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FCS National Championship primer: South Dakota State aims to dethrone North Dakota State

Landon Dierks, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
·3 min read
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Jan. 5—FRISCO, Texas — A three-week lead up to the most highly anticipated Football Championship Subdivision national title game in history is quickly nearing its end.

No. 1 South Dakota State and No. 3 North Dakota State are set to do battle for the 114th time come Sunday afternoon, only this time not for the Dakota Marker but for a national championship ring.

Here's what to know ahead of the contest:

When: 1 p.m. Sunday

Where: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas.

Television: Live coverage of FCS championship game will be carried by ABC.

Coverage: Full coverage online at mitchellrepublic.com from reporter Landon Dierks in Texas.

Records: SDSU, 13-1; NDSU, 12-2.

Coaches: SDSU: John Stiegelmeier, 26th season, 198-112; NDSU: Matt Entz, fourth season, 49-6.

Last meeting: SDSU 23, NDSU 21; on Oct. 15, 2022, in Fargo.

NDSU had SDSU on the ropes back in mid-October inside the Fargodome. Already leading 21-7, the Bison had the ball in Jackrabbit territory with a chance to go up by three scores before a turnover changed the contest's complexion. Though they settled for three field goals in the second half, two from inside the red zone, the Jacks held NDSU scoreless over the final 41 minutes of game time and secured a two-point win, SDSU's third-straight triumph in the rivalry matchup.

Series history: In a rivalry dating back to 1903, Sunday will be the 114th meeting between the Jackrabbits and Bison. NDSU leads the all-time series 63-45-5, but SDSU has won the past three meetings.

Since 2004, SDSU and NDSU have played for the Dakota Marker, a 75-pound stone replica of markers denoting the border between the two states. As it's a regular-season rivalry trophy, the Dakota Marker will not be up for grabs on Sunday, keeping in line with previous postseason meetings. However, in contests for the Dakota Marker (again, postseason matchups do not count toward this tally), NDSU holds a 10-9 edge, though SDSU has won five of the last seven.

SDSU's playoff path: First round — bye; Second round — Delaware, 42-6; Quarterfinal — No. 8 Holy Cross, 42-21; Semifinal — No. 4 Montana State, 39-18.

NDSU's playoff path: First round — bye; Second round — Montana, 49-26; Quarterfinal — No. 6 Samford, 27-9; Semifinal — No. 7 Incarnate Word, 35-32.

Fast facts for Jackrabbits vs. Bison:

* While this is the first championship meeting between the two programs, NDSU and SDSU have met four times in the postseason. NDSU is 4-0 in those playoff meetings, with three of the four decided by at least 23 points. (An oddly specific parallel: In 2016, SDSU defeated NDSU by two points on Oct. 15 in the Fargodome during the regular season ahead of a playoff meeting. On that occasion, the Jacks made a return trip to Fargo in the national quarterfinals and lost, 36-10.)

* Frisco — nicknamed "Fargo South" to many fans who have gotten used to NDSU playing for the title — has been kind to the Bison. In nine trips to the title game since 2011, NDSU is a perfect 9-0, winning by an average score of 31-14.

* SDSU's lone prior national title game appearance came in May 2021 during the COVID-delayed spring season. In that game, Sam Houston scored a touchdown with 16 seconds to play and defeated the Jackrabbits, 23-21. Isaiah Davis rushed for 185 yards on 14 carries and scored all three touchdowns in that contest.

* According to the Missouri Valley Football Conference, Sunday marks only the second time in FCS history that two teams from the same conference will play each other for the national championship. The Valley and NDSU were also involved the last time, as the Bison edged Illinois State, 29-27, in 2014.

* For the betting crowd (figures by BetMGM), SDSU opened as three-point favorites following the semifinals but the line has shifted in the three weeks since and now has the Jackrabbits favored by 5.5 points. The over/under total has remained stable at 47.5 points.