After 10 Division I FCS championships and 12 Missouri Valley Conference titles, the North Dakota State University football team is embarking on a new challenge and a new chapter in their illustrious history.

The Bison have finalized a deal to join the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026, making the jump from the FCS ranks to the FBS. The move – expected to be formally announced by NDSU on Monday – is for football only. The rest of NDSU’s athletic programs will be unaffected.

NDSU will pay the Mountain West $12 million in joining fees and another $5 to the NCAA to make the move to the FBS. The Bison will become the 10th team in the Mountain West, which was looking to replace Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State, who all left to join the newly-reconstructed Pac-12.

The Mountain West currently consists of Northern Illinois, UTEP, Air Force, Hawai’i, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV and Wyoming.

The Bison have been an FCS program since 2004, but they are no stranger to FBS competition. NDSU is 9-5 against FBS programs, with wins over Ball State, Minnesota (twice), Central Michigan, Kansas, Colorado State, Kansas State, Iowa State and Iowa.