North Dakota State Bison

The North Dakota State Bison are the defining dynasty of modern FCS football, playing indoors at the Fargodome in front of the loudest crowds in the subdivision. Green and gold Bison teams have won more national championships than any FCS program in history, a run so dominant it's been called the last great American football dynasty. NDSU's success has sent a wave of NFL talent (including MVP-caliber quarterbacks) into the pros. The Bison's move to a new conference marks a new chapter for one of college football's most successful modern programs.

North Dakota State fielded its first football team in 1894 and moved all athletics to Division I in 2004. The Bison then built the most dominant run in FCS history, winning 10 of 14 national championships between 2011 and 2024, including a five-peat from 2011-2015 and three more titles from 2017-2019. NDSU's 2019 team went a perfect 16-0, the first Division I program to finish undefeated at that mark since 1894 Yale. The Bison later moved their athletic programs into the Mountain West Conference and up to the FBS level in 2026.