On the eastern edge of North Dakota, pressed against the Minnesota border and surrounded by hundreds of miles of flat, open prairie, Fargo has long existed in relative seclusion, known for its punishing winters. But over the past 20 years, it has become home to college football's most dominant dynasty. Beginning in 2011, North Dakota State won 10 FCS national championships in 14 seasons under four different head coaches.
Winning too much isn't a typical path to apathy, but over the past few years crowds at the Fargodome had thinned. It had all become routine. NDSU had outgrown the level it had spent years dominating. Then, on Feb. 6, reports surfaced that NDSU was close to joining the Mountain West.
Inside the Fargodome, athletic director Matt Larsen and coach Tim Polasek confirmed it: North Dakota State was moving to the FBS. "It was a big uproar," quarterback Nathan Hayes said. "Everybody was on their feet jumping, clapping, just thankful for the opportunity."
The move was the culmination of two decades of growth at NDSU and a college football landscape that had shifted in its favor. It also created a test: Whether the culture and developmental model that made the Bison the FCS standard can survive at a more expensive, more volatile level of the sport.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing