It's the Word versus the Herd this week for a trip to Frisco, Texas on the line.

After a heart stopping 66-63 win over Sacramento State, Incarnate Word makes its FCS semifinal debut Friday night at North Dakota State.

The Bison return to the semifinals for an 11th time in 12 years, and once again will be at home. The Hornets loss to the Cardinals opened up the door for NDSU to play one more home game at the Fargodome.

North Dakota State scored the game's first 24 points and leaned on its defense to earn a 27-9 victory against the Samford Bulldogs on Friday night, Dec. 9, in the NCAA Division I FCS quarterfinals before 11,825 fans at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

The Bison (11-2) advanced to the FCS semifinals for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons. WDAY's Dom Izzo and Forum reporters Jeff Kolpack, Mike McFeely and Eric Peterson break it down.

For more coverage, visit the Bison Media Zone at https://www.inforum.com/sports/bison-media-zone

North Dakota State returns to the FCS quarterfinals for the 13th straight year this Friday as they'll host Samford University out of the Southern Conference.

This marks the first Friday night quarterfinal that NDSU has played in. The Bison have traditionally played in the Saturday 11 am time slot, appearing in that game every year from 2013-19 and last season.

Full audio from the Bison Video Blog with Dom Izzo and Jeff Kolpack.

Is there a pathway for North Dakota State to move up to FBS?

That question is relevant again after USC and UCLA made the move to the Big Ten. 

There are likely more moves to come as the Big 12, PAC 12 and ACC need to decide how they beef up their leagues to compete with the SEC and the Big Ten.

The Forum's Mike McFeely and WDAY Sports Director Dom Izzo break down the angles of a potential North Dakota State move and what it would entail for the Bison to make the move up.

The Forum's Mike McFeely and WDAY Sports Director Dom Izzo preview the 2022 Summit League Tournament.

North Dakota State's men's team enters as the number two seed and will tip off against Denver Saturday night at 8:30. 

The Bison are aiming for a fourth consecutive Summit League title game appearance.

The guys also discuss the NFL Combine, where former Bison wide receiver Christian Watson was the talk of the NFL draft gurus after a blistering time in the 40 yard dash.

North Dakota State enters the final month of the conference basketball season with everything at stake. The men are pushing for a top two seed at the Summit League Tournament, while the women are trying to turn around what has been a disappointing season to date.

The guys also discuss NDSU wrapping up the 2022 football signing class, which includes signing a cornerback from Florida that had Power 5 offers.

Jeff Kolpack and Dom Izzo break down the first half of conference play for the NDSU basketball teams as big weekends loom for both teams, starting tonight against South Dakota.

The guys also discuss a handful of players that have left the Bison football team since the conclusion of the regular season. 

They also dive into the search for a new president at NDSU and how close that president should be to athletics.

WDAY-TV's Dom Izzo and The Forum's Jeff Kolpack join podcast host Mike McFeely on the flight back to Fargo from Frisco, Texas, to take a quick look back at NDSU's 38-10 victory over Montana State in the FCS championship game and to look ahead to 2022.

The podcast was recorded in The Forum's company plane at 25,000 feet, so the audio quality is not perfect. 

NDSU's 38-10 victory against Montana State at Toyota Stadium for the NCAA Division I FCS championship before 18,942 fans. The Bison (14-1) won their ninth title in the past 11 seasons. NDSU has a 130-7 overall record in the those nine championship seasons. The Bison hold the record for most FCS championships ahead of Georgia Southern, which is in second place with six.

Bozeman Chronicle sportswriter Colton Pool joins podcast host Mike McFeely to break down the Montana State Bobcats one day before they take on North Dakota State  in the Football Championship Subdivision title game in Frisco, Texas.

Pool believes the Bobcats have what it takes to beat the Bison for the championship, leaning on their defense and freshman quarterback Tommy Mellott.