2017 North Dakota State Bison football team

2017 North Dakota State Bison football
NCAA Division I champion
MVFC champion
ConferenceMissouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATSNo. 1
FCS CoachesNo. 1
Record14–1 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorCourtney Messingham (1st season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorMatt Entz (4th season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumFargodome
Seasons
← 2016
2018 →
2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 North Dakota State $^   7 – 1     14 – 1  
No. 3 South Dakota State ^   6 – 2     11 – 3  
No. 19 Northern Iowa ^   6 – 2     8 – 5  
No. 13 Western Illinois ^   5 – 3     8 – 4  
No. 15 South Dakota ^   4 – 4     8 – 5  
Illinois State   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Youngstown State   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Southern Illinois   2 – 6     4 – 7  
Missouri State   2 – 6     3 – 8  
Indiana State   0 – 8     0 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2017 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Chris Klieman. The team played their 25th season in the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison finished the season 14–1, 7–1 in MVFC play to win the MVFC championship for the seventh consecutive year.[1][2] As a result, the Bison received the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs as the No. 2 seed.[3][4] In the playoffs, they defeated San Diego,[5][6] Wofford,[7][8][9] and Sam Houston State to advance to the National Championship game.[10][11][12] There they defeated James Madison 17–13 to win the school's sixth National Championship in seven years.[13][14][15] The September 30 game against Missouri State was the 700th victory since the team's founding in 1894.

  1. ^ "North Dakota State football claims third outright Missouri Valley crown". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Bison Lead League With 11 All-MVFC Picks, Six on First Team". GoBison.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  3. ^ KVLY. "Bison earn No. 2 seed in FCS Playoffs". Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "James Madison, NDSU are 1-2 in FCS playoff field". FOX Sports. November 19, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "San Diego vs. North Dakota State - Game Summary - December 2, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "North Dakota State rolls past San Diego again, 38-3". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  7. ^ "North Dakota State, behind Stick, throttles Wofford in FCS quarters". FOX Sports. December 9, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  8. ^ "Stick leads No. 2 ND State to FCS semifinals with 42-10 over No. 7 Wofford". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Lucky Seven: Bison roll Wofford, advance to seventh consecutive..." INFORUM. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  10. ^ "Sam Houston State routed by North Dakota State, falls short of FCS championship game". SportsDay. December 15, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  11. ^ "North Dakota State overpowers Sam Houston State to advance to FCS championship game". Argus Leader. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  12. ^ "North Dakota State returns to FCS title game with rout vs. Sam Houston State". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "North Dakota State beats JMU in FCS Championship". SI.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  14. ^ "North Dakota State takes back FCS title with 17-13 victory over James Madison". latimes.com. Associated Press. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  15. ^ "North Dakota State outlasts James Madison to claim FCS championship for the sixth time in seven years". SportsDay. January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.