In the wake of the North Dakota State Bison”s recent move to join the Mountain West Conference for the upcoming football season, one question has taken center stage: who will the Bison play? Athletic director Matt Larsen and deputy AD Todd Phelps have had to cancel five years” worth of planned non-conference games and start anew, aiming to secure three or four non-league matchups for this season.
The Mountain West”s Commissioner, Gloria Nevarez, recently shared that the eight-game league schedule is expected to be made public by the end of the month. With ten teams in the conference, NDSU will not face at least one of these teams. Generally, FBS teams avoid scheduling matchups against other conference opponents during the regular season.
As fans adapt to this new landscape, it is essential to understand the terminology surrounding college football schedules. The terms P4 and G6 represent the Power Four leagues—Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Southeastern, and Big 12—and the Group of Six, which includes the PAC-12, Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt, Mid-American, and American Athletic conferences. For Bison supporters who have been accustomed to following teams from the CAA, Southland, and Big Sky conferences, the Mountain West will now be the league to watch.
Currently, the Mountain West is set to play eight conference games. This shift is significant as the Power Four conferences will increase their league games to nine for the first time, potentially opening more opportunities for Group of Six games. According to Larsen, the Bison”s new scheduling approach will involve a home game against an FCS team, a home game against a G6 school, a road game against a G6 school, and a road game against a P4 school.
For instance, the Bison might look at a scheduling model similar to that of their new league rival, Nevada, which includes games against a P4 opponent and two G6 schools.
Fans of NDSU can anticipate possible homecomings for familiar opponents such as Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, and Sam Houston, while others like James Madison, Missouri State, and Delaware may emerge as viable home-and-home candidates in the coming years. While Bison supporters may hope for future games against Power Four teams like Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, it appears that those prospects are uncertain. Reports indicate that Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck has expressed reluctance to schedule NDSU during his tenure, and both the Badgers and Huskers have filled their schedules through 2029.
However, there may be opportunities with other Power Four teams, such as Purdue, Northwestern, and Maryland, which could offer significant financial incentives for NDSU, given their status as an FBS program. The largest payday for the Bison to date was $740,000 from Colorado for a season opener, and they are also contracted to receive $650,000 for a game against Oregon, set for September 2028.
As the Bison transition to the FBS level, the regular season will also extend. Traditionally, the FCS regular season comprised 11 games over 12 weeks. This year, the FCS will adopt a 12-game schedule, aligning more closely with FBS standards. FBS teams are restricted from starting their seasons until Labor Day weekend unless they obtain a waiver for Week Zero, leading to a 13-week season that now concludes on Thanksgiving weekend. This period is typically reserved for rivalry games in the FBS, such as the annual UNLV vs. Nevada matchup.
One of the most striking changes for NDSU fans will be the impact of television scheduling. In the past, fans could easily plan their lives around game dates and times months in advance. However, this season will see a shift as major networks conduct a “draft” to choose college football games in late April or early May. The first three weeks of the season will be announced around Memorial Day, after which fans will have to wait for networks to determine game times, often with just a 12-day notice.
As a result, traditional kickoff times for home games—typically at 1 PM or 2:30 PM—will likely change, with possibilities for games starting as early as 11 AM or as late as 9 PM. Road games could lead to late-night returns for fans, as eight of the ten Mountain West teams are situated in different time zones.
As North Dakota State Bison football enters this new era, fans must prepare for a completely different scheduling landscape filled with uncertainty and excitement.
