North Dakota State Confirms 2026 Mountain West Opponents, Begins FBS Scheduling

North Dakota State confirmed its Mountain West opponents for 2026, the program announced Feb. 24, listing four home conference games against Nevada, Northern Illinois, UTEP and Wyoming and four road games at Air Force, Hawai‘i, New Mexico and UNLV. The Bison will not play San José State in the eight-game conference rotation for the league's first 10-team season.

"As work continues to round out the schedule for North Dakota State's inaugural season at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, the Bison know who their eight conference opponents will be for the 2026 season," NDSU athletics wrote in its Feb. 24 update. "The Mountain West Conference announced each team's four home and four away opponents Tuesday, Feb. 24." NDSU's release explicitly listed the home and road opponents and reiterated that San Jose State is absent from the Bison's conference slate.

The opponent matrix reflects the Mountain West's shift to a 10-team alignment and an eight-game conference format. "Each league member will play four home and four road conference games, for a total of eight league matchups, in addition to four non-conference opponents," FBSchedules noted alongside the conference matrix. FBSchedules added that the conference's full 2026 schedule with dates and kickoff times will be announced in the coming weeks; NDSU also cautioned that "Game dates and times are yet to be determined."

NDSU's trip to Hawai‘i introduces an operational wrinkle that could affect the Bison's non-conference plans and bye-week placement. "Mountain West teams that travel to Hawaii are given the option to play its first game a week earlier than most FBS teams, a stipulation that allows a school to build in another bye week because of the extensive travel to Honolulu," Kolpack wrote in Heavy. Kolpack also warned that the option does not guarantee a bye: "But that does not mean the Bison will for certain get a bye after the Hawaii game. Of the seven teams that traveled to Hawaii last season, four had a bye the following week while Wyoming played its last regular season game at Hawaii’s Clarence T. Ching Complex."

The 2026 realignment that produced the matrix pairs NDSU with two other new arrivals. "North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, and UTEP will join returning members Air Force, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, and Wyoming in a new ten-team lineup for 2026," FBSchedules wrote. The conference picture also reflects departures: Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State are listed as leaving the Mountain West ahead of the 2026 season.

Local scheduling shifts already show up in opponents for other members. Golobos noted that New Mexico will host North Dakota State instead of Northern Illinois in 2026 and that "UNM and North Dakota State have not met on the gridiron, as this will be the first meeting between the two schools." Golobos also called out New Mexico hosting UTEP again, referencing their 27-10 meeting in 2022, and outlined UNM's road trips to San José State, Hawai‘i, Nevada and Wyoming under the new matrix.

The opponent lists set the framework for NDSU's first FBS slate, but key pieces remain unresolved: full game dates, kickoff times, TV carriers, and the Bison's four non-conference opponents. The Mountain West has signaled the complete 2026 schedule will follow in the coming weeks, and NDSU's next public update should clarify whether the Hawai‘i travel option will create an extra bye week and how the 12-game regular season will be finalized.