LARAMIE — North Dakota State is moving on up.
Winners of 10 of the last 15 FCS national championships, the Bison are set to become the 10th football program in the new-look Mountain West Conference, two sources with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to 7220sports.com.
Ross Dellinger of Yahoo Sports Friday was first to report the ongoing negotiations.
“It’s taken some time, but is a really good move,” one source from the University of Wyoming said.
NDSU will join fellow newcomer Northern Illinois as a football-only member. The rest of the league includes long-standing programs Air Force, New Mexico, San Jose State, Nevada, UNLV and Wyoming. Hawaii and UTEP will also become full-time members this July.
The NCAA imposes an entry fee of $5 million — an amount that only three years ago was $5,000 — to make the leap to the FBS level. Yahoo Sports is reporting that NDSU could potentially pay an additional “eight figures” to the Mountain West, a figure that is currently being settled.
Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman hinted back in September of 2024 that the conference was eyeing FCS programs after news broke that five schools — Fresno State, Utah State, Boise State, San Diego State and the Cowboys’ Border War rival Colorado State — would be bolting for the reimagined Pac-12, joining Oregon State and Washington State.
“They are on the board,” he said when asked if Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez and the league’s presidents were exploring regional FCS options to replace the departing member institutions. “For me to speculate where it’ll land, it would be inappropriate, but there are a few high-level FCS programs that are on the board. But other than that, that’s all I’ll say about it.”
Delaware, Missouri State, Kennesaw State, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston and James Madison have all made the jump to the FBS over the last four years.
The NCAA mandates a two-year “transitioning period,” banning FCS programs from competing in postseason play. If there aren’t enough bowl eligible teams in Year 2, an exception may be granted.
“There’s a reason why every FCS school in America called because they’re in a worse predicament than we are,” Burman added in 2024 when asked what the ramifications would be if UW was to drop to the FCS. “People think going down is going to save you money. If that was the case, I don’t think all these schools would be dying to go up.
“To me, it’s pretty there’s a lot more revenue potential in a Group of Five than there is in the FCS.”
Wyoming and NDSU have met on the football field just once. That came back in 2008 when the Cowboys squeaked past the Bison 16-13 inside War Memorial Stadium. The head coach on the visiting sideline that afternoon was Craig Bohl, who eventually led that program to three straight national titles from 2011-13 before accepting the same position in Laramie.
Bohl, who is the longest-tenured coach in school history, led Wyoming to a 61-60 record over 10 seasons, including six bowl appearances and a berth in the 2016 Mountain West championship game.
Tim Polasek, the current head coach in Fargo, was on Bohl’s staff at NDSU from 2006-12. That duo hooked up again on the high plains in 2021. Polasek was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator for three seasons before taking the reins of the Bison in 2024.
NDSU has lost just 14 games over the previous seven seasons, including an unblemished 2019 campaign. The Bison are no strangers to upsets, either, knocking off Power-4 programs Minnesota, Kansas State, Iowa State and Iowa since 2011.
Polasek could not be reached for comment, regarding the impending agreement.
“They could be a problem long term because Fargo has money and they will have a lot of resources,” a source said on Friday.
The Mountain West earlier in the week cemented its new media right deal, including a subscription model for the league’s network. CBS and FOX Sports have also signed on for the next six years. The CW has agreed to a five-season partnership. Contract figures were not released.
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
The rules are simple: What was the player’s impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.
This isn’t a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220’s Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.
We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS — only we hope this catalog is fairer.
Don’t agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports – #Top50UWFB
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players