×

No. 2 NDSU hosts No. 7 Mercer in FCS quarterfinal

FARGO – No. 2 seed North Dakota State University (NDSU) (11-2) is scheduled to host Southern Conference champion and No. 7 seed Mercer (11-2) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championship at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Fargodome.

This is the first meeting between NDSU and Mercer. The Bison are 9-0 against Southern Conference teams, including a 38-35 victory at East Tennessee State in September. Mercer is 0-1 against the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The Bears lost 41-0 at South Dakota State in the second round last December.

This is NDSU’s 38th postseason appearance and 15th straight dating back to 2010. The Bison have advanced to the quarterfinals or beyond all 15 years in the FCS playoffs. NDSU has an 83-18 record in the postseason with 17 national championships including nine FCS titles in 11 years from 2011 to 2021.

The Bison won three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969 and five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990. NDSU is 78-17 in the NCAA playoff format since 1973, and the Bison own the record for FCS playoff victories with a 48-5 mark, including 36-1 in the Fargodome.

NDSU has a top-two seed for the 10th time in 15 FCS playoff appearances. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds have home field advantage through the semifinals, and NDSU has hosted through the semifinal round 11 times.

The Bison were No. 3 in 2015 and hosted a semifinal en route to the national title that year after a quarterfinal loss by No. 2 Illinois State. The Bison were No. 3 again in 2022 and won a home semifinal against No. 7 Incarnate Word after UIW beat No. 2 Sacramento State 66-63 in the quarterfinals.