North Dakota State Set To Join Mountain West As Football-Only Member In 2026

Could North Dakota State finally make the jump to the FBS level?

The North Dakota State Bison football team runs onto the field before an FCS Playoff game against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits | Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's the announcement that many FCS fans have been waiting for the past few seasons. The North Dakota State Bison are finally headed to the FBS level, joining the Mountain West.

The initial report first came from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. He reported that the Mountain West was in serious discussions with North Dakota State to add the Bison as a football-only member starting this season.

That deal has reportedly been finalized, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. Reports indicate that North Dakota State will hold a team meeting on Monday morning, and an official announcement is expected as soon as tomorrow.

This move comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed or covered the subdivision. The Bison administration has been extremely vocal in the past few years about their intentions to make the jump to FBS when the opportunity presents itself.

North Dakota State will become the 10th football-playing member of the conference. They would join Northern Illinois as the football-only members, while Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV, San Jose State, Wyoming, Hawaii, and UTEP are the full-time members.

The Bison have dominated the FCS subdivision since 2011, winning 10 FCS national championships in the past 15 seasons. They are 51-6 in postseason play since 2008, which is more FCS Playoff wins than any other program in the subdivision's history.

This past season, the Bison finished 12-1 overall, winning the Missouri Valley Conference for the 12th time since joining in 2008. Their season ended in the second round of the FCS Playoffs, losing to Illinois State by one point.

The FCS-to-FBS transition fee is $5 million, but according to Thamel, the Bison have also agreed to pay nearly $12 million to join the Mountain West next season.

Before the official reports surfaced, North Dakota State AD Matt Larsen recently told Dom Izzo that the program's interest in exploring a move to FBS was as strong as it's ever been.

"I would say in terms of our position, I think both myself and President Cook, we want to play at the highest level," Larsen said. "And right now, the highest level is FBS football. And so, I think the things we've done over the course of the last decade have positioned us to be able to do that.

"And if there's an opportunity, I think it's something we would absolutely explore. If there's not an opportunity, we're poised to continue competing at FCS at a really, really high level and compete for championships. So, I would say in terms of our position, it hasn't changed at all, and our interest of at least exploring that is as strong as it's ever been."

Sources: North Dakota State has agreed to a deal to join the Mountain West in football only for 2026. The school is expected to pay nearly $12 million to join the league, which is in addition to the $5 million it will pay the NCAA to move to FBS. pic.twitter.com/7lTFQmO6F0

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 8, 2026

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