An undefeated start has NDSU in the College Football Playoff conversation

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North Dakota State’s 4-0 start has put the Bison in the conversation for the College Football Playoff. Not bad for a team in its first year as an FBS program, eh?

After years of dominating the FCS, NDSU took the leap to the FBS this summer when the school was announced as a football-only member of the Mountain West Conference. Despite making the jump just this year, the Bison are allowed to compete in the playoffs or bowl games because the NCAA granted transitioning teams immediate access to the postseason. In years past, those teams leaping had to wait several years before being allowed to compete in bowl games (see St. Thomas men’s basketball).

The Bison didn’t waste any time getting acclimated to the tougher competition. They have already claimed their first Mountain West win with a 38-32 victory over Air Force on Sept. 12. They followed that up with a 31-10 rout of new MAC program Sacramento State on Saturday night. The Bison opened their season with a 33-7 win over Conference USA’s Jacksonville State before ripping off a 38-0 win over Fordham of the FCS.

The undefeated start, along with a conference victory already under their belt, has put the Bison into the early CFP conversation. NDSU received six votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll, which effectively means they’re ranked 40th in the country.

According to ESPN’s playoff predictor, the Bison have an 11 percent chance of making the playoffs. That’s tied with South Florida and only behind Boise State and James Madison, who each are each being given a 19 percent chance to make the CFP.

The highest-ranked Group of 6 team earns an automatic bid in the playoffs. James Madison became the first Group of 6 squad to make the expanded 12-team playoffs last season, losing to Oregon 51-34 in the first round.

NDSU reaching the CFP in Year 1 would be particularly stinging for the Minnesota Gophers, who haven’t sniffed the playoffs in the 12 seasons since the NCAA instituted the postseason format. While the Gophers have regularly competed in the mid-tier of the Big Ten, they’ve never come close to securing one of the four playoff spots from 2014 to 2023, or one of the 12 spots since the field expanded in 2024.

That could change if the NCAA expands the field again to 24 teams, as many have speculated might happen. Historically, nine- to ten-win seasons are enough to finish the regular season in the top 24.

The Bison return to action on Oct. 3 against Wyoming in the Fargodome.

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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Sports News and Rumors section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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