College Football: What to Expect from North Dakota State and Sacramento State in the FBS

There will be two more FCS-to-FBS transitioning teams coming to college football this fall. FCS powerhouse North Dakota State will be making their debut in the Mountain West Conference (MW) this year, while the NIL funded and investment-heavy Sacramento State will also be making its first FBS appearance in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Let’s take a closer look at both NDST and Sac State while also evaluating other programs who have made a similar transition in recent years.

College Football: The Jump From FCS to FBS

For relevancy purposes, let’s look at teams since just 2017 and onward that have made the transition from FCS to FBS. There have been quite a few teams before 2017 to also make the same leap, with varying degrees of success.

For example, Appalachian State has been in FBS for 12 years now. They have had five separate double digit win seasons and a 7-2 record in bowl games. On the other hand, Charlotte has also been in the FBS for around the same time, since 2015, and have seen 10 out of 11 years with losing seasons and only one bowl appearance, which was a loss in 2019.  

It also needs to be stated that college football, even since 2017, has changed immensely. These are merely points to try to identify success among teams making the leap from FCS to FBS. With that said, let’s look at some of the most recent teams moving up from the FCS ranks and what they’ve accomplished.

Recent FCS-to-FBS Transitions

Coastal Carolina, 2017

Coastal Carolina made the switch to the FBS in 2017. Their first three years in the FBS were middling to say the least. However, they have been in a bowl game the past five years. 

In CCU’s first year in the FBS, they had more than just higher competition and scheduling to worry about. Former head coach (Joe Moglia) took a medical leave of absence, so Jamey Chadwell took over the reins in their first FBS season and led CCU to a 3-9 record. The next year, Moglia returned and the team went 5-7. In the third year, Chadwell was given the HC position and the team once again went 5-7. However, in following years, the team had consistency at head coach and were recruiting to build a culture, and they did just that. Coupled with a unique spread option offense that used a lot of different personnel and formations, CCU went 31-7 the next three seasons, including back to back seasons with 11 wins and three straight bowl appearances.

Liberty, 2018

Liberty made their FBS debut in 2018 before becoming a full FBS member in 2019. They also dropped from the independent ranks to join Conference USA (C-USA) in 2023. While not a playoff threat at the FCS level, Liberty won eight Big South Conference championships in a 10-year span. Hugh Freeze was named head coach in 2018 and Liberty found almost immediate success at the FBS level.  

After a 6-6 record in their first FBS year, coupled with the coaching change, every year after that was a winning record with a bowl appearance. That is, up until last season. Liberty was very transfer portal heavy and many P5 bounce-back players had success in the run-heavy RPO offense, led by dual threat quarterbacks in Malik Willis and Kaidon Salter. When Freeze left for the Auburn job and Chadwell (formerly CCU) took over as HC, Liberty found success again. He led the program to an undefeated season, a conference championship, and a NY6 bowl appearance against Oregon. 

James Madison, 2022

James Madison has probably had the most success in transitioning from FCS to FBS. Curt Cignetti was JMU’s head coach when they transitioned, and he built an incredible team during his years at JMU. Yet even before Cignetti, the Dukes had been considered a FCS playoff contender since 2014. They won five conference titles in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in their last seven seasons before the move up. JMU also won a 2016 FCS National Championship and had a 2019 runner-up finish, as well. 

JMU’s first season at the FBS level was an 8-3 year that should have resulted in a Sun Belt championship appearance and a bowl game. However, NCAA transition rules didn’t allow it to happen. The next three seasons saw a combined 32-8 record, a new head coach in Bob Chesney (now at UCLA), a conference championship, and a College Football Playoff appearance. JMU was traditionally a run-first team with at least two capable backs and a quarterback who could scramble. They mostly ran a zone read-option offense that continued to expand by adding efficient play with pro style passing.

Sam Houston State (2023), Jacksonville State (2023), Kennesaw State (2024), Delaware (2025), and Missouri State (2025)

Sam Houston has been an FCS championship contender since the early 2010’s. They made a trip to the national championship three times and to the semis six times in that timespan alone. Sam Houston’s first year in the FBS in 2023 was rough, resulting in a 3-9 record. However, the next year was a 10-3 record with a bowl win. The 2025 season was another bad year with a 2-10 record. However, that came after their head coach (K.C. Keeler) left for Temple and many players followed his lead.

Jacksonville State also made their FBS debut in 2023. They were on a pretty dominant run in the 2010’s as well, having six double digit win seasons during that timeframe. The years leading up to their FBS debut featured a few pretty below average seasons, but some of that had to do with recruiting and redshirting players in order to get ready for a higher level of competition. Head coach Rich Rod led the team to two straight bowl appearances and a conference championship. His replacement, Charles Kelley, took the team to a conference championship appearance and bowl win in his first season. Both Jacksonville State and Sam Houston are run heavy teams, with the former focusing on a high tempo, RPO style of offense. Meanwhile, Sam Houston was more pro style, using the clock in their favor.

In between the newest additions, Kennesaw State also moved up from the FCS level in 2024. Their story is a little different from the rest, as they have only had a football program since 2015. Kennesaw had four 11-plus win seasons from 2017-2021, while making the FCS playoffs and finishing ranked in four of those five seasons. 

Kennesaw had always operated the triple option offense. However, they chose to reform it with their new head coach (Jerry Mack) to a slower-paced offense. They still used a dual-threat QB, but with more emphasis on the passing game. There were mixed results of the success throughout the season. Yet overall, by keeping some of their old concepts and mixing it with an infusion of a new offensive philosophy (and adding capable QBs), it was a highly productive season for KSU. They easily doubled their passing output from the year before and took their record from 2-10 to 10-4.

The two new additions to the FBS last season were Delaware and Missouri State, who are both long standing football programs at the FCS level. Both experienced success in their first season at the FBS level, going 7-6 and 7-5, respectively. They also both received an invitation to a bowl game.

Both teams have high flying offenses, where sometimes defense is optional. More so than their offensive success, there is a case to be made that both teams had success due to their fit in the conference. C-USA isn’t exactly a hotbed for high-level recruiting and isn’t known for their stout defenses. There is an argument to be made that the timing and fit within a conference is just as important as many of the other factors.  

What to Expect from the New FBS Teams

It appears the transition to the FBS level has varying levels of success. Some teams hit the ground running while others never find their footing. There really isn’t a formula to predict success at the next level, but there are some significant factors that seem to hold weight.

• Overall program success
• Coaching
• Offensive scheme
• Timing
• Conference fit

North Dakota State Bisons

North Dakota State seems like they could be a team that hits the ground running, just like some of the other teams mentioned above. Here is how they stack up.

Overall Program Success

Since 2011, the Bisons have won the national championship 10 times. They’ve also been a top-10 FCS team in every one of those seasons as well. North Dakota State also already owns a 9-4 record versus FBS teams.

Coaching

The Bisons have had four coaches since the 2010 season. Those were Craig Bohl (ended up at Wyoming), Christ Klieman (ended up at Kansas State), Matt Entz (ended up at Fresno State), and now, Time Polasek (one national championship in two seasons), who was an OC under Bohl.  Not only were all of these former coaches successful, they all eventually moved up to coach at the FBS level.

Offensive scheme

This college football program is a power offense of north-south runners with playmakers at many other positions. Several players from the program have been drafted over the years, too. With the consistency and success at the FCS level, it should carry over well into the new conference that includes teams like Wyoming, NIU, and Air Force.

Timing

The timing seems to be perfect to join the Mountain West Conference. The conference was just restructured with multiple teams leaving for the Pac-12, with North Dakota State one of a few teams being added this season.

Losing your NFL-caliber quarterback and wide receiver isn’t ideal when pushing up to a new, higher level of competition. However, they still return eight starters from last season (three on offense), which is still tied for second-most in the conference.

Conference Fit

Many teams within the newly-aligned Mountain West have run-heavy concepts and schemes (UTEP, NIU, Air Force, Wyoming). This should be a positive for North Dakota State. Their head coach previously had a hand in what Wyoming does and also has experience in the conference.

Some of the up-tempo and more pass heavy teams might be pause for concern (Hawaii and UNLV), but it isn’t like the Bisons haven’t played teams with the same offensive makeup at the FCS level, oftentimes in more high-stake games. The Bisons will also receive 75-percent of conference revenue sharing in year one. This jumps up to 85-percent in year two. In year three, they will receive the same amount as all full time conference members.

Sacramento State Hornets

Sacramento State is a curious case. It is harder to tell what their range of success or failure could be in their first season and in the following years. And to be frank, it was an unusual move for Sacrament State to move up to the FBS level.

Most of the funding that was promised to them from donors was only if they were joining the Pac-12 conference, which didn’t happen. The group of donors were expected to have $50 million dollars in NIL athletic funds to bolster the roster. Yet, once again, that was reliant on an invitation from the newly reformed Pac-12.

Overall Program Success

Sacramento State has had a football program since the 1950’s, but their success can be described as average at best. Outside of a three year span from 2021-2023 where they went 30-8, most of their seasons have ended in losing or middling records. Excluding these years, the last conference title win was in 1995 and they didn’t make the FCS playoff before 2019 or since.

Coaching

A big reason for the team’s success from 2021-2023 was former head coach Troy Taylor, who was fired from Stanford after back-to-back 3-9 seasons and bullying allegations. However, it was Taylor’s offense that brought the team success.

Sac State is currently on their third head coach since Taylor. Last year’s HC, Brennan Marion, was supposed to bring the UNLV Go-Go offense and run it with transfer-quarterback Jaden Rashada, a former five-star prospects.  

Unfortunately for Sac State, neither worked out. Marion left to be the offensive coordinator at Colorado while Rashada transferred (once again). What was supposed to be the foundation of the team heading into a transition year is now missing.

Sac State has claimed Marion was offered more salary by Colorado than what they could match. However, what if Marion saw the writing on the wall and the makeup of the team and became spooked?

Offensive Scheme

The new head coach for Sac State is Alonzo Carter. He was the assistant head coach and running backs coach last year at Arizona. Carter was also the RB coach and run game coordinator for San Jose State from 2018-2023. The offensive scheme is unclear as of right now, but just guessing based on his previous stops, it will be centered around the run game.

Timing

The timing for Sac State is odd. Marion and Rashada were perceived to be the cornerstones of the program and both of those pieces are gone. Now, you have a first-time FBS head coach that has been tasked with making the move from FCS to FBS. There are reasons to believe he can be a good HC, as he was highly thought of at Arizona by the players and staff.

The Hornets are also expected to pay $18 million over five years to the MAC and another $5 million to the NCAA for the jump to the FBS. This doesn’t even include that they will not receive any conference revenue sharing for the next five years. They will also have to cover air and travel costs for all visiting MAC schools for the next five years.

Conference Fit

The conference fit doesn’t seem apparent. Having to pay for your opponents to come play you and then also paying to travel all the way to states like Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois (even Massachusetts) doesn’t seem financially ideal. Their 2026 schedule also appears to be a back and forth affair. The schedule this season also includes a game at Hawaii. As recently as last season, we saw the negative effects of this sort of travel with west coast teams playing in the Big Ten.

One bright spot for Sac State is that the MAC isn’t a loaded conference by any means. However, there are teams within the conference that are consistent. Miami (OH), Toledo, Ohio, and Western Michigan are all teams who have made multiple appearances in the MAC title game in the past decade. 

Sac State lost to all three top-15 ranked opponents they faced last season by a total of 35 points. They also lost to an early version of a very bad Nevada team by three. None of these factors make one believe they are ready to become contenders early at the FBS level.

What Should Fans Expect?

The NIL era in college football sees program turnarounds happen seemingly overnight. However, this seems like two teams coming from completely different places.

North Dakota State has climbed to the top of the mountain many times. They have fans who are truly passionate about this team. They have beat several FBS schools, and it feels like the program genuinely wants the challenge of playing at the next level and expanding their product to the widest audience possible. North Dakota State has arrows pointing up on all of the key factors that seem to show eventual success when moving up to the FBS level. While they’re unlikely to compete for the College Football Playoff, they should be able to maintain success within the conference early.

On the opposite side, this seems like a classic money grab scenario by a team that thinks they can get in on the TV rights and expanded CFP cash. The problem is they are trying to fast track an FCS to FBS transition, when they are only going to be spending money for the next five years. The donor situation seems murky at best, and they lost their head coach and quarterback who they believed were going to spearhead the program into the next level.

Sac State isn’t a program that has found consistent success throughout their years. Now, they belong to a conference in which every team is located east of Illinois. There has been a mass exodus of players from last season’s team, only having one returning starter on offense and two on defense coming back.  Sac State is almost the exact opposite of North Dakota State, with all of their factors pointing toward a direction of potential failure.

Is it possible that Sac State receives their donor money and the “Sac 12” turns this team around after? If you have money, you have a chance in today’s college football world. This is especially true if you are funding millions in athletic NIL and playing in the MAC.