Just when you thought college football in the 2020s had delivered its share of conference-realignment surprises, on Monday North Dakota State delivered one of the biggest of all earlier this week. The Bison—seemingly comfortable dominating FCS play for all eternity—agreed to move up and join the Mountain West for the 2026 season.
The move has been a long time coming. North Dakota State is the owner of 18 national championships at the small-college level—three in the archaic College Division, five in Division II, and 10 in FCS. It’s picked off a bevy of FBS opponents over the years, including Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Minnesota. It has a large, devoted fanbase and will slot easily into the Group of 6.
The move itself, however, is the easy part.
The question is whether the Bison can build a sustainable winner at the FBS level. Since the advent of FBS and FCS’s forerunners—Division I-A and I-AA—in 1978, dozens of teams have attempted to climb the college football corporate ladder. The results have been all over the place.
Let’s take a look back at 10 notable division jumpers and how they fared—five from the past, and five from the present.
Akron (1987)
How good were the Zips before moving up? The first program to make the leap from I-AA to I-A had a decent small-college track record but just one I-AA playoff appearance to its name, a first-round loss to Rhode Island in 1985.
How good were they after? Akron’s had its moments—a MAC title in 2005, an 8–5 campaign under coach Terry Bowden in 2015—but has never quite found its big-league footing amid the demographic decimation of its Northeast Ohio recruiting base.
Nevada (1992)
How good were the Wolf Pack before moving up? Nevada was a consistent I-AA contender, and in 1990 it reached the national championship, losing 36–13 to Georgia Southern after triple-overtime wins in both the quarterfinals and semifinals.
How good were they after? They’ve been down in the 2020s, but the Wolf Pack have won consistently in three different conferences, peaking with a 13–1 campaign in 2010 led by coach Chris Ault and quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Boise State (1996)
How good were the Broncos before moving up? Like Nevada, Boise State was a frequent presence in the I-AA playoffs, reaching the national championship in 1994 before falling to Youngstown State.
How good were they after? Saying the Broncos have succeeded in FBS is an understatement—Boise State is 292–92 since moving up and has finished in the AP Top 10 five times.
UCF (1996)
How good were the (Golden) Knights before moving up? UCF played just six I-AA seasons but won six or more games in every one of them, and reached the playoff semifinals its first year at that level.
How good were they after? Marshaling its considerable enrollment, the Knights built up a devoted fanbase, won 12 games three times in the 2010s (including an unbeaten season in 2017), and began play in a major conference—the Big 12—in 2023.
Massachusetts (2012)
How good were the Minutemen before moving up? Very good, making the I-AA/FCS playoffs in every decade from the 1970s to the 2000s and winning the national title 55–43 over fellow future jumper Georgia Southern in 1998.
How good were they after? Massachusetts remains FCS-to-FBS transitioners’ most potent cautionary tale, having yet to win more than four games in a season (and also having tarnished the standing of their once-formidable men’s basketball team).
Liberty (2018)
How good were the Flames before moving up? Liberty made the FCS playoffs just once in 2014 but cobbled together a glut of winning seasons before that to burnish its credibility.
How good were they after? The Flames won quickly at the FBS level, and in 2023 they took advantage of a light schedule and a great season from quarterback Kaidon Salter to reach the Fiesta Bowl, which they lost 45–6 to Oregon.
More: North Dakota State Pushes to Change Longstanding NCAA Rule Ahead of FBS Move
James Madison (2023)
How good were the Dukes before moving up? Like North Dakota State, James Madison was a consistent, modern FCS winner, having scooped up national titles in 2004 and 2016.
How good were they after? The first in a wave of post-pandemic jumpers, the Dukes have never struggled in FBS, riding now-legendary coach Curt Cignetti to 19 wins in their first two seasons before reaching the College Football Playoff in 2025 under coach Bob Chesney.
Jacksonville State (2023)
How good were the Gamecocks before moving up? A Division II power before jumping up to I-AA, Jacksonville State made 10 playoff appearances in 18 years from 2003 to ‘20 and memorably upset Florida State in 2021.
How good were they after? Fitting conveniently into Conference USA, the Gamecocks have won 27 games in their three FBS seasons, including two bowl games.
Sam Houston (2023)
How good were the Bearkats before moving up? Part of FCS’s ruling class in the 2010s, Sam Houston won the national title in the subdivision’s trivia answer of a spring 2021 season.
How good were they after? It’s been a roller coaster for the Bearkats, who went 3–9 in 2023, won 10 games in 2024, lost longtime coach K.C. Keeler to Temple and regressed to 2–10 in 2025.
Kennesaw State (2024)
How good were the Owls before moving up? Kennesaw State won two playoff games two years after starting a football program and four overall in a five-year span from 2017 to ‘21.
How good were they after? The first year—2024—was a 2–10 slog, but the Owls won Conference USA this past season in year one under coach Jerry Mack, who has become a name to know in future coaching carousel iterations.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as North Dakota State Moves Up: Looking Back at Notable FCS-to-FBS Transitions.
