US EditionMountain West adds North Dakota State for football only
North Dakota State moves from FCS to FBS in 2026 with a two-year postseason ineligibility, aiming to boost Mountain West football after key team departures.
- North Dakota State University announced Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, it will join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member effective July 1, 2026.
- Because the Mountain West lost programs to the Pac-12, NDSU's championship pedigree, including 10 FCS titles, made the move mutually beneficial for growth and NDSU student-athletes.
- Conference officials say NDSU will join Northern Illinois and UTEP as new members in 2026, disrupting the original schedule including the Nov. 21 game at the Alerus Center.
- NDSU Athletic Director Matt Larsen said the school will petition for immediate eligibility to the CFP, Mountain West championship, and bowls, with conference support, though a two-year rule bars title game access.
- Longer term, NDSU will pay $5 million to the NCAA and is projected to pay $12 million to the Mountain West, helping create a 10-team league in 2026.
28 Articles
28 Articles
Litmus test: NDSU's jump to FBS not as easy for Montana, Montana State
BILLINGS As the North Dakota State Bison go grazing in bigger and wider Division I pastures in the Mountain West, they leave behind an incredible legacy at the FCS level.University of Montana athletic director Kent Haslam, for one, wasn't too surprised by NDSU's Monday announcement that it is jumping up to the FBS. He is, however, a little somber about it all."I don't know if saddened is the right word, but you hate to see North Dakota State go,…
Insider Predicts Surprise Team For 2026 College Football Playoff
The Mountain West Conference has received a lot of attention in the last 72 hours with North Dakota State joining the league.While critics may call the Mountain West watered down with the Pac-12 departures, such as Boise State, the Mountain West could land the Group of Six spot in the next College Football Playoff. That’s the prediction of ESPN’s Bill Connelly in January right after the season, where he has the Hawaii Rainbows winning the Mounta…
NDSU provides Hawaii a new Midwest rival in Mountain West
With less than 200 days remaining until the start of the 2026 season, the Mountain West announced Monday that North Dakota State will join the conference as its 10th football-playing member, giving the University of Hawaiʻi a new league rival. The Bison, an FCS powerhouse that has won 10 of the past 15 FCS national [...]
Mountain West adds North Dakota State University for football only
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Mountain West Conference officially announced Monday that FCS powerhouse North Dakota State will be a part of its league as a football-only member starting July 1, 2026. That brings the number of institutions competing in football in the Mountain West Conference to ten. The move will take the Bison from FCS [...]
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