As North Dakota State transitions to the Mountain West Conference for the upcoming football season, fans are eager to learn about the new scheduling landscape. Following the announcement, there has been a surge of interest regarding which teams the Bison will face this fall. Athletic director Matt Larsen and deputy AD Todd Phelps have been tasked with overhauling five years of planned non-conference games, aiming to secure three or possibly four non-league matchups for the season.
Gloria Nevarez, the commissioner of the Mountain West, indicated that the conference”s eight-game schedule is expected to be finalized by the end of the month. With the current conference structure comprising ten teams, NDSU will inevitably miss out on playing at least one team. Generally, teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) prefer to avoid scheduling additional conference games during the regular season.
Understanding the new terminology is essential for Bison fans. The terms “P4” and “G6” denote the Power Four leagues, which include the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast, Southeastern, and Big 12 conferences, and the Group of Six, which consists of the PAC-12, Mountain West, Conference USA, Sun Belt, Mid-American, and American Athletic conferences. Bison supporters will need to familiarize themselves with these leagues as they navigate the new landscape.
As it stands, the Mountain West is slated to hold eight conference games. This is particularly significant as the Power Four conferences are increasing their league games to nine, which opens up more opportunities for Group of Six matchups. According to Larsen, the new scheduling formula for the Bison will include a home game against an FCS opponent, a home game against a G6 school, a road game against another G6 team, and a road game against a P4 school.
To illustrate, a recent example from new conference rival Nevada includes games against Penn State (P4), Sacramento State (FCS), Middle Tennessee State (G6), and Western Kentucky (G6). Bison fans can also anticipate potential returns of former rivals such as Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, and Sam Houston to the Fargodome, while teams like James Madison, Missouri State, and Delaware may emerge as future opponents.
When considering matchups against Power Four teams, many Bison fans are hopeful for games against Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Reports suggest that Gophers head coach PJ Fleck has expressed reluctance to schedule NDSU during his tenure. Meanwhile, both the Badgers and Huskers have their schedules booked through 2029, leaving uncertain prospects for potential games against the Bison.
However, other P4 schools such as Purdue, Northwestern, Maryland, Baylor, and Oklahoma State might present opportunities for lucrative matchups, although none of these teams currently have openings. The largest payout NDSU has received to date was USD 740,000 from Colorado for their season opener in 2024. They are also scheduled to face Oregon in September 2028, though there are indications that this game might be postponed again. Originally planned for September 2020, it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and NDSU is set to receive USD 650,000 for the upcoming game, with the fee expected to increase as the Bison join the FBS.
Regarding the September 2027 game in Las Vegas against Montana State, the contract stipulates that the game will proceed “regardless of division.” However, the Bison”s transition to the FBS could complicate this fixture.
Another significant alteration for NDSU fans is the length of the regular season. Traditionally, the FCS regular season spanned 12 weeks with 11 games, but this year, the FCS will adopt a 12-game schedule. The FBS, on the other hand, operates on a different timeline, prohibiting teams from starting their seasons until Labor Day weekend unless they obtain a waiver for Week Zero. As a result, the FBS regular season will extend to thirteen weeks, with Thanksgiving weekend marking the end of the regular season, traditionally characterized by “Rivalry Weekend.” This has typically seen UNLV face off against Nevada.
One of the most significant changes for NDSU fans will be how television influences game scheduling. In the past, fans could plan their lives around game dates and times well in advance. This is set to shift dramatically. Major television networks conduct a “draft” in late April or early May to select marquee college football games, releasing the schedule for the first three weeks around Memorial Day.
After this initial announcement, fans will have to adapt to the networks” decisions regarding game times. Networks typically maintain a 12-day window to select which games will air on CBS, CBS Sports Network, FOX, FS1, and the CW Network. There is also the possibility of moving games to Friday nights if a suitable television window opens. As a result, game times will see considerable variability; NDSU”s home games, traditionally held at 1 PM or 2:30 PM, may now be scheduled for any time from 11 AM to 9 PM. Road games could lead to late nights, as eight of the ten Mountain West teams are in time zones that range from Mountain to Pacific to Hawaiian, with kickoff times potentially stretching from 7 PM to 11 PM. Bison fans will need to prepare for this new reality as they embrace the changes that come with their program”s move to the FBS.
