North Dakota State will kick off its FBS era soon, and that could include another College GameDay appearance sooner or later.
The Bison hosted the famed ESPN show twice during the FCS dynasty, and the first FBS season would make sense for the College GameDay to return this year. It’s not happening in Week 0, and Moore College Football lamented that and chose NDSU’s opener as the best option for Aug. 29.
NDSU kicks off against Jacksonville State at the Fargodome in a rematch of the FCS championship game from the 2015 season. The Bison won a fifth consecutive title that year, and the Gamecocks later moved up to the FBS and have enjoyed success thus far.
After the NDSU game, Moore College Football ranked N.C. State-Virginia as the next-best option followed by Memphis and UNLV as the third. A couple other Mountain West Conference games made it into the top eight with Hawaii-Stanford at No. 4 and San Jose State at USC for No. 7.
College GameDay announced the first two stops for 2026 in May with Week 1 when LSU hosts Clemson. The Week 2 game will be Ohio State and Texas in Austin. It’s not impossible for NDSU to slip in another week for College GameDay for this season, but it will be a challenge since the show generally visits Power Four schools.
Where NDSU Has a Chance at College GameDay
Looking at NDSU’s schedule, here’s a breakdown of the most likely games for the Bison to have any chance of ESPN coming to Fargo.
Actually, it’s only one as the only other two most candidates are road games. NDSU’s home game with Wyoming on Oct. 3 has a budding rivalry feel with the backdrop of the coaching history with former Bison and Cowboys head coach Craig Bohl.
There isn’t an overwhelming marquee game at the moment on Oct. 3, but that hinges on how the early season plays. Miami-Clemson looks like the biggest game of the day, but College GameDay has Clemson in Week 1.
Other potential games include Florida-Missouri, Washington-USC and Virginia-Florida State. Since Virginia upset Florida State last year, that could make for intrigue if both schools are thriving early on.
NDSU’s best chance comes on Oct. 10 with UNLV in Las Vegas since ESPN had already named it as one of the top games to watch for the season. The Bison will get to show the country if they’re for real this year when facing the Mountain West favorite and last year’s conference runner-up.
UNLV is a contender to grab the Group of Six’s College Football Playoff spot, and the Bison will have the chance to crash the party. The biggest reasons NDSU and UNLV won’t get the invite from College GameDay is because the Georgia-Alabama game and Texas-Oklahoma games are that Saturday.
NDSU Made History With College GameDay
The Bison have never lost when involved in College GameDay, and the Herd own the best record among FCS teams to appear on the show three or more times.
NDSU had College GameDay back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014, and the Bison showed up again in 2019 when South Dakota State hosted the show. The Bison edged the Jackrabbits 23-16 in that game, and NDSU won the first two appearances handily against non-conference teams.
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