FCS powerhouse North Dakota State has finalized an agreement to join the Mountain West Conference in football only starting in 2026, sources told ESPN on Sunday.
The school is expected to pay nearly $12 million to join the conference, sources told ESPN, which is in addition to the $5 million it will pay the NCAA to move to the FBS.
The move, which is expected to be announced Monday, is an axis-shifting one at the FCS level, as the Bison have won 10 of the past 15 national championships in football.
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It will give the Mountain West 10 football teams for 2026 and is part of that conference’s rebuild after losing Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State to the Pac-12.
North Dakota State has been one of college football’s most dominant brands, and its transition to the FBS level will be a fascinating one. It comes at a time when the Mountain West, like most leagues outside the power conferences, need both revenue and football prowess amid the annual roster churn to higher levels.
North Dakota State will join a Mountain West football lineup consisting of Northern Illinois, UTEP, Air Force, Hawai’i, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming.
Coach Tim Polasek won the 2024 FCS national championship in his first year as head coach of the Bison. North Dakota’s State’s past four coaches all won national titles, with Polasek joining Matt Entz, Chris Klieman and Craig Bohl.
The move will trigger a scramble to put together schedules, as the timing is late on the calendar for a move the following season.
Yahoo first reported last week that NDSU and the Mountain West were in discussions.
