2026 NDSU FCS PRE-SEASON & SIGN OFF

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Bison Forum FBS coverage of FCS NDSU football continues..

Best place to start is the GAM 2026 Pre-Season top 25. Updates and changes can and will happen so prior to kickoff this ranking will be updated.

KEY STAT: Over past 5 years FCS football spending up 26%, NDSU 6%

NDSU starts where they were predicted to finish.

THE TOP TEN:

High voltage high amps

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Lots of great student athletes will be gone to NIL money no FCS team has.

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The lower bracket:

High voltage low amps

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In the bottom 15 we see some decent teams from weak conferences. They beat up on their weaker conference mates, build a decent statistical profile to find out they really can’t compete against the upper echelons. Thats the position Bison fans are hoping for in the MWC. Any real chance at the championship is a certain mathematical illusion, just as good as the illusion of the Summit Championship and winning the Big Dance.

With the opt-in and 18,500 seats there is nothing NDSU can do in the FBS they can’t already do in the FCS

https://x.com/TBM_JY/status/2012642051205042218

The 3 mill media cut has the MWC looking more and more like a premier FCS conference.

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DOES NDSU LOOK LIKE A MWC SCHOOL?

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THE 2026 SCHEDULE:

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SHOULD HAVE BEEN NDSU?:
Is NDSU this good?

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4 decent games. Of course the CFP. 1 & done. Just like the Bison!

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A hypothetical. This kind of game can really mix up Las Vegas computers. Looks a lot like the Colorado game

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Another installment in “SHOULD HAVE BEEN NDSU”?
Kennesaw, recent move up.
What are they getting for their money

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2 decent games on that schedule. Don’t forget the legendary Myrtle Beach Bowl!

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SHOULD HAVE BEEN NDSU

There is no promised land. G6 Regular season games wouldn’t be much different than FCS. The payoff is the playoffs. NDSU has a chance at the FCS title. Not in the CFP.

How exciting to play the UNLV schedule? 14-0 exciting, just like the MVFC.

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Looking at this I would say NDSU has the money. Maybe the MWC doesn’t

https://www.footballscoop.com/2026/01/2 ... t-fbs-move

I like this:

"I would say in terms of our position, I think both myself and President Cook, we want to play at the highest level," Larsen said. "And right now, the highest level is FBS football. And so, I think the things that we've done over the course of the last decade have positioned us to be able to do that. And if there's an opportunity, I think it's something we would absolutely explore.

If there's not an opportunity, we're poised to continue competing at FCS at a really, really high level and compete for championships. So, I would say in terms of our position, it hasn't changed at all. And our interest of at least exploring that is as strong as it's ever been.”