North Dakota State to Reportedly Join Mountain West in CFB, Move to FBS After 10 FCS Titles

An FCS powerhouse is reportedly moving up in the college football world.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported North Dakota State will join the Mountain West in football only starting with the upcoming 2026 season. It will have to pay the NCAA $5 million to move to the FBS and an additional $12 million to join the conference.

CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello noted North Dakota State has been quite public in its "desire to move to the FBS level" with athletic director Matt Larsen and outgoing university president David Cook leading the way.

Larsen previously said the program's interest in such a move was "as strong as it's ever been."

That it would be interested comes as no surprise.

After all, the Bison have won 10 national championships since 2011 and last won the title in 2024. They also boast a 9-5 all-time record against FBS opponents with five of those victories coming against power conference programs.

This also comes at a time of transition and uncertainty for the Mountain West with Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State all heading to the new-look Pac-12 and UTEP and Northern Illinois joining the fold.

Hawaii is also going from a football-only member to one for all sports starting in 2026, while UC Davis will join for sports outside of football. Northern Illinois is joining as a football-only member in 2026.

North Dakota State will have to wait before it is competing for national championships at the FBS level, as the two-year transition period will make it ineligible for the College Football Playoff and bowl games in 2026 and 2027. However, it could still participate in a bowl game if there are not enough bowl-eligible teams to play all the postseason games.

Quick success wouldn't be that surprising given North Dakota State's history, and James Madison provides something of a blueprint for just that.

The Dukes moved from FCS into the Sun Belt starting with the 2022 campaign and already have two double-digit win seasons and a CFP berth in their first four years at the FBS level.