North Dakota State’s Move Up to FBS Comes With One Request

The FCS powerhouse will join the Mountain West, but it wants to sidestep an NCAA rule requiring a team reclassifying to wait two years for postseason play.

Quarterback Cam Miller (7) of the North Dakota State Bison runs the ball against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium in Tucson on Sept. 17, 2022. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images

For storied college football program North Dakota State, moving up to the FBS after 10 FCS championships comes with one simple request.

NDSU wants the NCAA to lift its two-year reclassification rule, which denies postseason play for those years. The Bison have made the FCS playoffs every year since 2010 and have made 11 championship game appearances in that span, and NDSU expects to win right away at the FBS level.

“The circumstances have changed greatly since that rule was made,” NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen told reporters following a press conference on Monday, via The Fargo Forum. “The rule is antiquated.”

NDSU aims to join the Mountain West conference, and The Forum’s Mike McFeely confirmed that the Mountain West supports its request, per a league spokesperson. After losing five teams to the Pac-12, the Mountain West is looking for NDSU to fill a major void left by past contenders such as Boise State and Fresno State.

“The Bison bring a championship mindset and a bold vision for growth that aligns with the unwavering commitment to the excellence of the Mountain West,” conference commissioner Gloria Nevarez said in a press release. “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.”

It’s unclear when the NCAA will officially decide on the waiver request.

When the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams in 2024, the Mountain West provided the first entrant among the Group of Six conferences. Boise State earned a bye with the Mountain West title but fell 31–14 to Penn State in the quarterfinals.

NDSU has a similar trajectory in mind, especially with former FCS rival James Madison making the College Football Playoff last season. JMU, in its third season as an FBS team, won the Sun Belt Conference and fell to Oregon 51–34 in the first round.

Another Group of Six team, Tulane, made the College Football Playoff in 2025, but the Green Wave suffered a similar fate, losing 41–10 to Ole Miss in the first round. The blowout losses for the Group of Six teams have raised concerns about whether they belong in the College Football Playoff with the Power Four teams, and NDSU is highly qualified to answer the bell.

Power Four teams have mostly avoided scheduling the Bison since 2016 after a string of upsets by the former FCS powerhouse. The Bison beat a ranked Iowa team in 2016 after upsets of Kansas State, Iowa State, Minnesota, and Kansas in previous years.

Arizona nearly fell to the Bison in 2022, and NDSU almost upset Colorado in 2024. The Bison don’t have another Power Four team on the schedule until Oregon in 2028.

Overall, NDSU has a 9–5 record against FBS opponents, and the Bison have produced NFL draft picks at a pace that’s on par with the better FBS teams. That includes two quarterbacks, Carson Wentz and Trey Lance, going in the top three of the draft. NDSU currently has 18 active players in the NFL, including two starting offensive linemen for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks—Jalen Sundell and Grey Zabel.

NDSU went 12–1 in its final FCS season and got upset in the second round by national runner-up Illinois State. Bison head coach Tim Polasek believes his team will keep winning in 2026 at the next level.

“I like the football team,” Polasek said during Monday’s press conference. “I like our ability to go in and compete and not figure out as we go. We’re not doing that here. This is about winning, it always has been, but there is going to be a process to figure out exactly where we need to improve and continue to attack that like always.”