North Dakota State potentially joining the Mountain West wouldn’t just be another FCS-to-FBS success story. It could become a pressure point for the College Football Playoff itself, accelerating expansion talks and forcing the selection committee to reevaluate how access is granted in an increasingly congested FBS ecosystem.
Most of the attention surrounding NDSU’s possible move has centered on whether the Bison could compete at the FBS level. Their history suggests that question is already answered. The more consequential issue is what happens when programs like NDSU, South Dakota State, and possibly Montana or Montana State enter the FBS and begin winning immediately.