Photo: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The North Dakota State (NDSU) Bison have scheduled future home-and-home football series with the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Sacramento State Hornets, it was officially announced Monday.
North Dakota State and Jacksonville State will begin a home-and-home series during Week Zero of the 2026 season (Saturday, August 29) at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D. The two-game series will conclude three seasons later when the Bison return the trip to AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Ala., on September 22, 2029.
The 2026 matchup marks the fourth all‑time meeting between the programs, a series that began with the 1977 Grantland Rice Bowl and most recently featured the 2015 FCS Championship.
For Jacksonville State, the series with North Dakota State replaces a previously announced series against the San Jose State Spartans, which has been canceled. The series, which was revealed in January, called for Jax State to visit San Jose State on Sept. 26, 2026 before hosting the Spartans nearly a decade later on Sept. 22, 2035.
North Dakota State has also scheduled a home-and-home series with the Sacramento State Hornets, beginning on Sept. 19, 2026 at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, Calif. The following season on Sept. 11, 2027, the Bison will host the Hornets at the Fargodome.
Both North Dakota State and Sacramento State are moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) this summer. The Bison will compete in the Mountain West Conference, while the Hornets will play in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
Football Schedules