Bison Sports Update: August 28th

Its been quite a while, and I am starting this later than normal. But, welcome back Bison fans! The calendar is August, which means the start of the 2025-26 academic year is about to begin and NDSU fall sports are either started or just about to!

Women's Soccer
NDSU Women's Soccer is back after a fun, but disappointing 2024 season. They have already played five games as of writing this. While the Bison were able to capture a season opening win down in Green Bay over the Phoenix on August 14th, they have not been able to get a Division I win since. They have lost 3 consecutive games to Division I opponents in Marquette (0-2), Idaho State (1-3), and Weber State (1-3). They just recently played Division III Concordia-St. Paul and won 3-0 at Dacotah Field.
The Bison hope to turn it around going forward with 3 home games in a row between now and September 7th. They will matchup against Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead from across the Red River this Sunday, August 31st. Then they will host NAIA Clarke on September 4th, and finally a Division I opponent again in UC Santa Barbara on September 7th.
North Dakota State Women's Soccer is 2-3 on the season.

Football
NDSU Football is just about ready to open the 2025 season, after a highly exciting and triumphant 2024 campaign that saw the program hoist the Division I National Championship trophy for the 10th time. 
Lets go over the schedule and then discuss some other things about the team.
The Bison will open this season with two away games a row, the first such occurrence since the last time Tim Polasek coached on the team. The first will be at The Citadel, a military school located in Charleston, South Carolina. You might remember the Bulldogs when they were upsetting FBS programs in the 2000s and early 2010s. Ah, the glory days of the FCS. Next week, the Bison will visit Tennessee State in the back end of a home and home contract that started last year. That matchup saw the Bison dominate the Tigers in a 52-3 clobbering. Nevertheless, both teams would make the playoffs - the Tigers falling to Montana in the second round. Unfortunately for Tennessee State, their respected head coach Eddie George left the program for the vacant job at Bowling Green of the Football Bowl Subdivision's MAC. Anyway, this game is the first of what NDSU AD Matt Larsen is calling "destination games". The Tigers play at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, the home to the NFL's Tennessee Titans until they move into their new downtown stadium in a few years. It also just so happens the Division I Football Championship Game is moving from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas to Vanderbilt University's FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. This is due to large scale renovations going in at Toyota Stadium that are estimated to be completed in 2027.
Next in the docket, is the home opener on the 13th against Southeast Missouri State, which we just discovered this week will debut a new uniform for the Bison. As part of the new uniform outfitter contract with Under Armour, the company made NDSU a new uniform to highlight the program's championship tradition with the numbers and letters appearing in gold on a white jersey. On the shoulder cuffs appear the traditional NDSU colors of green and gold. As of now, this is the only game they will wear these uniforms this season.
Following an early bye week, the Bison will host South Dakota for the MVFC schedule opener. It also happens to be homecoming. This game will be an early gem for the MVFC and FCS at large as it will give us a better idea just who these two teams are. While NDSU won the title last season, their one bad beat was a regular season finale down in Vermillion that was blown in the final minute of play. This was two seasons in a row that the Bison couldn't defeat the Coyotes in the regular season. The only win in that time was when NDSU thrashed USD in their own building in the 2024 playoffs. Both teams are going to be top 5 in the FCS this season, and whoever wins this game will be a good track to potentially repeat as conference champion.
The following week, NDSU will hit the road to visit Illinois State. Last season, the Bison had no issue taking care of the Redbirds in Fargo. While it probably won't be as easy this season as it was last, NDSU typically gets the better of Illinois State. The Redbirds come into this season off a FCS playoffs appearance last season that ended in the 2nd round. 
Next week, back home, the Bison will take on Southern Illinois. Unlike in Carbondale, NDSU can take care of the Salukis in Fargo. While they didn't play great last season against SIU, I expect that to change again this year. On the 18th of October, the Bison will travel to Indiana State. NDSU didn't play the Sycamores last season or the season before that, so the last time would be in 2022 in Terre Haute. That year, the Bison didn't play all that well at Memorial Stadium. They hope to play far better this season.
Finally, the Dakota Marker is on the docket. Yet again, this game has been picked by ESPN to appear on one of their linear networks on October 25th. NDSU had a great season last year, at the expense of their archrival in the Jackrabbits. The Bison launched to the height of their success last season when they played the Jacks. NDSU defeated SDSU in the Dakota Marker game last year on an epic Saturday night in a close game. The Bison climbed to Number 1 in the polls for the first time in over 2 years. In the playoffs, the Bison defeated the Jacks in the semifinals in yet another instant classic - and two weeks later would win their 10th FCS title. Its safe to say this year's edition of the scalding hot rivalry will produce yet another great game and propel the winner in the right direction at this point in the season.
Then, the Bison will come home to host Youngstown State, who just barely missed out on the FCS playoffs last season. YSU is trying to find their way back after some down years recently. 
The following week will see yet another big game. NDSU will go up to the Alerus Center to face UND, who shellacked them in that building two years ago. While the Bison always seem to get the better of the Fighting Hawks in Fargo in the Division I era, the game in Grand Forks has seemed to carry a different aura in the two times its taken place since both teams left Division II. The first game up there was a close contest that NDSU emerged triumphant in, and the second as I mentioned earlier would be accurately described as a disaster for the Bison. NDSU will have this one marked on their schedule, and I have no doubt UND will as well - after all: this is their super bowl.
The last two games of the season will feature Northern Iowa and St. Thomas at home. The Panthers have struggled in the last couple of seasons, and after the 2024 campaign - longtime and storied coach Mark Farley retired from coaching. Drake head coach Todd Stepsis has taken over UNI in hopes of restoring the team to its former glory. In the regular season finale - fully eligible St. Thomas will visit Fargo for the first time in football in decades. The Tommies play in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League, and have been quite good in that league during their transition period. It hasn't exactly to translated to non-PFL Division I wins though. They had Northern Iowa on the ropes last season but couldn't finish the deal. They visited South Dakota in 2023 and couldn't manage to get on the scoreboard. Regardless, it will be an exciting sign for UST to play some older foes. 
This season has a lot of questions (like usual). How will the offense play under first time starting QB Cole Payton? How will the offensive line hold up and fill the gigantic holes left by Grey Zabel and Jalen Sundell? Both are now NFL linemen for the Seattle Seahawks. The defense seems to be sound and will be NDSU's strength this season, hopefully it won't need to hold up the offense too much.
North Dakota State Football begins the season on Saturday at The Citadel. Kickoff is at 11:00 am.

Volleyball
Last but certainly not least - the NDSU volleyball team also kicks off their season this week! They will start the season hosting Bowling Green, Temple, and Saint Mary's this weekend.

Go Bison!!