It was announced at the beginning of the week that North Dakota State would be leaving the FCS and the Missouri Valley Conference to move up to the FBS and the Mountain West. Hearing the news, my first question was, “What about South Dakota State, are they going too?” Seems logical, as connected as the two schools are. As of now, it seems South Dakota State will sit still. But don’t be surprised if they make the move as well down the road.
South Dakota State, which won FCS national titles in 2022 and 2023, has played North Dakota State for the Dakota Marker Trophy since 2004. With North Dakota’s move the future of the series now becomes unclear. But NDSU will have four non-conference matchups on their schedule, allowing them to play one team from a Power Four conference, two from the Group of Six conferences, and one from the FCS each season. That one FCS team could be from the Missouri Valley Conference if the schedule allows.
The NDSU move is a big step, and one that their fans needed to make. To be honest, Bison fans have become bored with the FCS, winning 10 of the last 15 National Championships. And why not move up, they’ve proven they can play with the big boys, they’re 9-5 all-time against FBS opponents defeating teams like Iowa State, Kansas State, and Iowa. They are yet another team that has decided to move up after having success at the FCS level, following schools like James Madison and Sam Houston State.
It’ll cost NDSU a pretty penny to make the move, requiring them to pay a $5 million reclassification fee to the NCAA for the move and a $12.5 million entry fee to the Mountain West. Athletic Director Matt Larsen indicated the costs will be privately funded by boosters and donors. While North Dakota State’s move will take effect on July 1, the school won’t be allowed to fully access conference or College Football Playoff revenue until 2032 after the current media rights contracts expire.
Due to current NCAA rules, they also won’t be eligible for the Mountain West title game or the College Football Playoff until the 2028 season. And for the next two years, they can only play in a bowl game if there aren’t enough eligible teams to fill all the spots. With the recent announcement that the Detroit Bowl is no longer being played along with a couple of others, that prospect becomes even harder.
As of now there are indications that North Dakota State will sue the NCAA to obtain the right to play in the title game and the playoffs, along with becoming bowl eligible for the 2026 season.
The move of North Dakota State to the Mountain West was prompted by the departure of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State, who are all joining the rebuilt Pac-12.
The new Mountain West will have 10 teams, including San Jose State, Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV, Wyoming, Hawaii, UTEP, Northern Illinois, and now North Dakota State. NDSU will immediately play a full eight-game conference schedule.
If the Mountain West looks to expand further, potential additions are Montana, Montana State, and South Dakota State.
Close to Home
Nebraska fans may not realize it, but Dakota football has a direct effect on the state of Nebraska and maybe even the Huskers. Believe it or not there are several connections between North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and Nebraska.
For starters, the Huskers recruit the Dakota’s heavily, adding players like Jason Macijzak, Shawn Hammerbeck, and Kade Pietrzak to the Husker roster over the last couple of seasons. With North Dakota State joining the FBS and having the potential to grow and make the College Football Playoffs, they become a bigger threat for North and South Dakota recruits as well as Nebraska recruits.
There are several Nebraska players enrolled in the Dakota schools now. Former Omaha running back Marty (Chamar) Brown played on NDSU’s National Championship team before transferring to Miami. Last season Nebraska players WR Alex Bullock and LB Koby Bretz transferred to South Dakota State. And this season the Jackrabbits added kicker Triston Alvano from the Huskers and former Omaha Westside QB Anthony Rezac from Notre Dame. They already had Grand Island’s Kytan Fyfe, Omaha’s Barry Fries, and Lincoln native Carter Sitzman on their roster.
The cross over relationships will only get stronger with the recent announcement that five schools from the Omaha metro and five schools from the Sioux Falls metro will play a home-and-home series beginning in 2026. Games scheduled to be played are as follows:
Aug. 28 — Brandon Valley (S.D.) at Bellevue West (Neb.)
Sept. 18 — Washington (S.D.) at Millard North (Neb.)
Sept. 25 — Omaha Central (Neb.) at Lincoln (S.D.)
Oct. 2 — Westview (Neb.) at Jefferson (S.D.)
Oct. 9 — Omaha North (Neb.) at Harrisburg (S.D.)
Nebraska’s reigning Class A champs and No. 1 team, Millard South, are not involved in the cross-state series.
I always thought South Dakota State would be an ideal team to play in a spring game and with the ever-changing college landscape and the spring game being played so early, now March 28th, who knows what will happen in the future.
Until then GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST, VIOLENT!!
Stay on top of Husker football at CarrikerChronicles.com