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THIS WEEK: North Dakota State opens its 122nd season of college football this week against the Cal Poly Mustangs out of the Big Sky Conference. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700). It's the first of four straight home games to open the season, but the Bison are off next week before hosting North Alabama and Delaware ahead of the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener Sept. 29 against South Dakota State.
 
TELEVISION: Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on KVLY and the NBC North Dakota network with Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, Lee Timmerman color analyst, and Ryan Gellner on the sidelines. Pregame coverage hosted by Alex Egan and Beth Hoole begins 1 hour prior to kickoff. ESPN+ will carry the game on ESPN.com and the ESPN app with subscriptions starting at $4.99/month.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 2 p.m. on the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network with third-year NDSU play-by-play voice Jeff Culhane joined by NDSU and Buffalo Bills hall of famer Phil Hansen and NDSU sideline reporter Jeremy Jorgenson. Extended coverage locally on 107.9 The Fox, Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM includes "Bison Tailgate" from 11 a.m. to noon with Brad Jones, "Bison Game Day" from noon to 2 p.m. and "Bison Hotline" for two hours following the network broadcast with hosts Keith Brake, Chris Hanson and former NDSU defensive end Cole Jirik.
 
ONLINE: NDSU All Access offers free audio streaming of all NDSU football games as well as live video of Bison home games to subscribers on GoBison.com/allaccess. Live stats for NDSU home games are available on BisonStats.com. Follow @NDSUfootball on Twitter for game updates.
 
DON'T WAIT TOO LATE: NDSU Athletics and the Fargodome are encouraging fans to enter the stadium early and be prepared for longer wait times with the addition of 30 walk-through metal detectors around the facility. Doors open 90 minutes prior to kickoff. It is strongly recommended that no unnecessary bags are brought in. Clear bags are recommended but not required, and any bag must be 13"x13" or smaller. Express lines will be available for fans not carrying bags.
 
THE SERIES: This is the eighth meeting between North Dakota State and Cal Poly, which were both members of the Great West Football Conference from 2004-2007. NDSU leads the series 4-3 including a 31-28 victory in the last meeting Nov. 10, 2007, in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The Bison scored 22 straight points in the final 10 minutes of the game to erase a 28-9 deficit and won it with Kole Heckendorf's 80-yard touchdown reception from Steve Walker with 38 seconds to go. Cal Poly has lost three of four games in Fargo including a 51-14 defeat in its last visit, the 2006 Harvest Bowl game. The Mustangs won 13-10 at the Fargodome in 2004 with Karl Ivory's 73-yard interception return touchdown in the second quarter holding up as the winning score.
 
BIG SKY-MVFC CHALLENGE: This week's game is one of eight in this year's challenge series between the Big Sky Conference and Missouri Valley Football Conference. Other games this week are Western Illinois at Montana State on Thursday and Northern Iowa at Montana on Saturday night. The MVFC went 5-3 last year in the series, which includes only regular-season matchups. NDSU's game in the challenge series last year was a 40-13 win at Eastern Washington. Since its founding in 1985, the MVFC has a 55-37 edge over the Big Sky including 31 playoff meetings.
 
SEASON OPENERS: North Dakota State is 82-33-6 all-time in season openers and has won 12 of 14 as a Division I program including last year's 72-7 romp over Mississippi Valley State. This is the 87th season opener played at home, where the Bison haven't lost a season opener since 1998 against Emporia State. Cal Poly's only other appearance as NDSU's opening-week opponent was on Sept. 12, 1992, when the Bison won 26-10 at Dacotah Field in Fargo.
 
AFCA PATCHES: North Dakota State will join more than 800 high school and college football coaching staffs around the country this week wearing the American Football Coaches Association patch on their shirts to promote the association and bring awareness to its programs. The AFCA currently has more than 11,000 members around the world from the high school level to the professional ranks.
 
SCHEELS BISON BLOCK PARTY: The annual Scheels Bison Block Party is free and open to the public from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30, at Scheels, 1551 45th Street South in Fargo. There will be an appearance by head coach Chris Klieman, a concert by the Front Fenders, complimentary Deek's Pizza and Pepsi products while supplies last, and Bison yard signs and posters.
 
BISON FOOTBALL EVE: The outdoor fan fest "Bison Football Eve" is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, in the parking lot west of The Old Broadway in downtown Fargo. Fans can take pictures with the FCS national championship trophies, pick up their exclusive 2018 cheer banner, and sign up to win a pair of Bison football season tickets. Slamabama will perform live starting at 7 p.m.
 
BISON EXPERIENCED: NDSU returns 25 seniors and 13 returning full-time starters from last year's team that won a sixth FCS national championship in seven years and went 7-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference to capture a seventh straight and third outright conference title. NDSU returns six starters on offense and seven on defense. In addition, the Bison welcome back senior defensive end Greg Menard, who redshirted in 2017 after a knee injury in fall camp, and senior running back Lance Dunn, who missed seven games with a hip injury before returning in the title game.
 
FOURTH-YEAR STARTING QB: Senior quarterback Easton Stick returns as a fourth-year starter for the Bison after his most productive season. Stick completed 62 percent of his passes totaling 2,466 yards and 28 touchdowns (the second most passing TDs in school history) and was named FCS National Performer of the Year by the College Football Performance Awards. Stick is 34-3 as the starting QB and has moved into third on the NDSU career lists for pass attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns.
 
DEPTH AT RUNNING BACK: Only one running back stayed healthy all of last season, and that was All-American Bruce Anderson, who led the Bison with 1,216 rushing yards (5.2 per carry) and tied for the team high with 12 TDs in 15 games last year. Lance Dunn was leading Division I and on pace for a school record in touchdowns before missing seven games with a hip injury but returning in the national championship game. Ty Brooks missed four full games and most of a fifth midway through the season with two separate injuries, but managed to finish as NDSU's second leading rusher with 700 yards, 9.2 yards per carry and seven TDs in 10 games. With injuries to Demaris Purifoy in the season-opener and Adam Cofield after six games, the loss of Dunn forced the Bison to pull the redshirt off freshman Seth Wilson, who played in the final eight games rushing for 420 yards, catching six passes and scoring three total touchdowns.
 
TOP THREE TARGETS GONE: Three of NDSU's top four receiving targets are gone including wide receiver RJ Urzendowski and tight ends Jeff Illies and Connor Wentz. Urzendowski was a second team all-conference pick and led NDSU in receiving with 610 yards and eight touchdowns. Wentz, a first team all-conference pick at fullback and second team Phil Steele FCS All-American, was second on the team with five TD catches. NDSU returns four seniors at the wide receiver position led by Darrius Shepherd, who caught 41 passes for 559 yards last year.
 
THREE STARTERS BACK ON O-LINE: North Dakota State returns three starting offensive linemen in senior center Tanner Volson, junior right tackle Zack Johnson, and senior Colin Conner, who is moving to left guard with the return of sophomore left tackle Dillon Radunz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in last year's opener. Fifth-year senior Luke Bacon is a front-runner to take over at right guard for last year's FCS Offensive Lineman of the Year Austin Kuhnert.
 
MENARD REJOINS DEEP D-LINE: Two-time All-American Greg Menard returns at defensive end for his fifth year with the Bison after missing all of 2017 with a knee injury. Menard joins a deep defensive front with seven regulars back from last year including ends Caleb Butler, Derrek Tuszka and Stanley Jones and tackles Aaron Steidl, Blake Williams and Cole Karcz. Tuszka led the Bison with 7.5 sacks and nine quarterback hurries, and Butler finished fifth on the team in tackles with 53 stops including 10.5 tackles for loss. Steidl, a second team all-conference pick, had 32 tackles and eight hurries for a defense that ranked first in FCS in total defense allowing just 237.4 yards per game.
 
BISON BUILDING DEPTH AT LINEBACKER: NDSU Jabril Cox being the only linebacker to play in all 15 games. Cox, a HERO Sports Freshman All-American and the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer and Freshman of the Year, made eight of the final nine starts and led the Bison with 75 tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss. Senior middle linebacker Dan Marlette made two starts before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game of the year, and senior outside linebacker Levi Jordheim missed five games late in the season. Junior Aaron Mercadel also returns at linebacker along with junior Jaxon Brown, who is moving down from strong safety. The Bison are replacing three seniors including a pair of NFL players in Nick DeLuca, who finished second on the team with 74 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, and 11-game starter Chris Board.
 
VETERAN DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD: North Dakota State returns three starters in a defensive backfield that helped NDSU finish third in the FCS in passing yards allowed (147.9), interceptions (22) and third down defense (25.5%) last year. Two-time All-America safety Tre Dempsey graduated after making six interceptions in his final season, but fifth-year cornerback Jalen Allison returns along with Jaylaan Wimbush, who is moving from corner to safety alongside fourth-year starting strong safety Robbie Grimsley. Grimsley, a two-time all-conference first team pick and 2017 All-American, was third on the team with 69 tackles and led the Bison with 12 passes defended including four interceptions. Junior safety James Hendricks also returns at safety and the Bison have proven depth at cornerback where junior Marquise Bridges and sophomore Josh Hayes both started in the national championship game.
 
NATIONAL AWARD CANDIDATES: NDSU safety Robbie Grimsley and defensive end Greg Menard were named to the 25-man preseason watch list for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the FCS defensive player of the year. Bison quarterback Easton Stick and running back Bruce Anderson were nominated for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, presented to the FCS offensive player of the year.
 
SEVEN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State led all teams in the FCS with a school-record seven players named to the STATS FCS Preseason All-America team. Running back Bruce Anderson and safety Robbie Grimsley were named to the first team. Quarterback Easton Stick, center Tanner Volson and defensive end Greg Menard earned second-team honors. Offensive tackle Zack Johnson and linebacker Jabril Cox were on the third team.
 
LEAGUE-BEST 11 ON PRESEASON SQUAD: NDSU had a league-high 11 players named to the preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference teams. First-team offense picks were running back Bruce Anderson, fullback Brock Robbins, offensive tackle Zack Johnson and center Tanner Volson. Quarterback Easton Stick and receiver Darrius Shepherd were second team. First-team defense picks were defensive end Greg Menard, defensive tackle Aaron Steidl, linebacker Jabril Cox and safety Robbie Grimsley. Defensive end Derrek Tuszka was named to the second team.
 
BISON PICKED TO WIN VALLEY: North Dakota State was the unanimous pick to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference followed by South Dakota State in second, Northern Iowa third, Youngstown State fourth, Illinois State fifth and South Dakota sixth. Western Illinois, Southern Illinois, Missouri State and Indiana State rounded out the final four spots in order. NDSU's 2013 team was the only other team in league history to earn all of the preseason first place votes.
 
SEVEN STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES: NDSU won its seventh consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference championship last year, tying the league record set by Northern Iowa in the early 1990s. NDSU won outright MVFC titles in 2012, 2013 and 2017. The Bison shared the 2011 title with Northern Iowa and the 2014 and 2015 crowns with Illinois State. North Dakota State has won 34 football conference championships including 26 in the North Central Conference (last in 1994) and one in the Great West Football Conference (2006).
 
14-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: North Dakota State won its 14th football national championship in 2017. NDSU claimed three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969, five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990, and was the first team in college football history to win five straight national titles with FCS crowns in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
 
BISON AT HOME: NDSU is 64-6 at home since 2010. The Bison have won 59 of the last 61 home games over non-conference opponents with its last home loss coming in the 2016 semifinals to James Madison. NDSU is 20-4 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams and 21-1 at home in the FCS playoffs. North Dakota State ranked seventh in FCS last year with an average home attendance of 18,333. The Bison drew 18,000-plus to 54 straight home contests from the 2011 quarterfinals through the 2017 second round.
 
KLIEMAN NAMED TO AFCA BOARD: North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman was elected to the American Football Coaches Association Board of Trustees in January as an FCS representative. The Board formulates policy and provides direction for the AFCA, which was founded in 1922 and has more than 11,000 members from all levels. Klieman joins 18 other coaches including former NDSU head coach Craig Bohl (2003-2013), who was elected in 2012 and is currently the head coach at the University of Wyoming.
 
KLIEMAN ENTERS FIFTH SEASON AT HELM: Chris Klieman enters his fifth season as head coach at North Dakota State with a 54-6 record including a 28-4 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Klieman has been part of all six FCS national titles in his seven years since coming to NDSU as the defensive backs coach in 2011. He was defensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013 before being elevated to head coach in 2014. He is under contract with NDSU through the 2023 season.
 
DECADE LEADER:  North Dakota State's 106 wins this decade are more than any other program in college football.  NDSU is 97-8 since the beginning of 2011, the first of five national championship seasons. North Dakota State holds the distinction of being the winningest Division II program of the 1980s, going 103-20-2 from 1980-89 with four national titles in that span.
                FCS Winningest Teams, 2010s (by wins)
                106 - North Dakota State (106-13)
                86 - Sam Houston State (86-27)
                78 - Eastern Washington (78-28)
                76 - Jacksonville State (76-25)
                73 - James Madison (73-29)
                70 - New Hampshire (70-35)

                FCS Winningest Teams, 2010s (by pct.)
                .891 - North Dakota State (106-13)
                .800 - Harvard (64-16)
                .761 - Sam Houston State (86-27)
                .752 - Jacksonville State (76-25)
                .736 - Eastern Washington (78-28)
 
MORE THAN 700 WINS:  North Dakota State has played 1,115 games with a 710-371-34 record in 120 seasons of football, good for a .652 winning percentage. Only four Ivy League teams each with at least 20 more years of football have more wins at the FCS level: Yale (902), Harvard (869), Penn (850) and Princeton (821). Northern Iowa has the second most wins among Missouri Valley Football Conference programs with 663. NDSU's 97 victories since 2011 are more than any other team in Division I football ahead of Alabama (89), Clemson (82), Sam Houston State (80) and Ohio State (79) through the end of December.
 
SUCCESS VS. THE FBS:  North Dakota State has a 9-3 record against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents and has won six in a row against FBS foes since 2010 with wins at Kansas (6-3), Minnesota (37-24), Colorado State (22-7), Kansas State (24-21), Iowa State (34-14) and 11th-ranked Iowa (23-21). NDSU has three future FBS games against Oregon in 2020, Arizona in 2022 and Colorado in 2024. NDSU's first three FBS wins were against Ball State (2006), Central Michigan (2007) and Minnesota (2007).