Former NDSU Coach a Contender For Power 4 Job Analyst Says
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Before Tim Polasek led North Dakota State to the FBS, former Bison head coach Matt Entz had the move on his radar.
Entz left NDSU after the 2023 season to coach linebackers at USC before he took the head coaching job with Fresno State in 2025. With Entz’s success between the Bison and Bulldogs, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg identified him as a prime candidate for a Power Four program next year.
“Entz has championships in his profile, leading North Dakota State to FCS titles in 2019 and 2021, and he went 60-11 there, with four top-three finishes in five years,” Rittenberg wrote. “He then made the somewhat surprising move to USC, where he spent the 2024 season as a defensive assistant, gaining Power 4 experience, before taking the Fresno State job and going 9-4. Another strong season at Fresno State would put the 53-year-old on the radar for jobs spanning from the Midwest to the West Coast.”
An Iowa native, Entz joined the Bison coaching staff in 2014 under former head coach Chris Klieman. Entz served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2014 to 2018 before he took the head coaching job after Klieman left for Kansas State.
During Entz’ time in Fargo, FBS talk had been simmering, though geography and budget had been main obstacles, and it never came to fruition under his watch despite attempts in 2020 with the shuffling of college football due to COVID-19.
Matt Entz Coaching Against His Former Team
Entz will coach against USC to open the season on Friday at the LA Coliseum, and he sees it as an early opportunity for his team to push for a College Football Playoff spot.
The Bulldogs joined the Pac-12 this year as one of five teams that left the Mountain West Conference, which made way for NDSU, Northern Illinois and UTEP. Entz believes his core of 14-15 starters are key to his team’s chances for a run.
“Notre Dame and Oregon tout 15 returning starters; Georgia and USC also are among Power conference teams fielding some of the sport’s most experienced rosters with at least 14 returners,” Entz said via USA Today’s Trojans Wire. “There’s the potential for more for Fresno.”
“I think our players are seeing that ‘Hey, this experience is bigger than just me. I can get wherever I want from Fresno State,” Entz added. “Now, at the same time, we have another successful season, it’s going to get harder and harder to retain some of these players because, again, there are lucrative opportunities out there.”
Fresno State will have plenty of challenges ahead beyond USC in hopes of making a run for the CFP. The Pac-12 notably had contenders in Boise State and San Diego State to tangle with.
‘I Loved My Time at NDSU’
When Entz took the job with USC in 2024, he spoke highly of his time with the Bison. Entz served on USC head coach Lincoln Riley’s staff for one season when the Trojans went 7-6.
“I loved my time at NDSU,” Entz told reporters in 2024. “It was an unbelievable 10 years. Had an opportunity to compete for seven national championships.”
“That fan base there has an unbelievable standard and that’s what makes that place so great,” Entz added. “It’s not about being 7-5. It’s about winning championships. It’s about winning national championships — and doing it with the right people, the right way. And I think this place can be the exact same thing.”
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