North Dakota State Bison Football is throwing down serious cash to play at college football‘s highest level. The FCS powerhouse has agreed to join the FBS as a football-only member for 2026. But to make the move, they need permission from the conference and the NCAA, and it reportedly requires a big paycheck.
Per reports, the team, which belonged to the Missouri Valley Football Conference, will likely write a $17.5 million check to compete in the Mountain West. But the conference is in a rebuilding phase after losing five schools to the Pac-12.
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The Bison finished 12–1 in 2025 and won the Missouri Valley Conference for the 12th time since 2008. Since then, they are 51–6 in postseason play and have won 10 national championships among 15 since 2011.
North Dakota State Bison football climbs into the student section to celebrate their win over South Dakota State Jackrabbits© Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(© Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
ESPN’s Pete Thamel shared the news of their subdivision move on Sunday, penning, “Sources: North Dakota State has agreed to a deal to join the Mountain West in football only for 2026. The school is expected to pay nearly $12 million to join the league, which is in addition to the $5 million it will pay the NCAA to move to FBS.”
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He followed up with confirmation the deal would be announced Monday, noting NDSU’s move gives the Mountain West 10 football teams for 2026.
The Bison will face stronger opponents at the FBS, but athletic director Matt Larsen has been clear about the program’s ambitions.
“We want to play at the highest level,” Larsen told WDAY’s “Hot Mic” program last month. “Right now, the highest level is FBS football. The things we’ve done over the course of the last decade have positioned us to be able to do that.”
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The agreement applies only to football, with NDSU’s other sports remaining in the Summit League. They will go through a two-year transition and will be ineligible for the College Football Playoff and bowl games in 2026 and 2027.
NDSU is paying a lot of money to move up in football, even though they can’t play in the biggest games right away. Seems like they want recognition first at the upper subdivision.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
