The Fargodome shakes. If you haven't been there when the lights go down and the intro video starts, it’s hard to describe the specific brand of chaos that defines North Dakota State University football. It’s loud. It’s heavy. It’s a culture built on "Power Cow" football and a terrifyingly consistent win rate. But there is one question that follows the program like a shadow, popping up every time they beat a Big Ten team or hoist another trophy: Why is the North Dakota State University football division still the FCS?
People look at the nine national titles won between 2011 and 2021 and assume the jump to the FBS is a no-brainer. It isn’t.
Football is complicated. The Bison aren't just a big fish in a small pond; they are a shark in a bathtub. Yet, moving that shark to the ocean requires more than just winning games. It requires a massive realignment of geography, money, and institutional identity. To understand where NDSU sits in the current college football landscape, you have to look past the win-loss column and into the messy reality of conference politics.
The Reality of the North Dakota State University Football Division
Right now, NDSU competes in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), specifically within the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). For the uninitiated, the FCS is the "lower" half of Division I. But "lower" is a relative term here. The Bison have spent the last decade-plus proving that the gap between the top of the FCS and the middle of the FBS is basically non-existent.
Think about the 2016 game against No. 13 Iowa. The Bison walked into Kinnick Stadium and left with a win. They’ve done it to Kansas State, Minnesota, and Iowa State too. They are currently 9-4 against FBS opponents since 2006. That’s not a fluke. It’s a system.
The North Dakota State University football division status means they play for a 24-team playoff bracket rather than the bowl system. In the FCS, you earn it on the field. You don’t rely on a committee to decide if your "strength of schedule" was pretty enough to get you into a four-team or twelve-team playoff. For a blue-collar program like NDSU, that meritocracy is part of the appeal.
But fans are restless. They want the big stage. They want the Saturday nights on ABC against Michigan or Ohio State. So, what's the holdup?
💡 You might also like: El Salvador partido de hoy: Why La Selecta is at a Critical Turning Point
Geography is a Cruel Mistress
Fargo is a great town. It is also, in the context of major college football, on an island.
If NDSU wanted to move up to the FBS, they would need an invite from a conference. The Mountain West? That’s a lot of flights to California and Nevada. The MAC? That’s a grueling travel schedule through the Rust Belt. Even the Big 12, which would be the dream scenario for many in North Dakota, has historically looked for schools in massive television markets. Fargo-Valley City is a respectable market, but it doesn't compare to the footprints of schools in Texas or Florida.
Moving the North Dakota State University football division affiliation isn't just about the football team. It’s about the volleyball team, the track team, and the golf team. If the football team joins an FBS conference, every other sport has to follow. Imagine the travel budget for a softball team flying from Fargo to San Diego for a Tuesday night game. It’s a logistical nightmare that would drain the athletic department’s coffers faster than you can say "first down."
The Scholarship and Budget Gap
Let’s talk numbers. In the FCS, programs are limited to 63 athletic scholarships. In the FBS, that number jumps to 85. That is 22 extra full-ride scholarships that need to be funded every single year.
Then there’s the coaching staff. Top-tier FBS programs pay their assistants more than many FCS head coaches make. NDSU has been incredible at retaining talent, but the FBS "arms race" is a different beast entirely. You aren't just competing with South Dakota State anymore; you're competing with the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) collectives of the SEC and the Big Ten.
Honestly, NDSU’s current budget is around $30 million. For context, some of the schools they’d be competing against in the FBS have budgets exceeding $100 million or even $200 million. It’s a massive jump.
📖 Related: Meaning of Grand Slam: Why We Use It for Tennis, Baseball, and Breakfast
The "Big Fish" Dilemma
There is something to be said for winning.
At the FCS level, NDSU is the gold standard. They have a brand that is recognized nationally. Recruits go to Fargo because they want to win rings. They want to play in Frisco, Texas, in January. If NDSU moves to a mid-major FBS conference—say, the Mountain West—they might win eight or nine games a year and go to the "Famous Idaho Potato Bowl."
Is a trip to Boise in December better than a national championship run?
Many fans say yes because of the prestige. Others aren't so sure. Staying in the current North Dakota State University football division allows the program to maintain its "championship or bust" mentality. That culture is hard to build and very easy to lose. Just look at schools that made the jump and struggled to find their footing for a decade. Transitioning is a gamble.
The Path Forward: What Changes?
If NDSU does eventually move, it will likely be because the landscape of college football forces their hand. We are seeing a massive consolidation of power. The "Power Five" is now effectively the "Power Two" (Big Ten and SEC). This leaves everyone else scrambling.
If the Mountain West or a rebuilt Pac-12 comes calling with a deal that makes sense geographically and financially, the Bison would have to listen. They’ve already done the internal studies. They know what it would cost. They know the Fargodome would likely need a significant expansion or a complete replacement to meet the long-term revenue needs of the FBS.
👉 See also: NFL Week 5 2025 Point Spreads: What Most People Get Wrong
- Facility Upgrades: The Fargodome is iconic, but it lacks the premium seating and luxury boxes that drive modern FBS revenue.
- NIL Growth: The Bison Pride Collective is doing great work, but it would need to triple in size to keep up with FBS recruiting.
- Conference Realignment: NDSU is waiting for the "domino effect" to reach the Dakotas. When the big schools move, it creates holes in the middle-tier conferences.
Why the Missouri Valley Works for Now
The Missouri Valley Football Conference is widely considered the toughest conference in the FCS. It’s often called "the SEC of the FCS." Playing against teams like South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, and Southern Illinois provides a high level of competition week in and week out.
The rivalry with South Dakota State (SDSU) has become one of the best in all of college football. The "Dakota Marker" game is a slugfest every year. If NDSU moved up alone, they would lose that. If they moved up together with SDSU, they’d have a travel partner and a built-in rival, which makes the move much more attractive to a conference like the Mountain West.
Basically, the North Dakota State University football division status is a waiting game. The school is FBS-ready in terms of talent, coaching, and fan support. They are just waiting for the right "house" to move into. They aren't going to move just for the sake of moving; they want to move where they can compete for championships.
Practical Steps for Following the Bison
If you're trying to keep up with the ever-shifting world of NDSU's division status, don't just look at the scoreboard. Watch the administrative moves.
Keep an eye on the NCAA's transformation committee. Their rulings on scholarship limits and transfer portal rules will eventually dictate whether schools like NDSU can afford to make the jump. Also, follow the TV contract negotiations for the "Group of Five" conferences. If those payouts increase, the financial gap for NDSU becomes much easier to bridge.
For now, the Bison will keep doing what they do: winning. Whether it’s in the FCS or the FBS, the brand of football coming out of Fargo is elite. If you want to see the future of the program, watch the recruiting classes. As long as NDSU is pulling three-star and four-star talent away from FBS schools, they will remain the most dangerous team in their division—whatever division that happens to be.
Check the Missouri Valley standings regularly to see how the path to Frisco is shaping up. Follow local beat writers who have their ears to the ground regarding conference invitations. The jump isn't a matter of "if" anymore; it's a matter of "when" and "where." Until then, enjoy the dominance. It’s rare to see a dynasty this consistent in any sport.