Bemidji State weighs NCAA settlement as NSIC streaming shifts to Midco

Bemidji State opted out of the NCAA House settlement before the June 30, 2025 deadline, and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference will move its streaming to Midco Sports Plus in fall 2026.

The settlement decision puts BSU on a different track

The settlement was approved on June 6, 2025 by Judge Claudia Wilken, and NCAA guidance set the June 30 deadline for schools that wanted to participate in the 2025-26 academic year; Bemidji State opted out after months of deliberation.

For schools that do opt in, the change is substantial. The settlement allows participating programs to share up to $20.5 million with athletes in 2025-26, and the College Sports Commission was created to oversee revenue-sharing and NIL enforcement under the new framework. NCAA rules changed in a broad sweep as well, with more than 150 rules eliminated so schools could provide additional benefits to student-athletes.

Bemidji State is not operating in the same financial universe as a major Division I program. Division II schools are being asked to sort through the same legal and structural questions without the same resources, the same media revenue or the same recruiting leverage. Lauritsen said the process was not simple enough and that the NCAA still was not communicating the information schools need to make fully informed decisions.

Why the opt-out matters in Bemidji

The practical effect of BSU’s opt-out will show up in the balance sheet, in roster management and in the way the department decides where to spend limited dollars. Division II schools do not get to treat NIL, transfer-portal movement and settlement compliance as abstract issues; they are now part of day-to-day planning.

In Bemidji, athletic budgets have to support not just scholarships and staffing but also travel, facilities and the gameday operations that keep a college sports program visible in a smaller regional market. If peer programs in Division II are adjusting to different versions of the settlement or looking for ways to stay competitive in the transfer market, Bemidji State has to decide which pressures it can absorb without overextending the department.

Lauritsen became Bemidji State’s director of athletics on July 1, 2022, after eight years at Washburn University, where he served as assistant athletic director, senior women’s administrator and compliance officer.

Recruiting and the transfer portal are no longer separate issues

The settlement question is tied closely to recruiting, because athletes now compare not just a school’s facilities or location but also what kind of NIL structure, roster flexibility and support system it can offer. For Bemidji State, that means every discussion about keeping pace with Division II peers also overlaps with questions about retaining athletes and attracting transfers.

Lauritsen described the larger environment as one in which Division II schools are being pulled into lawsuits more and more, with the trickle-down effect creating new questions. That legal uncertainty does not stay in courtrooms. It shapes what coaches can promise, how administrators talk to families, and how quickly a school can react when the market shifts again.

Other Division II schools are facing the same basic problem: they are trying to recruit against programs that may have greater flexibility, bigger donor bases or a more aggressive NIL approach, while still preserving the financial structure that keeps smaller athletic departments stable.

Midco’s arrival changes how Beaver fans watch games

The NSIC and Midco Sports announced on January 5, 2026 that the NSIC Network will be powered by Midco Sports Plus starting in fall 2026. The package will include live and on-demand coverage of all 16 conference member institutions, with home regular-season conference and nonconference games in football, volleyball, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, softball and baseball.

Lauritsen called the move a positive for the conference and for fans because Midco already has regional credibility and can improve broadcast production standards. For Bemidji State, the biggest practical upside is simpler access: with the exception of hockey, most Beaver sports will now be on one platform. That means fewer searches, fewer scattered subscriptions and a clearer path for families, alumni and students who want to follow a game from home, campus or anywhere else.

The transition begins in fall 2026, so the change will hit when the next school year starts and the college sports calendar is already crowded with new schedules, roster turnover and recruiting cycles. The move will affect how visible the teams are on a week-to-week basis, not just whether a game is available.