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FARGO – North Dakota State had to pick out a heavyweight in order to add a future NCAA Division I FBS opponent to its football schedule.
http://www.inforum.com/sports/bison/3822605-bison-add-fbs-power-oregon-their-football-schedule-2020
The four-time defending FCS national champion Bison will play Pac-12 power Oregon in 2020, NDSU announced Friday afternoon. That game is slated for Sept. 5, 2020, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
“I think that is what we’re looking at, these upper-level teams in ‘Power 5’ conferences,” Bison athletic director Matt Larsen said of landing future FBS opponents.
Oregon has won four consecutive bowl games and appeared in two national championship games over the previous five seasons.
“To go into Oregon and play one of the premier teams in college football in that atmosphere will be an unforgettable experience,” Bison head coach Chris Klieman said in a news release.
The Bison will receive a $650,000 guarantee to play the Ducks, Larsen said. He added there is a $1 million buyout if either team wanted to get out of the game.
“I think philosophically playing an FBS opponent is important for us,” Larsen said. “First and foremost, it’s about recruiting.”
The Bison have had success playing against the FBS with an 8-3 record against that division. NDSU has won its past five games against FBS opponents, with victories at Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado State, Kansas State and Iowa State.
That success has made it more difficult for the Bison to schedule FBS opponents, Larsen said. NDSU is slated to play at the University of Iowa of the Big Ten Conference next season. With the addition of Oregon, the Bison now have two future FBS games.
Recently, the Big Ten Conference came out with a scheduling policy to not play future games against FCS opponents beyond existing contracts. That decision has forced NDSU to alter its FBS scheduling philosophy.
“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to go out of region to play these FBS games,” Larsen said, due in part to the Big Ten’s decision. “The pool became a lot more shallow.”
Larsen wants to add FBS opponents to the schedule in 2018 and 2019. In 2017, the Bison are scheduled to play at Big Sky Conference power Eastern Washington as part of a home-and-home agreement. Due to that road game with Eastern Washington, the Bison won’t try to schedule an FBS game in 2017, Larsen said. That’s because NDSU wants to have six home games per season, and any game against an FBS opponent would be on the road.
Larsen said he started working on scheduling Oregon within the past two months. That culminated with Friday’s announcement.
“It’s an exciting announcement and good for the program,” Larsen said.
http://www.inforum.com/sports/bison/3822605-bison-add-fbs-power-oregon-their-football-schedule-2020
The four-time defending FCS national champion Bison will play Pac-12 power Oregon in 2020, NDSU announced Friday afternoon. That game is slated for Sept. 5, 2020, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
“I think that is what we’re looking at, these upper-level teams in ‘Power 5’ conferences,” Bison athletic director Matt Larsen said of landing future FBS opponents.
Oregon has won four consecutive bowl games and appeared in two national championship games over the previous five seasons.
“To go into Oregon and play one of the premier teams in college football in that atmosphere will be an unforgettable experience,” Bison head coach Chris Klieman said in a news release.
The Bison will receive a $650,000 guarantee to play the Ducks, Larsen said. He added there is a $1 million buyout if either team wanted to get out of the game.
“I think philosophically playing an FBS opponent is important for us,” Larsen said. “First and foremost, it’s about recruiting.”
The Bison have had success playing against the FBS with an 8-3 record against that division. NDSU has won its past five games against FBS opponents, with victories at Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado State, Kansas State and Iowa State.
That success has made it more difficult for the Bison to schedule FBS opponents, Larsen said. NDSU is slated to play at the University of Iowa of the Big Ten Conference next season. With the addition of Oregon, the Bison now have two future FBS games.
Recently, the Big Ten Conference came out with a scheduling policy to not play future games against FCS opponents beyond existing contracts. That decision has forced NDSU to alter its FBS scheduling philosophy.
“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to go out of region to play these FBS games,” Larsen said, due in part to the Big Ten’s decision. “The pool became a lot more shallow.”
Larsen wants to add FBS opponents to the schedule in 2018 and 2019. In 2017, the Bison are scheduled to play at Big Sky Conference power Eastern Washington as part of a home-and-home agreement. Due to that road game with Eastern Washington, the Bison won’t try to schedule an FBS game in 2017, Larsen said. That’s because NDSU wants to have six home games per season, and any game against an FBS opponent would be on the road.
Larsen said he started working on scheduling Oregon within the past two months. That culminated with Friday’s announcement.
“It’s an exciting announcement and good for the program,” Larsen said.
