Can Anyone Stop North Dakota State from Winning its 11th FCS Title in 15 Years?

The North Dakota State Bison are the cream of the crop once again at the FCS level. North Dakota State was unstoppable in the 2010s, winning eight of the 10 titles awarded in that decade. The Bison stumbled a bit after the departure of Chris Klieman to Kansas State, but they won their 10th FCS Championship last year in a thriller against Montana State.

North Dakota State is a heavy favorite per the FCS title odds to win it all for the second straight season. The Bison won all of their games by 17 points or more prior to an eight-point win over Youngstown State last week, and they hammered arch rival South Dakota State 38-7 to claim the Dakota Marker once more two weeks ago. That has North Dakota State poised to be the overall No. 1 seed in the 2025 FCS Playoffs, and it leaves us asking if anyone can get between the Bison and another national championship?

Ranking the Top FCS Contenders

Tarleton State Texans (9-1)

It’s been incredible to watch the growth of Tarleton State football. The Texans made the jump from Division II to FCS in 2021, and they have already become one of the best programs in the region. Tarleton State went on the road and beat Army in double overtime in August, and they were ranked No. 2 nationally prior to last week’s 31-28 road loss against Abilene Christian. 

Fifth-year senior Victor Gabalis has been fantastic under center. Gabalis is averaging 8.7 YPA with 18 touchdowns and two interceptions in his third season with the program. Tarleton State has a great ground game too, averaging 214.3 YPG.

However, the Texans have yet to play an elite opponent at the FCS level. Tarleton State doesn’t have a victory over a team ranked in the FCS Top 25, and Abilene Christian is 5-4 on the season. Additionally, the defense has been solid, but not spectacular, so the Texans stand a decent chance of being knocked off by a more proven competitor before the semifinals.

South Dakota State Jackrabbits (7-2)

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits vied with North Dakota State for national supremacy over the first half of the 2020s. South Dakota State finished runner-up to Sam Houston five years ago to announce its presence as a powerhouse, and the Jackrabbits won back-to-back national titles in 2022 and 2023. However, SDSU has not looked as strong this season under first-year head coach Dan Jackson.

South Dakota State was ranked No. 2 early in the season after opening its campaign with a home win against Sacramento State and a double overtime road victory over Montana State. The Jackrabbits also knocked off Youngstown State, but they were hammered by North Dakota State two weeks ago and lost a stunner to Indiana State at home last week despite being a two-touchdown favorite against the 2-6 Sycamores. That has bumped SDSU down to No. 9 in the FCS Rankings, so the Jackrabbits might not even get a first-round bye into the FCS Playoffs.

Quarterback Chase Mason was injured in the win over Murray State on October 18. Mason didn’t play in SDSU’s losses to North Dakota State and Indiana State, and the offense was only able to muster 19 points with freshman Luke Marble under center. The Jackrabbits will be much better once Mason returns, and they might be the team with the best chance to knock off the Bison.

Montana State Bobcats (7-2)

We almost saw the Montana State Bobcats win their first national title last year. Montana State trailed North Dakota State 21-3 at halftime of the national championship game but rallied to lose by three points. The offense hasn’t been as explosive with Tommy Mellott now in the NFL, yet the defense has been one of the best units in the country.

Montana State opened its season with losses to Oregon and South Dakota State. Since that point, the Bobcats have allowed just 8.3 PPG and are 6-0 in Big Sky play. If you take out their performance against Oregon, the Bobcats would rank 4th in total defense nationally, allowing just 272 YPG.

Stanford transfer Justin Lamson has been excellent over his last five games, and the Bobcats could be a real threat to the Bison if he continues to play at this level. Lamson has averaged 10.5 YPA with 13 touchdowns and no interceptions during this stretch.

Montana Grizzlies (9-0)

Bobby Hauck’s return has made Montana a program to be reckoned with once more. The Grizzlies made it to the 2023 FCS Championship after overtime victories against Furman and North Dakota State, but fell to South Dakota State in the title game. The Jackrabbits knocked the Grizzlies out of the postseason in the second round last year, but Montana is likely to have one of the top seeds in this year’s playoffs.

Sophomore quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat is one of the frontrunners to be named the Walter Payton Award winner. Ah Yat is averaging 9.1 YPA with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions while at the helm of the fourth-ranked total offense in the country. It’s this offense that will be the impetus behind Montana probably being 11-0 heading into the season-ending Brawl of the Wild against Montana State.

Harvard Crimson (7-0)

For the first time ever, the Ivy League will be taking part in the FCS Playoffs. Harvard will likely be the Ivy League champion, but the Crimson close out the regular season with the other two conference contenders (Penn and Yale).

Harvard ranks eighth nationally in total offense. Jaden Craig broke the school’s career passing touchdown record in last week’s win over Dartmouth, and he is averaging 9.4 YPA. The offensive line has played a huge role in this team’s success as Craig has only been sacked three times in seven games, and the ground game is averaging 184.0 YPG.

The Ivy League champion will be a big wild card headed into the FCS Playoffs, but the Crimson have the talent to make some noise and potentially score an upset or two.