North Dakota State kicks off life in the Mountain West against a Fordham team that just posted the worst season of Joe Conlin's near-decade tenure as head coach.
Bush’s Picks
FORNDSU
FORNDSU
OverUnder
Best BetNorth Dakota State
NDSU is breaking in a new quarterback and a retooled receiver room, but the gap between a 12-1 MVFC champion and a team that just went 1-11 is still enormous. Fordham has to prove its defense can hold up before anyone takes it seriously here. Back the Bison to win outright in their second-ever FBS test.
Fordham
+fresh defensive staff after full coaching overhaul
+nothing to lose as heavy underdog on road
−coming off 1-11, worst mark of Conlin era
−lost 4 assistants including DL coach this offseason
−massive step up in competition level vs FBS-bound NDSU
North Dakota State
+10 FCS titles in 15 years, 12-1 in 2025
+portal reload replaced 8 departed starters
+home opener at Fargodome, proven environment advantage
−losing NFL-drafted QB Cole Payton to Eagles
−4 of top 6 receivers gone from 2025 roster
−first-ever true FBS test, new level of competition
NDSU is jumping straight from FCS dominance into the Mountain West this fall, and Saturday, September 5 is only the second game of that transition. Cole Payton, who threw for 2,719 yards and ran the offense to a 12-1 record and an outright MVFC title last season before the Eagles drafted him in round 5, is gone. Senior Nathan Hayes, a 6-3, 218-pound backup for the past year and a half, steps in now, and third-year coach Tim Polasek has restocked the roster with 9 portal additions after losing 8 starters.
Fordham's picture is bleaker. The Rams finished 1-11 in 2025, their worst mark under Conlin and a follow-up to a 2-10 season the year before, and the offseason response was a staff overhaul that saw 4 assistants — including the defensive line coach — not retained. This trip to Fargo is the first real test of a defense that's still being rebuilt on the fly, against a program most books simply aren't picking to lose.
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FOR Fordham
NDSU North Dakota State
Still, dynasties don't fold overnight. NDSU has won 10 FCS national titles over the last 15 years, and even with 4 of its top 6 receivers gone, returning pieces like tight end Reis Kessel and All-American guard Griffin Empey — sliding to center — give the Bison a foundation to lean on. College Football News projects an 8-4 debut season, and some outlets have floated NDSU as a legitimate unbeaten candidate.
Fordham Rams
North Dakota State Bison
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The two programs have never met, so there's no history to draw from here — this is a first meeting, full stop. What NDSU does have is a talent gap that's hard to ignore: a team that just went 8-0 in conference play against a program that couldn't find its footing in the Patriot League.
Fordham Rams
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
North Dakota State Bison
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Fordham's actual job Saturday is just surviving the environment. Whatever Conlin's retooled defensive staff draws up, they'll be doing it against a Bison offensive line replacing its left tackle and center and a program that's spent the offseason reloading through the portal rather than rebuilding from scratch. NDSU looks like a heavy favorite to open its FBS chapter with a statement.
