North Dakota State knows Wyoming‘s plight all too well from 22 years ago.
The Bison gave up a longtime rivalry with North Dakota and the Nickel Trophy after the 2003 season to move up from Division II to the FCS. Wyoming recently lost two rivals to the Pac-12 with Colorado State and Utah State, and that most likely means no annual Bronze Boot or Jim Bridger’s Rifle.
Cowboys athletic director Tom Burman sees a new opportunity for his gridiron program with the Bison joining the Mountain West Conference. The Bison and Cowboys could develop a rivalry that’s more deeply entrenched than when NDSU and SDSU created a new rivalry in the FCS, which eventually evolved into one of the best at that level. NDSU and Wyoming will meet for the second time ever on Oct. 3 in Fargo.
“I will say this about NDSU: Wyoming fans can’t rest, because NDSU fans are not resting,” Burman said via Alex Taylor of Wyo Sports. “They are all in, and they are very excited about what they’re going to do, and they’re investing in their program as we speak.”
NDSU has ties to Wyoming going back to the 2008 season when the two schools played each other. Former Bison head coach Craig Bohl, who coached in that game, left Fargo for Laramie in 2013, before his 2023 retirement.
Tom Burman Highlights NDSU-Wyoming Ties
While Bohl’s departure surprised NDSU, the Bison kept winning FCS national championships without him amid three different coaching regimes.
Burman, who worked with Bohl, sees the ties between NDSU and Wyoming coaches as a big part of a rivalry developing. It didn’t end with Bohl coming to Wyoming after three consecutive FCS titles with the Bison.
“Obviously, Craig Bohl had his fingerprint on North Dakota State, and he has his fingerprint here,” Burman said. “Their head coach, Tim Polasek, was here. [Current UW head coach] Jay Sawvel coached with both of those guys. So, there’s an easy reason to think this is going to be a rivalry, and I think that it will become a rivalry.”
Polasek served under Bohl at NDSU between 2006 and 2012, and he joined Bohl in Wyoming for three seasons between 2021 and 2023. Bohl’s son, Aaron Bohl, serves as the defensive coordinator.
Similarities Abound Between NDSU and Wyoming
Besides the intertwined coaching trees, NDSU and Wyoming have a natural rivalry in other ways.
Geographically, it’s not a stretch for starters. NDSU had a conference rivalry with Northern Colorado, won a pair of Division II national championships. The Bison have played many big non-conference games with Montana and Montana State during the FCS years.
“I’ve had conversations with (NDSU athletics director Matt Larsen), and we both agree there’s a lot of similarities (between NDSU and Wyoming),” Burman said. “Similar size of institution, and the culture, especially in the sport of football, is very similar.”
Wyoming has 10,819 students and NDSU has around 12,000. The Bison play in the 19,000-seat Fargodome while the Cowboys play in the 25,000-seat outdoor War Memorial Stadium.
NDSU and Wyoming’s lone matchup also holds promise. The Bison came up short of the upset in a 16-13 loss at Laramie when the Cowboys picked off former Bison quarterback Nick Mertens with two minutes left.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Wyoming AD Sends Message on NDSU Rivalry Hopes appeared first on HEAVY.