The Mountain West is in serious dialogue to add FCS powerhouse North Dakota State as a football-only member starting this coming season

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PMWinSTP said:
I could have been more clear...assume moving up will give them a bump in recruiting quality, which will most likely lead to losing more players to Power teams. May then impact the level of $$ they can attract.
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Their 2027 class is about on par for past classes. Top FCS teams generally recruit against and very often win recruiting battles against bottom rung FBS teams. I don't think NDSU's recruiting will change much at all unless someone dumps an enormous amount of money into NIL. There may be a tad bit more exposure for their players, at least for a few years while the whole Fargo thing is still cute. Eventually they'll just be another bottom rung FBS school, though, and as relevant as Georgia Southern.
 


swede2 said:
Their 2027 class is about on par for past classes. Top FCS teams generally recruit against and very often win recruiting battles against bottom rung FBS teams. I don't think NDSU's recruiting will change much at all unless someone dumps an enormous amount of money into NIL. There may be a tad bit more exposure for their players, at least for a few years while the whole Fargo thing is still cute. Eventually they'll just be another bottom rung FBS school, though, and as relevant as Georgia Southern.
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I think you are spot on. When I look at the Bison's 2027 commitments they have a good chunk of Minnesota kids, as always. I think their first year in the MW we will see them in the middle of the pack and they will climb from there
 

swede2 said:
Their 2027 class is about on par for past classes. Top FCS teams generally recruit against and very often win recruiting battles against bottom rung FBS teams. I don't think NDSU's recruiting will change much at all unless someone dumps an enormous amount of money into NIL. There may be a tad bit more exposure for their players, at least for a few years while the whole Fargo thing is still cute. Eventually they'll just be another bottom rung FBS school, though, and as relevant as Georgia Southern.
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Since when Bohl got there over 20 years ago -- and obviously before then as well, but it's tough to compare to then because it was DII days in the old NCC conf -- NDSU has always gotten the majority of its starters from North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Coaching up two star type guys into their system of running Power (with a capital P, a specific type of running play) offense and 4-3 base defense. Allowing them to take advantage of the ability to attrach and develop linemen from this North Central part of the country. The same systems that SDSU copied whole cloth to then have their own success.


I don't see this changing in the Mountain West, but I guess we'll see. I don't think they'll ever have "success" recruiting nationally, but I don't think they need to.
 

Denver_Gopher said:
I think you are spot on. When I look at the Bison's 2027 commitments they have a good chunk of Minnesota kids, as always. I think their first year in the MW we will see them in the middle of the pack and they will climb from there
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Not even, there are only maybe couple MW schools right now who will beat them. Guess we'll see
 


NDSU is Bowl Eligible now, College Football Playoff Eligible too!!

but the most important is, Mountain West Title Game can now be UNLV at NDSU in the Fargodome on Dec 4 on National TV FOX TV!
 



Conf championship games might get cancelled sooner than later.

If NDSU makes the MWC champ game this year, it will show how weak the new MWC is and how far down the pecking order that league is in the "Group of" conferences.


All the same -- as they have for a long time -- they have a lot of MN kids who are talented and can ball, just not quite at the Power Conf FBS level, but I will still root for them!
 



GopherGrit said:
Conf championship games might get cancelled sooner than later.

If NDSU makes the MWC champ game this year, it will show how weak the new MWC is and how far down the pecking order that league is in the "Group of" conferences.


All the same -- as they have for a long time -- they have a lot of MN kids who are talented and can ball, just not quite at the Power Conf FBS level, but I will still root for them!
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No one needs to be shown that the new MWC is a weak FBS conference and no one will be surprised if NDSU competes for a conference title right away. There's a reason MWC teams won't schedule FCS MVFC teams. Once UNLV and Air Force leave and Jason Eck is coaching we Wisconsin, the North Fargo faithful will be bored if winning again.
 

GopherGrit said:
Not even, there are only maybe couple MW schools right now who will beat them. Guess we'll see
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NDSU lost a lot of talent at the skill positions,in the portal, graduation and draft. I think the folks in Fargo realize they have a few more questions than typical for them going into the season. But the even bigger question is even with their own questions, who on the MWC will be better? UNLV, New Mexico and Air Force are the only obvious candidates. The rest might as well be Indiana State and Murray State.
 

swede2 said:
No one needs to be shown that the new MWC is a weak FBS conference and no one will be surprised if NDSU competes for a conference title right away. There's a reason MWC teams won't schedule FCS MVFC teams. Once UNLV and Air Force leave and Jason Eck is coaching we Wisconsin, the North Fargo faithful will be bored if winning again.
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They just signed a new Grant of Rights. None of the new MWC teams are going anywhere any time soon. Unless the conference disbands, that would be the only way.

NDSU road games are Air Force, UNLV, New Mexico, and Hawaii , in addition to non-conf games at Sac State and San Jose State.

Based on that, I am changing my mind to:
I will not be surprised if NDSU finishes 3rd or 4th in the conf. I will be surprised if they finish top two. Just talking about this year, not longer term.
 

What will change considerably is that NDSU will now be on TV in the Twin Cities.

Lot of games on The CW, couple on CBS Sports Network (cable), and two games on bigger cable networks, one each on ESPN and FS1.

Lot of later timeslots (9pm +), is also part of the reason.


Before, I don't ever recall them being on Twin Cities TV much unless it was later rounds of the FCS playoff or when they were playing at a Power school the first week.
 



GopherGrit said:
What will change considerably is that NDSU will now be on TV in the Twin Cities.

Lot of games on The CW, couple on CBS Sports Network (cable), and two games on bigger cable networks, one each on ESPN and FS1.

Lot of later timeslots (9pm +), is also part of the reason.


Before, I don't ever recall them being on Twin Cities TV much unless it was later rounds of the FCS playoff or when they were playing at a Power school the first week.
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I would be surprised if any more eyes see an NDSU game in the Twin Cities. A casual fan will really need to search for them. Who turns on CW when they sit down on a Saturday afternoon (or late night?) looking for a football game. CBS sports presumably requires an upgraded cable(or streaming) package.

NDSU games have always been readily available on ESPN+ for interested fans and required one subscription. The loss of ESPN+ and replacing with a matrix of CW, CBS+, and MW streaming service and late game times.

I wouldn't be surprised if the number of viewers in the Twin Cities actually decreases, especially after the cute Fargo schtick wears off and FCS championships fade into history and NDSU is just another bottom rung FBS team. NDSU fans were bored of winning. Their interest didn't rekindle when they only won 2 of the last 6 FCS championships. They won't be any more enamored with El Paso and Dan Jose and the Potato Bowl.
 

GopherGrit said:
They just signed a new Grant of Rights. None of the new MWC teams are going anywhere any time soon. Unless the conference disbands, that would be the only way.

NDSU road games are Air Force, UNLV, New Mexico, and Hawaii , in addition to non-conf games at Sac State and San Jose State.

Based on that, I am changing my mind to:
I will not be surprised if NDSU finishes 3rd or 4th in the conf. I will be surprised if they finish top two. Just talking about this year, not longer term.
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It's a short term GOR, and Air Force and UNLV are supposed to be paid a ransom to stay. It sounds like the MWC and PAC litigation will be settled soon, the terms of which may very well determine whether MWC can deliver what UNLV and AF are owed or expect, and if not, particularly with PAC needing members yet, there may be an effort to bolt before 2031 or 2032 when the GOR expires.
 
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For reference on how transitions to the FBS have gone historically, here are some examples, with teams that had success in the FCS/IAA. Obviously Boise State is the gold standard but that level of success is also rare.

Louisiana Tech
  • Reached FCS Title Game in 1984
  • Moved to FBS: 1989
  • Conference Titles: 2
  • Bowl Games: 13
  • Bowl Wins: 8
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 1
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
Arkansas State
  • Reached FCS Title Game in 1986
  • Moved to FBS: 1992
  • Conference Titles: 5
  • Bowl Games: 13
  • Bowl Wins: 6
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 2
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
Louisiana-Monroe
  • Won 1 FCS Championship
  • Moved to FBS: 1994
  • Conference Titles: 1
  • Bowl Games: 1
  • Bowl Wins: 0
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 0
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
Boise State
  • Won 1 FCS Championship
  • Moved to FBS: 1996
  • Conference Titles: 17
  • Bowl Games: 23
  • Bowl Wins: 13
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 4, Won 3
  • 10 Win Seasons: 19
  • Ranked Finishes: 14
Marshall
  • Won 2 FCS Championships
  • Moved to FBS: 1997
  • Conference Titles: 7
  • Bowl Games: 19
  • Bowl Wins: 13
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 9
  • Ranked Finishes: 4
Western Kentucky
  • Won 1 FCS Championship
  • Moved to FBS: 2008
  • Conference Titles: 2
  • Bowl Games: 12
  • Bowl Wins: 8
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 2
  • Ranked Finishes: 1
Massachusetts
  • Won 1 FCS Championship
  • Moved to FBS: 2012
  • Conference Titles: 0
  • Bowl Games: 0
  • Bowl Wins: 0
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 0
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
Appalachian State
  • Won 3 FCS Championships
  • Moved to FBS: 2014
  • Conference Titles: 4
  • Bowl Games: 9
  • Bowl Wins: 7
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 5
  • Ranked Finishes: 1
Georgia Southern
  • Won 6 FCS Championships
  • Moved to FBS: 2014
  • Conference Titles: 1
  • Bowl Games: 8
  • Bowl Wins: 4
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 1
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
LIberty
  • 1 FCS Playoff Berth
  • Moved to FBS: 2018
  • Conference Titles: 1
  • Bowl Games: 6
  • Bowl Wins: 3
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 1
  • 10 Win Seasons: 2
  • Ranked Finishes: 2
James Madison
  • Won 2 FCS Championships
  • Moved to FBS: 2022
  • Conference Titles: 1
  • Bowl Games: 2
  • Bowl Wins: 1
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 1
  • 10 Win Seasons: 2
  • Ranked Finishes: 1
 

IceBoxGopher said:
For reference on how transitions to the FBS have gone historically, here are some examples, with teams that had success in the FCS/IAA. Obviously Boise State is the gold standard but that level of success is also rare.

Louisiana Tech
  • Reached FCS Title Game in 1984
  • Moved to FBS: 1989
  • Conference Titles: 2
  • Bowl Games: 13
  • Bowl Wins: 8
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 1
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
Arkansas State
  • Reached FCS Title Game in 1986
  • Moved to FBS: 1992
  • Conference Titles: 5
  • Bowl Games: 13
  • Bowl Wins: 6
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 2
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
Louisiana-Monroe
  • Won 1 FCS Championship
  • Moved to FBS: 1994
  • Conference Titles: 1
  • Bowl Games: 1
  • Bowl Wins: 0
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 0
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
Boise State
  • Won 1 FCS Championship
  • Moved to FBS: 1996
  • Conference Titles: 17
  • Bowl Games: 23
  • Bowl Wins: 13
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 4, Won 3
  • 10 Win Seasons: 19
  • Ranked Finishes: 14
Marshall
  • Won 2 FCS Championships
  • Moved to FBS: 1997
  • Conference Titles: 7
  • Bowl Games: 19
  • Bowl Wins: 13
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 9
  • Ranked Finishes: 4
Western Kentucky
  • Won 1 FCS Championship
  • Moved to FBS: 2008
  • Conference Titles: 2
  • Bowl Games: 12
  • Bowl Wins: 8
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 2
  • Ranked Finishes: 1
Massachusetts
  • Won 1 FCS Championship
  • Moved to FBS: 2012
  • Conference Titles: 0
  • Bowl Games: 0
  • Bowl Wins: 0
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 0
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
Appalachian State
  • Won 3 FCS Championships
  • Moved to FBS: 2014
  • Conference Titles: 4
  • Bowl Games: 9
  • Bowl Wins: 7
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 5
  • Ranked Finishes: 1
Georgia Southern
  • Won 6 FCS Championships
  • Moved to FBS: 2014
  • Conference Titles: 1
  • Bowl Games: 8
  • Bowl Wins: 4
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 0
  • 10 Win Seasons: 1
  • Ranked Finishes: 0
LIberty
  • 1 FCS Playoff Berth
  • Moved to FBS: 2018
  • Conference Titles: 1
  • Bowl Games: 6
  • Bowl Wins: 3
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 1
  • 10 Win Seasons: 2
  • Ranked Finishes: 2
James Madison
  • Won 2 FCS Championships
  • Moved to FBS: 2022
  • Conference Titles: 1
  • Bowl Games: 2
  • Bowl Wins: 1
  • BCS/NY6/CFP Berths: 1
  • 10 Win Seasons: 2
  • Ranked Finishes: 1
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Great research. Can you easily calculate the number of combined seasons to 10 win season ratio and combined seasons to BCS/NY6/CFP ratios?

Omitted from this list is 2020/2021 spring season FCS champ Sam Houston State who has gone 15-23 over three seasons work ones 10 win season.
 

July 1 NDSU is OFFICIALLY IN THE FBS AND MWC!!

NDSU raised $15 million TODAY alone with over 1000+ donations and they travelled to 11 cities in North Dakota today handing out swag, etc that was cool !!
 

bisonation said:
July 1 NDSU is OFFICIALLY IN THE FBS AND MWC!!

NDSU raised $15 million TODAY alone with over 1000+ donations and they travelled to 11 cities in North Dakota today handing out swag, etc that was cool !!
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Just 11? They couldn't make it a whole dozen?
 


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