2026 North Dakota State
6–1 (3–1 Mountain West Conference), coached by Tim Polasek. The season’s Wikipedia article records 5–1, over six games to the seven on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Fordham 38–0Sep 5
By 38 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Nevada 31–17Oct 17
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| 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.
- Record
- 6–1
- Conference
- 3–1 tied for 2nd in Mountain West Conference
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 206–79
- Coach
- Tim Polasek
- Elo
- 1609 +60 this season
- SP+ rating
- 8.6 No. 43 of 138; offense No. 80, defense No. 20, special teams No. 29
- SRS
- 3.1 No. 56 of 138 in FBS
- Recruiting class
- No. 117 roster talent No. 131 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Dan Larson
- Defensive coordinator
- Grant Olson
- Offense
- Multiple pro-style
- Defense
- Multiple 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.10 | 40% | 1.33 | 74th of 138 |
| Defense | -0.10 | 37% | 1.09 | 6th of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.09 off -0.01 def | 40% off 40% def | — | 75th off 7th def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 46% | 10.0 yds | 18% | 3.10 | 16% |
| Defense | 37% | 9.0 yds | 14% | 2.80 | 17% |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.6 | own 30 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 2.0 | own 28 | 17% caused |
CORE rating 9.7, 28th of 138 (offense -0.4, defense -10.1).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Nathan Hayes QB | 1,272 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Nathan Hayes QB | 10 TD |
| Rushing yards | Myles Mitchell RB | 354 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | D.J. Scott RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jackson Williams WR | 432 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Mekhi Collins WR | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Donovan Woolen LB | 51 tkl |
| Sacks | Kelton McCaslin DE | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Marion Moore CB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Braylon Toliver ATH | ★★★ | No. 1566 |
| Gunner Thielges S | ★★★ | No. 1566 |
| Kye Schlichting ATH | ★★★ | No. 1566 |
| Myles Ellis WR | ★★★ | No. 2052 |
| Brandon Walton ATH | ★★★ | No. 2052 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.825 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Defensive backs | 5 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 3.0 | 0.857 |
| Whole class | 19 | 3.0 | 0.841 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 130
The 2026 roster130 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 64 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 3
The 2026 portal Kene Anene OL | ★★★ | from  Kansas |
 Caleb McGrath P | ★★ | from  Minnesota |
 Keith Williams LB | from  Cornell |
Transfers out 7
2026 Mountain West Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 2–0 | 5–1 | |
 North Dakota State | 3–1 | 6–1 | |
| Air Force | 3–1 | 5–1 | |
| Wyoming | 3–1 | 4–3 | |
| UNLV | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| San José State | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Nevada | 1–2 | 2–4 | |
| Hawai’i | 0–4 | 1–6 | |
| UTEP | 0–3 | 1–6 | |
| Northern Illinois | 0–2 | 0–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.