The North Dakota State Bison take an incredible run of success in the FCS ranks into their 2026 FBS debut, which begins on Saturday with a home matchup against another relative FBS newbie in Jacksonville State. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. MT) with TV coverage on CBS Sports Network and streaming on-demand.

How to watch North Dakota State vs. Jacksonville State on TV and stream without cable:

When: Saturday, Aug. 29 at 5:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. MT)Where: Fargodome, Fargo, N.D. TV channel: CBS Sports NetworkStreaming on: FuboTV (free trial) | DirecTV (free trial)

North Dakota State vs. Jacksonville State: The matchup

The Bison make the leap to the FBS three years behind the Gamecocks, who finished the 2025 season with a 9-5 record and a Veterans Bowl win over Troy (17-13). North Dakota State was an offseason addition to the Mountain West Conference after resounding FCS success that included 10 national championships between 2011-’24. The Bison went into the FCS playoff tournament without a loss, but saw their season end against Illinois State (29-28) in the FCS semifinals.

See also: College football coverage on PennLive

In addition to a 9-5 overall record a year ago, Jacksonville State went 7-1 in Conference USA play and reached the conference championship game. The Gamecocks fell to Kennesaw State (19-15) on a last-minute touchdown drive, but rebounded by defeating Troy in the Veterans Bowl.

North Dakota State vs. Jacksonville State: Know your live streams

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