2026 Week 0 Preview: Jacksonville State Gamecocks @ North Dakota State Bison
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Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, August 29 at 5:30 p.m. ET
- Network: CBS Sports Network
- Location: Fargodome — Fargo, ND
- Spread: North Dakota State (-7.5)
- Over/under: 46.5
- All-time series: Jacksonville State leads, 2-1
- Last meeting: North Dakota State 37, Jacksonville State 10 — January 9, 2016 (FCS National Championship)
- Current streak: North Dakota State, 1 (2015)
Setting the scene
Welcome to the FBS, North Dakota State.
The FCS’s premier powerhouse finally makes the upgrade to the highest level of college football. The Bison won 10 national championships from 2011-24, but a crowded trophy case was not enough to satisfy the program. They wanted more. Now, as members of the Mountain West Conference, North Dakota State can prove its true mettle in the FBS ranks.
The Fargodome will host its first-ever FBS matchup in Week 0, and its first visitor is the model student for transitioning FCS teams. Jacksonville State made the move to FBS three years ago, and through three seasons, the Gamecocks have 27 wins, two conference championship appearances, two bowl wins, and a Conference USA title.
Last time these programs met was on the FCS National Championship stage to conclude the 2015 campaign. This time, it’s an FBS affair between a perennial CUSA contender and a Mountain West hopeful.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks outlook
Jacksonville State has hosted back-to-back Conference USA Championship Games. But those fruitful seasons did not come with promising starts. The Gamecocks stumbled out of the gate in both 2024 and 2025, overcoming an 0-3 start in the former year and 2-3 start in the latter. However, those early-season struggles can be attributed to not having the right personnel from the get-go.
Jax State took several games to figure out the quarterback position in 2024 and 2025. The Gamecocks ultimately found the solution both times — Tyler Huff in 2024 and Caden Creel in 2025, and both wound up as perfect fits for the zone-read based offensive scheme, surpassing 1,000 rushing yards. This year, there won’t be any hesitation at quarterback. Creel returns to the lineup after starting the final nine games last fall, posting a 7-2 record and attaining 1,514 passing yards and 1,075 rushing yards.
However, in year two under Charles Kelly, the Gamecocks must fill one major vacancy at running back. After losing the FBS rushing leader Cam Cook to West Virginia, the team presents two potential RB1s with limited experience. Junior Jalen Likely recorded 52 yards on seven carries last year, while true freshman Cedric Kouemi prepares for his collegiate debut. The team also rosters more experienced returning tailbacks such as Khristian Lando and Andrew Paul, although they are not listed on the initial two-deep. The starting running back at Jax State is a favorable position to be in: the last two players with this designation finished top-5 nationally in rushing with over 1,600 yards.
Jax State must ensure its line stays potent to keep the run game churning. CUSA All-Freshman center Lucas Mrachkovskiy is the only returning starter on the unit. The four sharing the trenches with him are all incoming transfers, primarily arriving from the FCS ranks.
Jax State prefers to keep things grounded, ranking top-5 nationally in rushing attempts per game in all three years since making the jump to the FBS. The Gamecocks attempted the 12th-fewest passes per game in 2025 at 23.4, but when they target the air, they prefer to go big, in a multitude of ways. They have immense size at the position in 6’8”, 215 pound receiver Deondre Johnson — a potential NFL Draft prospect. And when Johnson is targeted, it’s often well downfield. The tallest wide receiver in the country averaged 24.1 yards per reception in 2025, producing 724 yards and six touchdowns. He’ll be supported by transfer receivers Ronnel Johnson and Darius Cannon, who were highly productive at their respective previous stops of Missouri State and FCS Murray State.
On defense, the Gamecocks are a consistent takeaway machine. In all three seasons as an FBS program, they’ve ranked top-20 nationally in turnovers forced — generating 25 in 2023, 24 in 2024, and 24 in 2025. That brand sustained under defensive coordinator Brian Williams, who now enters his second year with the program.
The ringleader of the turnover movement is free safety Caleb Nix, who notched three fumble recoveries and snagged four interceptions for 191 yards in a First Team All-CUSA season. He’s not the only Gamecock defensive back receiving preseason recognition. Also named to the Jim Thorpe Award watchlist is cornerback Tre’Quon Fegans, the defense’s top lockdown corner who produced a team-best nine pass breakups in 2025.
Overall, Jax State countered offenses well last season, ranking third in the CUSA in both scoring defense and total defense. But the Gamecocks were subject to allowing explosive plays, as only 14 FBS teams surrendered more 20+ yard gains — and those primarily were through the air. The 2026 unit remains similar to last year’s, retaining five starters and only listing one transfer as a first teamer on the depth chart — Division II Albany State nickel Jonavan Carr. Other key returning pieces include linebackers Mac Sanders and Walker O’Steen, who combined for 169 tackles and 18.5 tackles for loss as Jax State’s top two tacklers a year ago.
North Dakota State Bison outlook
It was the FCS-to-FBS move fans anticipated for over a decade, but North Dakota State is finally playing football at the highest level. The Peace Garden State will host its first-ever FBS matchup Saturday, showcasing the 19,000-seat indoor Fargodome to a national audience.
North Dakota State is led by third-year head coach Tim Polasek, who owns a 26-3 record since taking over. The former Wyoming offensive coordinator guided the Bison to a national championship in his 2024 debut season. A repeat effort looked promising in 2025 as NDSU held the No. 1 spot in the rankings all year, but it was subject to a stunning upset to Illinois State in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
Polasek retains a bulk of his coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Dan Larson and defensive coordinator Grant Olson. However, the program still dealt with notable roster in the offseason. Star wide receiver Bryce Lance warranted a fourth-round NFL Draft selection by the New Orleans Saints, while quarterback Cole Payton landed two rounds later to the Philadelphia Eagles.
With Lance and Payton gone, the most recognizable unit offensively is the line which returns three starters in guards Griffin Empey and Nate Tastad, along with right tackle Josh Magin. Empey has only played two seasons, but the junior is a two-time FCS First Team All-American. Meanwhile, Tastad earned FCS Freshman All-American honors in 2025. These accolades are no surprise considering the Bison have generated four NFL Draft picks from their offensive line in the 2020s, including three in the first two rounds. It’s uncharacteristic for teams transitioning to the FBS, but the o-line will be the team’s strongest position group in 2026.
Nathan Hayes is the signal caller operating behind the stout line. The fifth-year senior spent four seasons as a backup, collecting 595 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception as a reserve. The sample size is miniscule, but his mobility has been tremendous in limited action, averaging 12.7 yards per carry on 14 career rushes — with potential to replicate Payton’s 777 rushing yards from 2025.
Lance had more than double the receiving yards of anyone else on the roster last year. Without the NFL-bound receiver in the lineup, Hayes’ top targets become Jackson Williams and tight end Reis Kessel, who attained 293 and 335 receiving yards, respectively, in the Bison’s final FCS season. The Bison also lose a 1,000-yard rusher in Barika Kpeenu but promote his understudy DJ Scott, who posted 502 rushing yards and six touchdowns on a 5.3 average last fall.
The Bison defense was exceptionally dominant last season, albeit at a lower level. Five opponents scored single-digits and only two eclipsed 17 points all year on a unit which retains five primary starters for 2026. Defensive linemen Kelton McCaslin and Keenan Wilson are back, but that group remains in search of a new lead pass rusher. Not a single returning player registered more sacks than defensive end Victor Isele’s 3.0 last fall.
Meanwhile, the linebacker corps brings back leading tackler Donovan Woolen, who also tied for the team-lead with three interceptions. There aren’t too many transfers expected to crack the defensive rotation, but the Bison will complement Woolen with former Cornell starting inside linebacker Keith Williams. The secondary features the same starting safeties, Jaylin Crumby and Darius Givance, who combined for three interceptions on a unit which collected 19 total last season.
Prediction
North Dakota State went 6-0 vs. FBS competition in the 2010s, but the Bison haven’t played opponents from the upper subdivision much lately — mainly due to their success against them. NDSU is 0-2 against FBS competition since 2017, falling to Arizona and Colorado by one score in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
The Bison aren’t opening against just any FBS opponent. They’re opening against a team that hosted two-consecutive CUSA title games with a returning 1,000-yard rusher at quarterback, a 6’8” wide receiver getting NFL Draft looks, two proven linebackers, and a veteran secondary with all-conference talent. Jax State hasn’t opened previous seasons well, but the Gamecocks enter 2026 with a more established foundation than they did in 2024 or 2025.
This might be the most evenly-matched Week 0 contest. North Dakota State’s greatest advantage will be the offensive line, and Jacksonville State’s will be its zone-read offense. There should be several lead changes with no team pulling significantly ahead. But in the end, the elusive Caden Creel leads the Gamecocks on a game-winning drive to spoil the Bison’s FBS welcome party.
Prediction: Jacksonville State 27, North Dakota State 24
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