North Dakota State left behind numerous rivals in the move from the FCS to the FBS, but one former FCS non-conference rival is open to playing the Bison down the road.
Bison insider Mike McFeely of the Fargo Forum recently spoke with Sam Houston athletic director Bobby Williams. Sam Houston joined the FBS in 2023, and Williams expressed interest in a home-and-home series with the Bison.
NDSU played Sam Houston in two FCS championship games and three other times in the playoffs, plus a few memorable non-conference regular season contests. McFeely’s query with Williams can be read here.
In the next few years, the Bison have open dates for non-conference opponents as the Mountain West Conference has an eight-game conference schedule. The Bison have two non-conference games in 2027 with Montana State and Sacramento State, and NDSU has Oregon on the schedule for 2028 and Jacksonville State in 2029.
That leaves plenty of openings for non-conference games for the Bison. Sam Houston has three non-conference games for 2027 and 2028, but the Bearkats have four non-conference games this season.
The Bearkats only have two scheduled for 2029 and one against fellow former FCS power Georgia Southern in 2030. Sam Houston also has openings in 2031 and 2033.
Highlights of NDSU’s Rivalry With Sam Houston
When NDSU was emerging as an FCS power in 2007, the Bison got tested in a big way at home against Sam Houston.
It also began an FCS non-conference rivalry that lasted until 2021 in the process. NDSU edged Sam Houston, known as Sam Houston State at the time, 41-38, in a shootout at the Fargodome. That game went back-and-forth throughout, but former Bison quarterback Steve Walker sealed the deal with seven seconds left as he found former wide receiver Kole Heckendorf on a 27-yard touchdown pass.
NDSU and Sam Houston met again in 2099 when the Bison fell short 48-45 in Huntsville, Texas, another thriller in the all-time seven-game series. Former Bison quarterback Nick Mertens tied that game 45-45 on a 1-yard run with 2:43 left, but Bearkats kicker Miguel Antonio grabbed the win with a 24-yard field goal with 26 seconds left.
The Bison and Bearkats then met for the FCS national championship in the 2011 season, a game that went down to the wire in Frisco, Texas. Former Bison linebacker Travis Beck made an interception in the fourth quarter that helped his team prevail 17-6 for the program’s first FCS title and ninth overall in program history.
NDSU and Sam Houston met for a second consecutive season in the FCS title game in the 2012 season, but the Bison won handily, 39-13. The Bison also dominated two home playoff games against the Bearkats, 35-3 in 2014 and 55-13 in 2017.
Things evened out again in 2021, when the Bison came up short in a wild comeback attempt against the Bearkats in Huntsville during the playoffs. Sam Houston staved off the Bison 24-20 and went on to win the FCS title that season.
Other Former FCS Rivals to Watch For in Scheduling
Besides Sam Houston, there could be other former FCS rivals, now in the FBS, that could return to Fargo.
That includes Georgia Southern, James Madison, Coastal Carolina, Delaware and Missouri State. NDSU had memorable games with all five of those former FCS teams, which have moved to the FBS during the past decade.
The Bison played JMU in two FCS title games and had playoff games with Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina. NDSU also played Delaware in non-conference action and Missouri State in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
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