THIS WEEK: North Dakota State returns to the NCAA Division I Football Championship for the 14th consecutive season this week when the Bison (8-3) host the Pioneer Football League champion Drake Bulldogs (8-3) in the first round at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
 
TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased online at GoBison.com/tickets or by calling the Bison Ticket Office in the south lobby of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex at (701) 231-6378 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Game day ticket sales at the Fargodome begin 5 hours prior to kickoff.
 
TELEVISION: ESPN+ will have live coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. with Noah Reed (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst). ESPN+ is available by subscription on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO: Statewide network coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and James Hendricks (sideline). The network broadcast includes 1-hour pregame and 30-minute postgame shows. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
 
THE SERIES: This is the second straight year NDSU and Drake have met. The Bison won 56-14 in Fargo in the 2022 season opener. The schools have played twice in Des Moines with Drake winning games in 1955 (28-6) and 1962 (40-6).
 
BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS: North Dakota State is making its 14th straight postseason appearance dating back to 2010. That is the longest active streak and second longest streak of FCS postseason appearances overall. Winners of this Saturday's eight first round games will be on the road next week to face the eight top seeds in the second round Saturday, Dec. 2. The national championship is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 7, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
        Most Consecutive FCS Playoff Appearances
        17 - Montana, 1993-2009
        14 - New Hampshire, 2004-2017
        14 - North Dakota State, 2010-2023
        12 - South Dakota State, 2012-2023
        10 - Eastern Kentucky, 1986-1995
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY: North Dakota State has a 79-17 record all-time in 36 postseason appearances from 1964 to 2022. NDSU has won 17 national championships including nine FCS titles in 11 years from 2011 to 2021. The Bison won three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969 and five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990. NDSU is 74-16 in the NCAA playoff format since 1973. The Bison have a 44-4 mark in the FCS playoffs through 2022, including a 34-1 record in the Fargodome.
 
FINALISTS: NDSU has three finalists for FCS national player of the year awards. Linebacker Logan Kopp is a candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award presented to the defensive player of the year, and quarterback Cam Miller is a candidate for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the offensive player of the year. Previous NDSU winners were defensive end Kyle Emanuel for the 2014 Buck Buchanan Award and quarterback Trey Lance for the 2019 Walter Payton Award. In addition, safety Cole Wisniewski is a finalist for the Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, presented annually to an FCS student-athlete who excels on the field, in the classroom and across the community.