North Dakota State is joining the Mountain West Conference for the 2026 season in football only, becoming the latest school to make the jump up a level in competition.
The program’s agreement with the Mountain West comes with an interesting clause, one that effectively ensures that the Bison are doing everything in their power to remain competitive in their new level of college football.
According to a report from Daniel Libit of Sportico, there is a clause in North Dakota State’s contract with the conference that includes a commitment to maintain a level of football spending that is “reasonably comparable to” the league average. If the Bison struggle on the field, it will be required to increase football expenditures the following season to “match or exceed” the average of other league members.
North Dakota State has not been afraid to spend in recent years. According to the school’s financial disclosures to the NCAA, obtained by Sportico, the Bison spent $8.4 million for its football program in fiscal year 2025, which was up nearly two million dollars from the previous year. While North Dakota State spent at a level commensurate with other FCS programs, the $8.4 million spent on football last season is significantly lagging compared to every single one of its new peers in the Mountain West.
Each of the other Mountain West programs (Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, San José State, UNLV, UTEP and Wyoming) averaged around $15 million in FY24 football spend. Northern Illinois, a new conference member in their own right, spent just $11.6 million in FY24, while UNLV topped football spending at $21.2 million.
Complicating matters in the near-term for North Dakota State is the money doled out to join the Mountain West. Cash that will be spent to improve program infrastructure in the future will be (at least in part) going towards paying entry fees into their new conference, as well as exit fees to depart the Missouri Valley Conference in the FCS.
North Dakota State will pay a $12.5 million entry fee in six installments, with an initial payment of $7 million due upon admission, which is July 1, 2026 per the school’s contract with the conference. There will be five additional $1.1 million payments to follow. The program will also pay a $5 million reclassification fee to the NCAA and any additional undisclosed exit fees to the Missouri Valley Conference. North Dakota State is, however, exempt from paying annual conference dues—amounting to $220,000 per school—through the 2031–32 season. By the time the program begins paying conference dues in the 2032–33 season, it will owe just 30% of a full member’s dues and assessments to the conference.
However, there will be revenue coming the program’s way relatively quickly. In the first year, North Dakota State is eligible to receive 75% of a full member’s linear media rights share, which increases to up to 85% in year two. The conference announced a new six-year television contract with CBS, Fox, the CW and streaming platform Kiswe earlier this month.
North Dakota State will also be eligible for a full share of conference bowl expense reimbursements and revenue from the conference title game, which is estimated to pay roughly $50,000 to $75,000 annually.
The Bison will open the 2026 season on the road against Incarnate Word on Aug. 29.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report: North Dakota State’s Agreement With Mountain West Includes Spending Clause .
