The biggest game on the FCS football calendar has regularly become North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State. When the two border rivals square off, the result extends across the national rankings and championship picture.
While most programs were continually overwhelmed by North Dakota State’s FCS dynasty, South Dakota State consistently picked up victories over the Bison.
With their rivalry already steeped in tradition, NDSU vs. SDSU became the most impactful in FCS college football.
First played in 1903, NDSU vs. SDSU entered the 2025 season in a tie for the 10th-most matchups (117) between current FCS programs. The two schools, separated by about 188 miles that’s mostly traveled north/south on Interstate 29, made the move from NCAA Division II to Division I at the same time in 2004, and they created the Dakota Marker traveling trophy series for their regular season games. The trophy is a model replica of the quartzite monuments that marked the border when the Dakota Territory split into two states in 1889.
On the FCS level, NDSU has enjoyed unparallelled success, winning 10 national titles in a 14-season span from 2011-24, with SDSU also claiming back-to-back championships in 2022 and ’23. During that time, SDSU handed NDSU one-third of its losses – seven of 21 – with only two other programs having more than one win over the Bison (South Dakota with three and Montana two).
All-Time Series
Overall: NDSU leads 65-47-5
Dakota Marker (regular season): NDSU leads 11-10
Division I era (overall): NDSU leads 16-11
Conference: NDSU leads 58-38-4
In Fargo, N.D.: NDSU leads 40-16-4
In Brookings, S.D.: SDSU leads 28-25-1
Neutral Sites: SDSU leads 3-0
Since 2012, the two rivals in the Missouri Valley Football Conference have both been nationally ranked in every matchup, including for a third time as a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown in 2025.
Also since the 2012 season, they’ve met six times in the FCS playoffs. NDSU has won five of the meetings, but SDSU’s victory occurred in the 2022 season national championship game.
NDSU vs. SDSU Results in Division I Era
Oct. 9, 2004: at South Dakota State 24, North Dakota State 21
Nov. 12, 2005: at No. 22 North Dakota State 41, South Dakota State 17
Nov. 18, 2006: at No. 4 North Dakota State 41, No. 19 South Dakota State 28
Nov. 17, 2007: at South Dakota State 29, No. 2 North Dakota State 24
Nov. 22, 2008: South Dakota State 25, at North Dakota State 24
Oct. 17, 2009: at No. 14 South Dakota State 28, North Dakota State 13
Nov. 13, 2010: at No. 24 North Dakota State 31, South Dakota State 24
Oct. 22, 2011: No. 4 North Dakota State 38, at South Dakota State 14
Nov. 10, 2012: at No. 1 North Dakota State 20, No. 16 South Dakota State 17
Dec. 1, 2012: at No. 1/No. 1 playoff seed North Dakota State 28, No. 19 South Dakota State 3 (FCS Playoff Second Round)
Sept. 28, 2013: No. 1 North Dakota State 20, at No. 6 South Dakota State 0
Nov. 1, 2014: at No. 1 North Dakota State 37, No. 18 South Dakota State 17
Dec. 6, 2014: at No. 2/No. 2 playoff seed North Dakota State 27, No. 14 South Dakota State 24 (FCS Playoff Second Round)
Oct. 3, 2015: No. 3 North Dakota State 28, at No. 9 South Dakota State 7
Oct. 15, 2016: No. 11 South Dakota State 19, at No. 1 North Dakota State 17
Dec. 10, 2016: at No. 4/No. 1 playoff seed North Dakota State 36, No. 7/No. 8 playoff seed South Dakota State 10 (FCS Playoff Quarterfinal)
Nov. 4, 2017: at No. 10 South Dakota State 33, No. 2 North Dakota State 21
Sept. 29, 2018: at No. 1 North Dakota State 21, No. 3 South Dakota State 17
Dec. 14, 2018: at No. 1/No. 1 playoff seed North Dakota State 44, No. 5/No. 5 playoff seed South Dakota State 21 (FCS Playoff Semifinal)
Oct. 26, 2019: No. 1 North Dakota State 23, at No. 3 South Dakota State 16
April 17, 2021: No. 4 South Dakota State 27, at No. 2 North Dakota State 17
Nov. 6, 2021: at No. 9 South Dakota State 27, No. 2 North Dakota State 19
Oct. 15, 2022: No. 2 South Dakota State 23, at No. 1 North Dakota State 21
Jan. 8, 2023: No. 1/No. 1 playoff seed South Dakota State 45, No. 4/No. 3 playoff seed North Dakota State 21 (FCS Championship Game)
Nov. 4, 2023: at No. 1 South Dakota State 33, No. 11 North Dakota State 16
Oct. 19, 2024: at No. 2 North Dakota State 13, No. 1 South Dakota State 9
Dec. 21, 2024: at No. 3/No. 2 playoff seed North Dakota State 28, No. 2/No. 3 playoff seed South Dakota State 21 (FCS Playoff Semifinal)
Oct. 25, 2025: No. 1 North Dakota State at No. 2 South Dakota State
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