Bison · Mountain West
Head coach Tim Polasek Year 1 with North Dakota State
Year-1 HCs (2015-2024) averaged -0.19 W vs. preseason expectation
No remaining game changes North Dakota State's playoff odds. Make playoff 0%
Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.
| Week | Opponent | Result or win prob.Result or win probability |
|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 Aug 29 | vs Jacksonville State Conference USA | Win, 33-7 Final |
| Wk 1 Sep 5 | vs Fordham Non-FBS | Win, 38-0 Final |
| Wk 2 Sep 13 | at Air Force Mountain West | Win, 38-32 Final |
| Wk 3 Sep 20 | at Sacramento State Mid-American | Win, 31-10 Final |
| Wk 4 | Bye | |
| Wk 5 Oct 3 | vs Wyoming Mountain West | Win, 28-0 Final |
| Wk 6 Oct 10 | at UNLV Mountain West | Loss, 7-13 Final |
| Wk 7 Oct 17 | vs Nevada Mountain West | Win, 31-17 Final |
| Wk 8 Oct 25 | at New Mexico Mountain West | Loss, 16-21 Final |
| Wk 9 Oct 31 | vs UTEP Mountain West | Win, 31-7 Final |
| Wk 10 | Bye | |
| Wk 11 Nov 15 | at Hawai'i Mountain West | |
| Wk 12 Nov 21 | vs Northern Illinois Mountain West | |
| Wk 13 Nov 27 | at San José State Mountain West | |
More coming. Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.
51 score
Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.
−1.4 rating
8 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.
| Player | From | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Nyeoti PunniRB From Holy Cross | Holy Cross | 31 |
| Keith Williams Jr.LB From Cornell | Cornell | 16 |
| Kene AneneOL From Kansas | Kansas | — |
| Jordan McCantsWR From West Virginia | West Virginia | — |
| Jeremiah PattersonWR From Arizona | Arizona | — |
| Truman GriffithDE From Kansas State | Kansas State | — |
Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.
Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.
