student-athlete experience — on the field, in the classroom and throughout the community — will energize the Mountain West and help propel our football profile to new heights nationwide.”
NDSU has ruled as one of the top teams at the FCS level since its addition to Division I in 2004. The Bison won five straight FCS national championships from 2011 to 2015 and claimed 10 of the past 14 national titles from 2011 to 2024. In 2019, NDSU also became the first team to finish a perfect 16-0 season since Yale did so in 1894.
“Our football program has earned this opportunity through the sustained success and leadership of our student-athletes and coaches, past and present,” NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen said in a university news release. “Joining the Mountain West is an exciting new opportunity for our team to compete at the highest level, for our fans to see FBS opponents coming to Fargo, and for Bison football to reach a wider national audience through expanded television coverage.”
Several teams that have made the transition from the FCS to the FBS level have found success. James Madison, which moved up from the FCS in 2021, recently appeared in the College Football Playoff after winning the Sun Belt Conference championship.
NDSU will endure a transition period as it makes the jump between the two levels and will be ineligible to compete in the Mountain West championship game or the College Football Playoff. NDSU will be eligible for a bowl berth only if there are not enough postseason eligible teams to fill all bowl games.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, NDSU will pay $5 million to move from the FCS to the FBS level, in addition to $12 million to compete in the Mountain West.
NDSU will remain in the Summit League for all sports other than football.
Wyoming and NDSU have met on the field once, in 2008, when the Cowboys narrowly defeated the Bison 16-13. Former Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl spent 11 seasons as head coach at North Dakota State, winning three national championships before being hired at Wyoming in 2014. Current NDSU head coach Tim Polasek was an offensive coordinator for Bohl at Wyoming from 2021 to 2023 before taking the head coaching job at NDSU.
Air Force, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming all remain full members of the Mountain West, with Hawaii now also competing as a full-time member in all sports. UTEP has also been added as a full-time member, while North Dakota State and Northern Illinois will join as football-only members. Grand Canyon and UC Davis round out the conference as members in all sports except football.
