THIS WEEK: North Dakota State and Indiana State meet on the football field for just the third time in eight seasons this week when the top-ranked Bison (6-0, 3-0 MVFC) travel to play the Sycamores (2-4, 0-2) at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Memorial Stadium (12,764) in Terre Haute, Ind.
 
TELEVISION: Saturday's game will be televised on ABC stations statewide in North Dakota with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Kyle Emanuel (analyst) and Sam Goetzinger (sideline) handling the call. The broadcast will be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO: Statewide network coverage on all 25 stations across the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network begins at 11 a.m. CT including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Noah Gindorff (sideline) describing the action. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
 
WEEKLY SHOWS: Fans are invited to join NDSU head coach Tim Polasek each Thursday night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for the Bison Football Coaches Show live from Holiday Inn Fargo with host Sam Neidermann and other NDSU coaches and players. The show can be heard on Bison 1660 in Fargo, KSJB-AM 600 in Jamestown, KYCR-AM 1440 in Minneapolis, GoBison.com and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. On television, The Bison Football Show airs statewide each Sunday night at 10:35 p.m. on WDAY (Fargo), WDAZ (Grand Forks), KBMY (Bismarck) and KMCY (Minot).
 
THE SERIES: North Dakota State has an 11-1 record against Indiana State since joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008. The Bison are 6-0 in Terre Haute and have won seven straight overall in the series. Due to conference membership and scheduling rotation, NDSU and Indiana State did not play in 2018, 2019, 2023 or 2024, and the Sycamores opted out of the 2020-21 spring season.
 
LAST WEEK: North Dakota State capitalized on three turnovers and scored 38 unanswered points to beat eighth-ranked Southern Illinois 45-17 last week in Fargo. Keenan Wilson's strip sack in the red zone with 1:17 left in the first half changed the momentum and Cole Payton connected with Bryce Lance for 48 yards and a 9-yard touchdown on back-to-back plays as the Bison went 71 yards in 44 seconds for the go-ahead touchdown and a 17-10 halftime lead. Payton hit tight end Reis Kessel for 50 yards on third-and-7 to extend the opening drive of the second half and scored on a 2-yard run to go up 24-10. Darius Givance forced a fumble on the ensuing drive and NDSU went ahead 31-10 on Payton's 41-yard scramble for a TD.
 
COMMITTEE RANKINGS: The NCAA Division I Football Committee will reveal its top 10 rankings twice during the regular season, providing insight on which teams may be on track for a top-eight seed and first-round bye for the FCS playoffs. The rankings will be announced on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, and Wednesday, Nov. 5. The full 24-team playoff bracket will be announced on the FCS Selection Show scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 23.
 
PRIME TIME: The 22nd annual Dakota Marker game between North Dakota State and South Dakota State has been set for a 7 p.m. kickoff on either ESPN2 or ESPNU next Saturday, Oct. 25, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings. The network will be determined by ESPN following this week's games. Last year's game aired on ESPN2 with NDSU winning 13-9 to take an 11-10 lead in the Dakota Marker series dating back to 2004.
 
NATIONAL LEADERS: NDSU quarterback Cole Payton leads the FCS in passing efficiency (223.2), completion percentage (.757) and passing yards per completion (18.15) and per attempt (13.75) through his first six starts. Payton is also fourth in total offense (303.3 ypg) and 12th in yards per carry (6.62). Barika Kpeenu is sixth in the FCS for scoring (9.0 ppg) and ranks seventh with nine rushing TDs and eighth in total touchdowns (9). Bryce Lance is ninth in yards per reception (20.95) and Jackson Williams is ranked 10th in punt return average (13.6).
 
TEAM RANKINGS: In this week's FCS statistics, North Dakota State ranks first in scoring defense (10.5 ppg), second in passing defense (137.5 ypg) and total defense (235.2 ypg), and eighth in rushing defense (97.7 ypg). NDSU is also first nationally in passing efficiency (218.05), completion percentage (.750) and passing yards per completion (17.73). The Bison rank fourth in total offense (501.3 ypg), sixth in scoring offense (44.5 ppg) and rushing offense (235.3 ypg), and 12th in passing offense (266.0 ypg). NDSU leads the FCS with only one turnover committed and has a plus-9 turnover margin that is tied for third nationally.
 
IT'S EARLY, BUT: North Dakota State is on record pace in passing and total offense through six games averaging 8.09 yards per play, 501.3 total yards per game, 266.0 passing yards per game, and 13.3 yards per pass attempt with a 218.1 pass efficiency rating and 75.0 completion percentage. Quarterback Cole Payton's 11.10 yards per play, 303.3 total offense yards per game, 236.0 passing yards per game and 13.7 yards per completion would also be school single-season records. Payton has two of the top five single-game offensive performances in school history, and his 348 passing yards against Southeast Missouri State were third most in NDSU single-game history.
                NDSU Single-Game Total Offense Yards
                466 - Graig Gorder at Omaha, 11/9/2002 (50 rush, 416 pass)
                455 - Steve Walker at Ball State, 9/23/2006 (4 rush, 451 pass)
                401 - Cole Payton, Southeast Missouri State, 9/13/2025 (53 rush, 348 pass)
                382 - Carson Wentz, Northern Iowa, 10/10/2015 (47 rush, 335 pass)
                375 - Cole Payton, South Dakota, 9/27/2025 (102 rush, 273 pass)
               
STREAKS: North Dakota State's current 10-game winning streak is tied with Presbyterian for second longest in the FCS behind Tennessee Tech's 11-game winning streak. NDSU's 16-game home winning streak is the third longest in FCS behind South Dakota State (33) and Villanova (18). The Bison have won three straight road games, which is the third-longest current streak in FCS behind Harvard and Presbyterian (5), and Tennessee Tech and Tarleton State (4).
 
GOOD WORKS TEAM: Senior linebacker Logan Kopp was one of 22 players in college football named to the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Kopp is the 10th NDSU player named to the team, which recognizes extraordinary commitment to community service. Read more about the team members at ESPN.com/allstate.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had four players earn five Missouri Valley Football Conference player of the week awards this season:
                — QB Cole Payton, Offensive (9/29, 10/13)...Had 375 yards of total offense and three TDs against South Dakota...Went 14 of 18 passing for 273 yards and two TDs with 11 carries for 102 yards and one score...Picked up six first downs in the run game including one on fourth-and-short and three third down conversions including a 21-yard scramble on third-and-17...Had 291 total yards and three TDs including a 41-yard scramble against Southern Illinois...Picked up eight first downs on 13 of 16 passing for 243 yards.
                — LB Nathaniel Staehling, Defensive (9/29)...Scored on a 43-yard interception return to end USD's opening drive of the second half, assisted on two tackles for loss and finished with a team-high five tackles.
                — RS Jackson Williams, Special Teams (9/29)...Had 107 all-purpose yards including two 21-yard punt returns, a 21-yard kickoff return, a 35-yard pass reception from NDSU's 10 to spark a 90-yard scoring drive in the first quarter, and a 9-yard touchdown run.
                — RG Griffin Empey, Offensive Line (9/29)...Played 66 snaps against USD with no penalties or sacks allowed and had a 94 percent overall grade with three key blocks to help the Bison rush for 274 yards, 5.5 yards per carry and four touchdowns.
 
WATCH LISTS: North Dakota State has three players under consideration for national player of the year awards. Wide receiver Bryce Lance is on the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the FCS offensive player of the year. Defensive end Toby Anene and linebacker Logan Kopp are on the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the FCS defensive player of the year. Other preseason All-Americans from NDSU are center Trent Fraley and kick returner Jackson Williams.
 
18 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: North Dakota State has won 18 football national championships. NDSU claimed three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969 via the national polls, five Division II playoff 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 before winning again in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024. The Bison lost to the eventual national champion in the 2010 and 2020 quarterfinals and 2016 semifinals.
 
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 90-6 against non-conference opponents since the beginning of its first FCS national championship season in 2011. Two losses were to FBS opponents (31-28 at Arizona in 2021 and 31-26 at Colorado in 2024) and two were in the playoffs to the eventual national champion (27-17 to James Madison in 2016 and 24-20 at Sam Houston State in 2020-21). Montana's 31-29 double-overtime win in the 2023 FCS semifinals and 38-35 victory in the 2015 FCS Kickoff are NDSU's only other non-conference losses the past 13 years.
 
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 202-29 all-time record in the Fargodome since 1993, including 36-5 against FCS Top 10 ranked teams and 77-1 against FCS non-conference teams with 33 straight wins over non-MVFC teams since 2017. North Dakota State has a 38-1 record in the Fargodome during the NCAA playoffs and has won 20 straight home playoff games since the 2016 semifinal loss to eventual national champion James Madison. NDSU's 32-game home winning streak September 2017 through April 2021 was fourth longest in FCS history.