No. 1 Seed NDSU to Host Nicholls-North Dakota Winner in FCS Second Round

FARGO, N.D. (GoBison.com) — Undefeated two-time defending national champion North Dakota State is the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Division I Football Championship and will host a second round playoff game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, against the winner of this week’s first round game featuring North Dakota at Nicholls.

Tickets for NDSU’s second round playoff game will go on sale at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, online only at GoBison.com/tickets. Season ticket holders have until 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, to purchase their same seats for the game. Unclaimed season tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.

NDSU student tickets are $6 with a valid NDSU student ID and may be purchased at the Bison Ticket Office in the Sanford Health Athletic Complex during regular business hours or at the Memorial Union on Monday, Dec. 2, and Tuesday, Dec. 3, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Reserved tailgating spots go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 25, to current tailgate pass holders. Unclaimed reserved tailgating passes will go on sale to the general public at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Nicholls (8-4) has won four straight games and went 7-2 in the Southland Conference clinching its second straight conference title with a 28-27 road win over Southeastern Louisiana in the final game of the regular season. NDSU is 2-0 against Nicholls with a 24-14 victory in Thibodaux in 2004 and a 26-13 victory in Fargo in 2005.

North Dakota (7-4) won its final two games of the regular season to earn an at-large berth in the FCS playoffs for the second time in program history. NDSU beat UND 38-7 in Fargo in the second game of the 2019 season and has won both meetings as Division I opponents including a 34-9 home win in 2015. The teams split two Division II playoff meetings with UND winning the 1994 quarterfinal in Grand Forks 14-7 and the Bison winning the 1995 first round game in Grand Forks 41-10.

North Dakota State (12-0) is the automatic qualifier from the Missouri Valley Football Conference and as the No. 1 seed will have home-field advantage through the semifinal round. NDSU has a 24-1 playoff record in the Fargodome, where the Bison currently have a 25-game winning streak.

This is NDSU’s 10th straight postseason appearance. The Bison have a 32-2 in the FCS playoffs over the past nine years including national championships in seven of the past eight seasons.

All first and second round games will be streamed live on ESPN3 through participating providers.

(Photo: NDSU Sports Information)