From the Valley to the Mountains: NDSU Football to Join the Mountain West Conference

February 9, 2026, will be a day that goes down in North Dakota State and college football history as the day when arguably the most dominant college football program of the last 15 years crossed the goal line from FCS powerhouse to an FBS member of the Mountain West Conference.

The 10-time FCS national champions will make the historic move from the FCS’s Missouri Valley Football Conference to the FBS “Group of 6” Mountain West Conference. This move happened 18 years after then-president Joseph Chapman announced the university’s plan to move from Division II to Division I in 2004.

Rumblings of this move were first revealed on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at 9 p.m. CST, when Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports first reported that North Dakota State was having “serious” discussions with the Mountain West Conference about a football-only membership.

Those rumors were then confirmed two days later, on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 8, as the “Dakota Dynasty” confirms they will be accepting the invitation to go from the valley to the mountains, joining the Mountain West as the league’s tenth member. Others include the Air Force Academy, Hawai’i, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, San Jose State, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, University of Texas-El Paso and Wyoming.

The Mountain West had to rework some parts of the conference as the league lost five schools to the reborn Pac-12. Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Utah State. NDSU joins Northern Illinois and UTEP as the three new additions to the existing group of Mountain West schools to stabilize the league moving forward.

Gloria Nevarez has been the commissioner of the Mountain West since 2023 and has been eyeing the Bison for some time. She now has the blessing of her league’s university presidents to add the FCS titans to the league.

In a press release, she said, “We are thrilled to welcome North Dakota State University’s football program to the Mountain West. The Bison bring a championship mindset and a bold vision for growth that aligns with the unwavering commitment to the excellence of the Mountain West.”

The Bison will be leaving their home of 18 years in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and the conference commissioner, Jeff Jackson, recognizes the Bison with a parting statement.

“North Dakota State University has been a distinguished and esteemed member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference for the past 18 seasons, significantly contributing to the conference’s unparalleled success. We extend our best wishes to the Bison in their future endeavors.”

On Monday, Feb. 9, at a press conference attended by assembled Fargo media, outgoing University President Dr. David Cook announced, “North Dakota State University has accepted an invitation from the Mountain West Conference to join football only this fall.” Cook continued, “We’re incredibly excited as an institution; it’s a great day for North Dakota State University. Certainly, it’s a great day for North Dakota, and it’s a great day for our region.”

Dr. Cook is leaving to take over his alma mater, Iowa State, but he said this isn’t his final chapter at NDSU; it’s the next chapter of the university and NDSU athletics. He said, “[I’m] excited about what this means, and this transformational change is an opportunity for this institution to take it to the next level. And I will be excited to watch from a distance.”

The looming FBS move has been swirling around Athletic Director Matt Larsen since he took the job in 2014, but he said in his remarks during the press conference that this move is in the best interest of North Dakota State University.

“This is a decision for the next 20 to 30 years in terms of aligning ourselves with institutions that look a lot like any issue continuing to grow our brand nationally. And I think we’ve certainly accomplished that.”

Larsen has discussed for years now his desire for NDSU to play football at the highest level, and he reiterated this at the press conference, explaining why the Mountain West is the best fit for the football team.

“ I think the institutional alignment, the investment in high education, high research, obviously athletics at the highest level. Great competition throughout the league.” Larsen said.

Larsen did go on to say that they expect the new 2026 schedule to be finalized within the next few weeks, as the Mountain West has yet to finish up its conference schedule for the coming fall. To add on top of that, NDSU now has to practically blow up their existing non-conference schedule. So schools like Incarnate Word, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Stony Brook, Weber State, The Citadel, and UC Davis—all schools that had games scheduled within the next five years against the Bison—will no longer be on NDSU’s schedule moving forward. Games against East Tennessee State in 2026, Montana State in 2027, and Oregon in 2028 are still expected to be played.

As for the man coaching North Dakota State into FBS football, Tim Polasek knows what kind of league his team is getting into, as he said, “That conference has very good coaches and really good players. There’s been a lot of good skill guys that have come out of the league and have played high levels as all pros and NFL players, and so that’s exciting stuff.”

What a start to Rick Berg’s tenure on his official first day as Interim President of North Dakota State University. A 1981 graduate of NDSU, Berg has attended every FCS title game the Bison have played in, and he quickly answered the question on if NDSU will be competitive at the FBS level.

“Unlike others, we’ve been preparing for the moment for years and years, and I think they’re going to be surprised when NDSU hits the Mountain West.”

Berg continued, “This is fantastic for athletics, but I also think being FBS for our faculty, for our staff, for our students and for our alumni. I think all of those areas are going to grow and help NDSU grow as a university.”

On the field, NDSU looks to rebound from a disappointing second-round playoff loss and turn that into a special first year as an FBS school, and they will lean on an experienced group of 44 upperclassmen to shepherd the program into FBS. One of those more experienced players is junior linebacker and Fargo native Oliver Lucht. The Fargo Davies product grew up watching NDSU’s dynasty. He is excited for the university and is also confident in his teammates to show the rest of the FBS what his team is capable of in 2026.

“As a player, it’s awesome to see NDSU take the next step to become great. We’ve dominated the FCS for the past decade, and I’m excited to show the FBS what NDSU brings to the table. I have full trust in our team that we will treat every opponent the same and maximize every opportunity we get”, Lucht said.

The Bison will have to pay 12.5 million dollars to the Mountain West as an admission fee to the league, as well as a five-million-dollar transition fee to the NCAA for reclassifying to FBS membership. Most of the 17.5 million dollars will be privately raised. NDSU is ineligible for a conference championship, bowl or College Football Playoff game until 2028 and will not be able to share in any CFP money until 2032.

However, according to 24/7 Sports, Ross Uglem, “NDSU AD Matt Larsen tells me the Bison will aggressively pursue a waiver to be immediately eligible for the Mountain West title game, bowls and the CFP. He expects support from the MWC.”

As NDSU rides off into the FCS sunset, its resume in I-AA is something that we may never see again. 251-49 overall record, 51-6 playoff record, 38-2 at home in the playoffs, 10 national titles, 12 MVFC titles, 13 semifinal appearances, 15 quarterfinal appearances and 16 playoff appearances from 2010-2025.

This chapter in NDSU athletics lore has been one of the greatest runs in college football and sports history, but as the song by Beecher’s Fault goes, we have to “Turn the Page” and read the next chapter in this football program’s next run of greatness. Goodbye FCS, hello FBS and the Mountain West.