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North Dakota State is about to make a shocking move that will change everything about college football at the FCS level.
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The national powerhouse Bisons are moving to the Mountain West in the FBS conference, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Drenger.
“The Mountain West is in serious conversations to add FCS powerhouses as football-only members starting next season, with a deal potentially being finalized as early as this weekend,” sources told Yahoo Sports.
NDSU has won 10 of the past 15 national championships at the FCS level (formerly known as Division I-AA). FCS schools are all Division I, but they compete outside of the top league, known as the FBS level.
The FBS has the better-known College Football Playoff and about 130 schools (compared to more than 350 DI basketball schools). Any other Division I school that plays football but is not an FBS program plays in the FCS.
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North Dakota State has also won 10 conference titles in the Missouri Valley Conference since 2011.
“North Dakota and Mountain West — who have been courting for more than a year — are close to consummating a more permanent marriage,” Drenger wrote. “The move comes at a cost for the Bison. Schools are expected to pay a large admission fee to join the conference — an offer that is becoming increasingly standard for schools looking to advance to conference membership.”
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North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen said through Drenger that he expects the Bison to compete at the “highest level” of DI football.
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Outside of football, North Dakota State competes in the Summit League and that doesn’t appear to be changing.
But in football, it was a game-changing decision.
“Westmount Chancellor recently agreed to extend an invitation to schools to join the consortium,” Drenger wrote. “However, the price of admission – which could be as high as eight figures for admission – has been the subject of negotiations over the past few days. The school also owes $5 million in separate NCAA admissions fees. Three years ago, executives raised that number from $5,000 to a hefty increase, a sign that many power conference leaders want to slow the rapid growth of the FBS group, which now has 136 colleges.”
The Mountain West has recently lost schools to the newly formed Pac-12, but acquiring NDSU would be a coup, at least as far as the strength of the program is concerned.
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This won’t spark a rush of schools switching from FCS to FBS because not every program is North Dakota State.
But it’s a big move that lowers the level of the FCS a little and adds some new intrigue to the FBS.
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