North Dakota State’s long-speculated leap to big-time college football is finally happening: the Bison are joining the Mountain West as a football-only member starting with the 2026 season, officially moving from the FCS to the FBS.
A seismic shift out of Fargo
North Dakota State will become an affiliate (football-only) member of the Mountain West on July 1, 2026, positioning the Bison to play a full conference slate that fall while their other sports remain in the Summit League.
The move ends NDSU’s run in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, where the program became the defining power of the FCS over the past decade and a half. The price tag underscores how serious the school is about the jump: NDSU will pay a $5 million NCAA fee to reclassify to FBS and roughly another $12 million to join the Mountain West, for a total north of $17 million. That investment comes as the Mountain West rebuilds its football lineup amid ongoing realignment and prepares a new scheduling matrix with the Bison included for 2026.
Why the Mountain West wanted NDSU
For the Mountain West, North Dakota State checks several boxes at once: competitive credibility, brand value, and stability. Since 2011, the Bison have compiled a 198–22 record and captured 10 FCS national championships, including their most recent titles in 2021 and 2024.
They’re 9–5 against FBS opponents all time and have notched multiple wins over power-conference programs, proving they can punch above their subdivision. Conference officials are emphasizing NDSU’s “championship mindset” and the chance to extend the league’s reach into the upper Midwest, an area the Mountain West has never truly tapped.
The addition also helps offset the loss of traditional powers like Boise State, Fresno State and San Diego State as they shift to the rebuilt Pac-12, part of the broader reshuffling that pushed the Mountain West to the realignment table in the first place.
What changes for the Bison
On the field, the move means a week-in, week-out grind against FBS competition instead of FCS playoff runs and annual dates with Missouri Valley rivals like South Dakota State and North Dakota. NDSU will now play eight Mountain West conference games and four nonconference contests each season, matching the standard FBS 12-game schedule. The transition won’t be instant gratification. NCAA rules require a reclassification period in which schools moving up to FBS are not immediately bowl-eligible, meaning NDSU faces at least a short window without a shot at postseason play even as it climbs the ladder.
At the same time, joining the FBS opens the door to the expanded College Football Playoff structure, where guaranteed access for at least one team from outside the power leagues gives a program like NDSU a theoretical path to the sport’s biggest stage.
Money, travel and identity
Financially, NDSU’s decision is a bet that increased media exposure, guarantee games, and Mountain West distributions will eventually outweigh the steep entry fees and expanded travel budget.
Critics inside and outside the fan base have questioned whether leaving behind near-annual title contention and regional rivalries is worth the cost, especially when road trips will now stretch regularly to places like Nevada, California and New Mexico instead of the Dakotas and Iowa.
But for a portion of the Bison faithful, the move answers years of calls to take on a bigger stage after a decade-plus of FCS dominance.
The program has already been producing NFL talent, including recent first-round draft picks, and administrators have signaled that aligning the brand with FBS football is central to NDSU’s long-term vision.
What comes next?
The Mountain West is already working through scheduling models that fold NDSU into the league’s 2026 slate, with early chatter circling around future matchups against Wyoming, Air Force and the league’s incoming members.
Analysts expect the Bison’s physical, run-heavy style to translate reasonably well, even if depth and week-to-week attrition present new challenges at the FBS level.
For the FCS, NDSU’s exit leaves a sizable vacuum at the top of the subdivision hierarchy and could accelerate conversations about further call-ups and conference reshuffling.
For the Bison and the Mountain West, though, the story is simpler: after years of “what if,” North Dakota State finally has its seat at the FBS table—and both league and program are betting that the gamble pays off in wins, viewers and relevance well beyond the plains of Fargo.