North Dakota State football moving up to the FBS and Mountain West Conference has captured headlines this offseason, and another Bison program has now made a conference move that could have implications.
The Bison wrestling program announced a move from the Big 12 to the Pac-12 Conference as an affiliate member for the 2026-2027 school year. All of NDSU’s sports are in the Summit League, with the exception of wrestling and football, since the Summit League doesn’t offer either sport.
While NDSU football isn’t making another conference move anytime soon, the Locked On Big 12 podcast explored that possibility for the Bison. NDSU has a 9-5 record against FBS programs since moving up to Division I in 2004, and that includes victories over Big 12 teams Kansas State, Iowa State, and Kansas.
Bison wrestling leaving the Pac-12 doesn’t make it impossible for the football program to one day move to the Big 12, but it’s not the norm for teams to play sports in multiple traditional power conferences. Pac-12 football has fallen from power conference status to a Group of Six league with the defection of five teams from the Mountain West.
Future Conference Options For Bison Football
If NDSU ever received an invitation to the Pac-12, it wouldn’t drastically increase the competition. Top Pac-12 teams include Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Washington State, and Oregon State.
Geographically, the Big 12 would make more sense for the Bison if the Power Four league ever came calling. First, the Bison need to thrive in the Mountain West as a new FBS program.
Predictions vary on how the Bison will do in the first year with the Mountain West. The Bison will notably play top teams UNLV, Hawaii, and New Mexico on the road.
Making it to the College Football Playoff is possible with a Group of Six league, so the Bison may not have urgency to move up to a Power Four conference in the future. Boise State made it out of the Mountain West in 2024, and James Madison from the Sun Belt and Tulane from the American Athletic Conference made it in 2025.
JMU making the CFP particularly impacted the Bison since the two met multiple times in the FCS playoffs, including two championship games. The Dukes moved up to the FBS in 2022.
Why Bison Wrestling Moved
The Pac-12 needed more teams and the Bison could join a league with more equal NIL money than the Big 12.
“That didn’t have any implication necessarily,” Bison wrestling head coach Obe Blanc told the Fargo Forum’s Jeff Kolpack. “It was looking at what gives us the best chance to grow our profile and put our student-athletes in positions to compete for conference championships.”
“I like the fact we’re doing it against teams that look similar to us. Yeah if you want to talk on what some of these teams are spending on NIL, it’s a little different, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a motivation for us,” Blanc added.
That said, NIL money and finances will likely be big considerations for the Bison football program if a move up to a Power Four conference ever happens.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post North Dakota State Makes Big Non-Football Conference Move appeared first on Heavy Sports.