North Dakota State won an FCS-record eighth national championship to close out the 2019-20 season. The Bison defeated James Madison 28-20 on Jan. 11, 2020 in the FCS championship.
North Dakota State has now won 37 straight games — breaking its own FCS record — ranging back to Nov. 4, 2017. The Bison became the first DI college football team to go 16-0 in a year since 1894 Yale.
North Dakota State Bison: 2019 football schedule
Here was the complete 2019-20 schedule and results for North Dakota State football.
| OPPONENT | DATE | TIME (ET) | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | Saturday, Aug. 31 | 4 p.m. | Minneapolis, Minn. (Neutral) | W, 57-10 |
| North Dakota | Saturday, Sept. 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 38-7 |
| Delaware | Saturday, Sept. 14 | 1 p.m. | Newark, Del. | W, 47-22 |
| UC Davis | Saturday, Sept. 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 27-16 |
| Illinois State | Saturday, Oct. 5 | 1 p.m. | Normal, Ill. | W, 37-3 |
| Northern Iowa | Saturday, Oct. 12 | 2 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 46-14 |
| Missouri State | Saturday, Oct. 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 22-0 |
| South Dakota State | Saturday, Oct. 26 | 3 p.m. | Brookings, S.D. | W, 23-16 |
| Youngstown State | Saturday, Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. | Youngstown, Ohio | W, 56-17 |
| Western Illinois | Saturday, Nov. 9 | 3:30 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 57-21 |
| South Dakota | Saturday, Nov. 16 | 3:30 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 49-14 |
| Southern Illinois | Saturday, Nov. 23 | 3 p.m. | Carbondale, Ill. | W, 21-7 |
| Nicholls (Round 2) | Saturday, Dec. 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 37-13 |
| Illinois State (Quarterfinals) | Saturday, Dec. 14 | 12 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 9-3 |
| No. 5 Montana State (Semifinals) | Saturday, Dec. 21 | 2 p.m. | Fargo, N.D. | W, 42-14 |
| No. 2 James Madison (Championship) | Saturday, Jan. 11 | 12 p.m. | Frisco, Tx. | W, 28-20 |
Tickets
You can find and purchase tickets for 2019 North Dakota State football games here, via GoBison.com. For tickets to the 2019 FCS national championship, click or tap here.
2018 season results
North Dakota State finished 15-0 en route to its second straight national title, and seventh overall, in 2018. The Bison defeated Eastern Washington in the national championship game.
Here was every result from the Bison's 2018 schedule:
| OPPONENT | DATE | LOCATION | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cal Poly | Saturday, Sept. 1 | Fargo, N.D. | W, 49-3 |
| North Alabama | Saturday, Sept. 15 | Fargo, N.D. | W, 38-7 |
| Delaware | Saturday, Sept. 22 | Fargo, N.D. | W, 38-10 |
| South Dakota State | Saturday, Sept. 29 | Fargo, N.D. | W, 21-17 |
| Northern Iowa | Saturday, Oct. 6 | Cedar Falls, Ia. | W, 56-31 |
| Western Illinois | Saturday, Oct. 13 | Macomb, Ill. | W, 34-7 |
| Illinois State | Saturday, Oct. 20 | Fargo, N.D. | W, 28-14 |
| South Dakota | Saturday, Oct. 27 | Vermillion, S.D. | W, 59-14 |
| Youngstown State | Saturday, Nov. 3 | Fargo, N.D. | W, 17-7 |
| Missouri State | Saturday, Nov. 10 | Springfield, Mo. | W, 48-7 |
| Southern Illinois | Saturday, Nov. 17 | Fargo, N.D. | W, 65-17 |
| Montana State | Saturday, Dec. 1 (FCS Second Round) | Fargo, N.D. | W, 52-10 |
| Colgate | Saturday, Dec. 8 (FCS Quarterfinal) | Fargo, N.D. | W, 35-0 |
| South Dakota State | Friday, Dec. 14 (FCS Semifinals) | Fargo, N.D. | W, 44-21 |
| Eastern Washington | Saturday, Jan. 5 (FCS National Championship) | Frisco, Texas | W, 38-24 |
FCS HISTORY: The 9 all-time winningest FCS schools | The biggest FCS stadiums in the nation
Top returning players
North Dakota State did lose quite a bit of playmakers from last year, returning just seven starters from the 2018 national championship team. Among the departures were three-time national champion Easton Stick, the all-time winningest quarterback in FCS history.
Here are three star Bison who will be back in 2019:
TY BROOKS: Brooks entered 2019 as the leading returning rusher with 737 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2018. He had two 100-plus yard games as a junior, including a 103-yard, one-touchdown day against Montana State in the second round of FCS playoffs. Brooks is part of a deep running back group also including redshirt freshman Saybein Clark and junior Adam Cofield.
JABRIL COX: Cox is an imposing force in the Bison's front seven, finishing with 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions and a team-high 91 total tackles in 2018. The junior linebacker was named an AP second-team All-American and finished fourth in the Buck Buchanan Award race last year. He was named to the 2019 Buck Buchanan Award preseason watch list.
JAMES HENDRICKS: Hendricks finished with five interceptions and a team-best 14 passes defended last year at safety. He picked off two passes in the 2018 FCS playoffs, including one in the national championship game against Eastern Washington.
Preseason rankings
North Dakota State was voted No. 1 in both the FCS Coaches and the STATS FCS Top 25 preseason polls. Both polls are updated weekly.
LATEST RANKINGS: FCS Coaches Poll | STATS FCS Top 25 Poll
2020 FCS Championship
The 2020 FCS championship game is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2020. It will be the 10th straight year the national title game will be played in Frisco, Texas.
The road to Frisco gets started on Nov. 24 with the 2019 NCAA Division I Football Championship selection show, announcing the 24 playoff qualifiers. The FCS playoffs begin Nov. 30 with the first round. Click or tap here for the full championship schedule.
FCS CHAMPIONSHIP: 2020 FCS championship information | Buy championship game tickets
Here is the complete FCS championship history since 1978. North Dakota State has won two straight titles and seven of the last eight.
| YEAR | CHAMPION | COACH | SCORE | RUNNER-UP | SITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | North Dakota State | Chris Klieman | 38-24 | Eastern Washington | Frisco, Texas |
| 2017 | North Dakota State | Chris Klieman | 17-13 | James Madison | Frisco, Texas |
| 2016 | James Madison | Mike Houston | 28-14 | Youngstown State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2015 | North Dakota State | Chris Klieman | 37-10 | Jacksonville State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2014 | North Dakota State | Chris Klieman | 29-27 | Illinois State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2013 | North Dakota State | Craig Bohl | 35-7 | Towson | Frisco, Texas |
| 2012 | North Dakota State | Craig Bohl | 39-13 | Sam Houston State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2011 | North Dakota State | Craig Bohl | 17-6 | Sam Houston State | Frisco, Texas |
| 2010 | Eastern Washington | Beau Baldwin | 20-19 | Delaware | Frisco, Texas |
| 2009 | Villanova | Andy Talley | 23-21 | Montana | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2008 | Richmond | Mike London | 24-7 | Montana | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2007 | Appalachian State | Jerry Moore | 49-21 | Delaware | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2006 | Appalachian State | Jerry Moore | 28-17 | Massachusetts | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2005 | Appalachian State | Jerry Moore | 21-16 | UNI | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2004 | James Madison | Mickey Matthews | 31-21 | Montana | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2003 | Delaware | K.C. Keeler | 40-0 | Colgate | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2002 | Western Kentucky | Jack Harbaugh | 34-14 | McNeese State | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2001 | Montana | Joe Glenn | 13-6 | Furman | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 2000 | Georgia Southern | Paul Johnson | 27-25 | Montana | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 1999 | Georgia Southern | Paul Johnson | 59-24 | Youngstown State | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 1998 | Massachusetts | Mark Whipple | 55-43 | Georgia Southern | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 1997 | Youngstown State | Jim Tressel | 10-9 | McNeese State | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| 1996 | Marshall | Bob Pruett | 49-29 | Montana | Huntington, W.Va. |
| 1995 | Montana | Don Read | 22-20 | Marshall | Huntington, W.Va. |
| 1994 | Youngstown State | Jim Tressel | 28-14 | Boise State | Huntington, W.Va. |
| 1993 | Youngstown State | Jim Tressel | 17-5 | Marshall | Huntington, W.Va. |
| 1992 | Marshall | Jim Donnan | 31-28 | Youngstown State | Huntington, W.Va. |
| 1991 | Youngstown State | Jim Tressel | 25-17 | Marshall | Statesboro, Ga. |
| 1990 | Georgia Southern | Tim Stowers | 36-13 | Nevada | Statesboro, Ga. |
| 1989 | Georgia Southern | Erk Russell | 37-34 | Stephen F. Austin * | Statesboro, Ga. |
| 1988 | Furman | Jimmy Satterfield | 17-12 | Georgia Southern | Pocatello, Idaho |
| 1987 | Louisiana-Monroe | Pat Collins | 43-42 | Marshall | Pocatello, Idaho |
| 1986 | Georgia Southern | Erk Russell | 48-21 | Arkansas State | Tacoma, Wash. |
| 1985 | Georgia Southern | Erk Russell | 44-42 | Furman | Tacoma, Wash. |
| 1984 | Montana State | Dave Arnold | 19-6 | Louisiana Tech | Charleston, S.C. |
| 1983 | Southern Illinois | Rey Dempsey | 43-7 | Western Carolina | Charleston, S.C. |
| 1982 | Eastern Kentucky | Roy Kidd | 17-14 | Delaware | Wichita Falls, Texas |
| 1981 | Idaho State | Dave Kragthorpe | 34-23 | Eastern Kentucky | Wichita Falls, Texas |
| 1980 | Boise State | Jim Criner | 31-29 | Eastern Kentucky | Sacramento, Calif. |
| 1979 | Eastern Kentucky | Roy Kidd | 30-7 | Lehigh | Orlando, Fla. |
| 1978 | Florida A&M | Ruby Hubbard | 35-28 | Massachusetts | Wichita Falls, Texas |
* -- Stephen F. Austin's participation in 1989 championship vacated.
