North Dakota State Bison
Mountain WestFargo, NDFargodome
2026: 6–1 (3–1 Mountain West). Last: beat Nevada 31–17 at home. Next: at New Mexico, Saturday, Oct 24, 10 p.m. ET.
- W 33–7Jacksonville State
- W 38–0Fordham
- W 38–32at Air Force
- W 31–10at Sacramento State
- W 28–0Wyoming
- L 7–13at UNLV
- W 31–17Nevada
- Oct 24at New Mexico
- Oct 31UTEP
- Nov 14at Hawai’i
- Nov 21Northern Illinois
- Nov 27at San José State
- Outfitted by Under Armour
North Dakota State has played football since 1894 and is officially 812–385–34; 325 of its 1,231 games are in our file. They have won 25 North Central Conference titles (the last in 1994), plus 12 Missouri Valley Football Conference titles, one Great West Conference title, counting shared titles. Since 1939, the NFL Draft has taken 27 players from here in its first seven rounds, 3 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 3 players and 2 coaches from North Dakota State. The most-played rival is South Dakota State: 26 meetings, North Dakota State leads 16–10. This season, under Tim Polasek, they’re 6–1.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 812–385–34 official; 243–81–1 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 20–3 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 0 ranked
- Elo now
- 1609 27th of 138 FBS
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 68 · Composite No. 51 in FBS, Oct 17; down 1 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 38 last in 2025
- Bowl record
- 5–1 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 51 since 1903, 325 games
Identity
- Fight song
- On Bison
- Mascot
- Thundar
- Apparel
- Under Armour
- Band
- Gold Star Marching Band since 1902, 170 members
2026 season 6–1
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs Jacksonville State | W 33–7 | 61% |
| Sep 5 | vs Fordham | W 38–0 | 94% |
| Sep 12 | at Air Force | W 38–32 | 57% |
| Sep 19 | at Sacramento State | W 31–10 | 77% |
| Oct 3 | vs Wyoming | W 28–0 | 81% |
| Oct 10 | at UNLV | L 7–13 | 48% |
| Oct 17 | vs Nevada | W 31–17 | 80% |
| Oct 24 | at New Mexico | Preview | 44% |
| Oct 31 | vs UTEP | Preview | 91% |
| Nov 14 | at Hawai’i | Preview | 71% |
| Nov 21 | vs Northern Illinois | Preview | 88% |
| Nov 27 | at San José State | Preview | 67% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Future schedule
2027–29- 20272 games: 2 home, non-conference only
- 20281 game: 1 away, non-conference only
- at Oregon
- 20291 game: 1 away, non-conference only
North Dakota State’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them. Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
On the 2026 team
- Marion Moore18 tackles, 4 INT (No. 5 in FBS in interceptions)
- Nathan Hayes1,272 passing yards, 10 TD (leads North Dakota State in passing yards)
- Donovan Woolen51 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT (leads North Dakota State in tackles)
- Jackson Williams28 catches, 432 yards, 1 TD (leads North Dakota State in receiving yards)
- D.J. Scott306 rushing yards, 4 TD (leads North Dakota State in rushing touchdowns)
- Myles Mitchell354 rushing yards, 3 TD (leads North Dakota State in rushing yards)
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at North Dakota State.
- Joe CichyHall of Fame, 1997
- Jeff BentrimHall of Fame, 1998
- Mike FavorHall of Fame, 2011
Carson WentzNo. 2 pick, 2016
Grey ZabelNo. 18 pick, 2025
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Around the program
- Apparel
- Under Armour · Official source
- NDSU Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- InForum; read 2026-10-10
- Mascot
- Thundar · Official source
- North Dakota State University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Wikipedia; read 2026-10-10
- Athletic director
- Matt Larsen · Single source
- KVRR News; read 2026-10-10
- Offensive coordinator
- Dan Larson · Official source
- gobison.com; read 2026-10-10
- Defensive coordinator
- Grant Olson · Official source
- gobison.com; read 2026-10-10
Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.
The apparel deal
Under Armour, from 2025. Agreement announced in September 2024.
- NDSU Athletics, Sep 30, 2024: New apparel agreement
Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.
Program strength since 1903
Best seasons everOn Bluesky
North Dakota State: bowl eligible in their first season in FBS. No surprise, the Bison were ready for the moment. www.si.com/college-foot...
Read on BlueskyWho has added the most value at kicker through Week 5? 🥇 Drew Klein, North Dakota State - 8.21 PAAR 🥈 Nolan Hauser, Clemson - 8.09 🥉 Liam Boyd, Michigan State - 7.17 PAAR = Points Added Above Replacement. Full top 15 below.
Read on Bluesky
From reporters and writers who cover college football, linked to their posts on Bluesky.
More coverage
- Bison Bounce Back, Defeat Nevada 31-17, 740thefan.com,
- Nevada Vs North Dakota State: Bison are 14.5-point favourites, but Wolf Pack must fight on the ground, el-balad.com,
- North Dakota State vs Nevada - NDSU All Access - Powered by SIDEARM Showcase, gobison.com,
- Nevada heads to North Dakota State to play Bison for the first time ever, kolotv.com,
- Mountain West/PAC-12 Podcast: UNLV upsets Bison, Award Races, & more!, mwcconnection.com,
Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.
Head coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
 Tim Polasek | 2026 | 6–1 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- South Dakota State
16–10 in 26
- 2018 W 44–21
- 2019 W 23–16
- 2020 L 17–27
- 2021 L 19–27
- 2022 L 21–23
- 2022 L 21–45
- 2023 L 16–33
- 2024 W 13–9
- 2024 W 28–21
- 2025 W 38–7
Won the last three.
- Illinois State
16–3 in 19
- 2017 W 20–7
- 2018 W 28–14
- 2019 W 37–3
- 2019 W 9–3
- 2020 W 21–13
- 2021 W 20–0
- 2022 W 24–7
- 2024 W 42–10
- 2025 W 33–16
- 2025 L 28–29
Lost the last one.
- Northern Iowa
14–4 in 18
- 2015 W 23–13
- 2016 W 24–20
- 2017 W 30–14
- 2018 W 56–31
- 2019 W 46–14
- 2020 W 23–20
- 2021 W 34–20
- 2023 W 48–27
- 2024 W 42–19
- 2025 W 48–16
Won the last 10.
| Opponent | Games | NDSU record |
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State | 26 | 16–10 |
| Illinois State | 19 | 16–3 |
| Northern Iowa | 18 | 14–4 |
| Southern Illinois | 17 | 14–3 |
| Youngstown State | 16 | 13–3 |
| Missouri State | 16 | 14–2 |
| South Dakota | 15 | 12–3 |
| Western Illinois | 13 | 11–2 |
Rivals the program names: South Dakota State, North Dakota, Wyoming.
The trophy it holds: Drill Bit (Wyoming, since 2026). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.
Every opponent (98)
Every program North Dakota State has played, A to Z, with North Dakota State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Abilene Christian 1–0
- Air Force 1–0
- Arizona 0–1
- Arkansas Monticello 1–0
- Army 0–1
- Austin Peay 1–0
- Ball State 1–0
- Butler 1–0
- Cal Poly 2–2
- Central Arkansas 2–0
- Central Connecticut 1–0
- Central Michigan 1–0
- Charleston Southern 1–0
- Coastal Carolina 1–0
- Colgate 1–0
- Colorado 0–1
- Colorado State 1–0
- Creighton 0–1
- Dayton 0–1
- Delaware 2–0
- Delaware State 1–0
- Detroit Mercy 0–1
- Drake 2–1
- East Tennessee State 2–0
- Eastern Washington 5–0
- Ferris State 1–0
- Fordham 1–0
- George Washington 0–2
- Georgia Southern 1–0
- Haskell 1–0
- Idaho 0–3
- Illinois State 16–3
- Incarnate Word 2–0
- Indiana State 12–1
- Iowa 1–2
- Iowa State 1–1
- Jacksonville State 2–0
- James Madison 4–1
- Kansas 1–0
- Kansas State 1–1
- Lafayette 1–0
- Lawrence 0–1
- Maine 1–0
- Marquette 0–3
- Mercer 1–0
- Michigan State 0–1
- Minnesota 2–6
- Mississippi Valley State 2–0
- Missouri 0–1
- Missouri State 14–2
- Montana 3–3
- Montana State 6–4
- Morgan State 1–0
- Murray State 2–0
- Nevada 1–0
- New Hampshire 1–0
- Nicholls 3–0
- North Alabama 1–0
- North Carolina A&T 1–0
- North Dakota 7–1
- Northeastern 1–0
- Northern Colorado 2–1
- Northern Illinois 2–0
- Northern Iowa 14–4
- Northwestern 0–1
- Northwestern State 2–0
- Prairie View A&M 1–0
- Richmond 1–0
- Robert Morris 3–0
- Sacramento State 1–0
- Saint Francis 1–0
- Sam Houston 3–2
- Samford 1–0
- San Diego 2–0
- South Dakota 12–3
- South Dakota State 16–10
- Southeast Missouri State 1–0
- Southern Illinois 14–3
- Southern Utah 3–0
- St. Thomas (MN) 1–0
- Stephen F. Austin 2–0
- Tennessee State 2–0
- Texas Tech 0–0–1
- The Citadel 1–0
- Towson 3–0
- Tulsa 0–1
- UAlbany 1–0
- UC Davis 2–1
- UNLV 0–1
- Valparaiso 1–0
- Wagner 1–0
- Weber State 4–0
- Western Illinois 11–2
- Wichita State 0–1
- Wisconsin 0–2
- Wofford 1–0
- Wyoming 1–1
- Youngstown State 13–3
Conference titles
38, counting shared titles- Missouri Valley Football Conference 12
- 2011 (shared), 2012, 2013, 2014 (shared), 2015 (shared), 2016 (shared), 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 (shared), 2025
- Great West Conference 1
- 2006
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1894–1917 and 1919–1921
- North Central Conference 1922–1942 and 1945–2003
- Great West Conference 2004–2007
- MVFC 2008–2025
- Mountain West Conference since 2026
- 2004Joined the Great West Conference from the North Central Conference in football. Source
- 2008Joined the MVFC from the Great West Conference in football. Source
- 2026Joined the Mountain West Conference from the MVFC in football, announced February 9, 2026. Source
North Dakota State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 3
- Coaches
- 2
| 2011 | Mike Favor C |
| 2000 | Darrell Mudra coach, career 1959–1987 |
| 1998 | Jeff Bentrim QB |
| 1997 | Joe Cichy S |
| 1951 | Gil Dobie coach, career 1906–1938 |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 27 since 1939
- First-round picks
- 3
| 2025 | Grey Zabel OG | No. 18, Seattle Seahawks |
| 2021 | Trey Lance QB | No. 3, San Francisco 49ers |
| 2016 | Carson Wentz QB | No. 2, Philadelphia Eagles |
Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.
The school
North Dakota State University-Main Campus- Enrollment
- 11,952 9,762 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Fargo, North Dakota
- Public or private
- Public Research 1
- Founded
- 1890
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $62,203 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Official accounts
- Football
- X @NDSUfootballInstagram @NDSUfootballYouTube NDSUathleticsFacebook ndsufootball
- Athletics department
- X @NDSUathleticsInstagram @NDSUathleticsYouTube NDSUAthleticsFacebook ndsuathletics
Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones gobison.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6–1 | 3–1 | Tim Polasek | 1609 | 8.6 | ||
| 2025 | 12–1 | 8–0 | 1674 | ||||
| 2024 | 14–2 | 7–1 | 1649 | ||||
| 2023 | 11–4 | 5–3 | 1560 | ||||
| 2022 | 12–3 | 7–1 | 1594 | ||||
| 2021 | 14–1 | 7–1 | 1651 | ||||
| 2020 | 7–3 | 1552 | |||||
| 2019 | 16–0 | 8–0 | 1740 | ||||
| 2018 | 15–0 | 8–0 | 1720 | ||||
| 2017 | 14–1 | 7–1 | 1685 | ||||
| 2016 | 12–2 | 8–1 | 1630 | ||||
| 2015 | 13–2 | 8–1 | 1671 | ||||
| 2014 | 15–1 | 8–1 | 1666 | ||||
| 2013 | 13–0 | 8–0 | 1671 | ||||
| 2012 | 11–1 | 7–1 | 1599 | ||||
| 2011 | 11–1 | 7–1 | 1540 | ||||
| 2010 | 9–4 | 4–4 | 1442 | ||||
| 2009 | 3–8 | 2–6 | 1301 | ||||
| 2008 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1455 | ||||
| 2007 | 10–1 | 3–1 | 1526 | ||||
| 2006 | 4–1 | 1435 | |||||
| 2005 | 7–4 | 3–2 | 1371 | ||||
| 2004 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1285 | ||||
| 1969 | 1–0 | 1177 | |||||
| 1968 | 1–0 | 1160 |
Every season back to 1903 (26 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 0–1 | 1109 | |||||
| 1957 | 0–1 | 1113 | |||||
| 1956 | 0–1 | 1122 | |||||
| 1955 | 0–1 | 1124 | |||||
| 1954 | 0–1 | 1125 | |||||
| 1953 | 0–1 | 1121 | |||||
| 1952 | 0–1 | 1116 | |||||
| 1950 | 0–1 | 1112 | |||||
| 1949 | 0–1 | 1116 | |||||
| 1947 | 0–1 | 1113 | |||||
| 1946 | 0–2 | 1103 | |||||
| 1941 | 0–2 | 1129 | |||||
| 1938 | 0–2 | 1135 | |||||
| 1937 | 1–2 | 1154 | |||||
| 1936 | 0–2 | 1138 | |||||
| 1935 | 0–1 | 1141 | |||||
| 1934 | 0–1–1 | 1140 | |||||
| 1932 | 0–2 | 1127 | |||||
| 1931 | 0–3 | 1136 | |||||
| 1930 | 0–1 | 1140 | |||||
| 1929 | 0–1 | 1140 | |||||
| 1928 | 0–1 | 1141 | |||||
| 1927 | 0–1 | 1140 | |||||
| 1907few games on file | 1–0 | 1169 | |||||
| 1905few games on file | 0–1 | 1089 | |||||
| 1903few games on file | 0–1 | 1099 |
Officially 812–385–34 since 1894 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 243–81–1 (325 of its 1,231 games are on file). Our file starts in 1903; the program began in 1894. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1904, 1906, 1908–26, 1933, 1939–40, 1942–45, 1948, 1951, 1958, 1960–67, 1970–2003: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.