2026 season · Week 8

North Dakota State Bison Playoff Chances

Updated October 18, 2026 · Based on 6,000 simulated seasons

N Dakota St (6-1, 3-1 Mountain West) has a 2% chance to make the 12-team College Football Playoff, a 27% chance to win the Mountain West and less than a 1% chance to win the national title, according to the A to Z Sports model (6,000 simulated seasons, updated October 18, 2026). It has a 2% chance to be the highest-ranked Group of 6 team, which earns an automatic bid. Projected regular-season wins: 9.7. Biggest game left: at New Mexico (Sat, Oct 24, Week 8) — a win puts N Dakota St at 6%, a loss at less than 1%. Playoff odds by final regular-season record — 11-1: 9% · 10-2: <1% · 9-3: <1%.

North Dakota State Bison odds (October 18, 2026)
Make the College Football Playoff2%
Win the Mountain West27%
Reach the conference championship63%
Top-ranked Group of 6 team2%
Reach the semifinals<1%
Win the national title<1%

N Dakota St playoff odds at a glance

N Dakota St (6-1, 3-1 Mountain West) has a 2% chance to make the 12-team College Football Playoff, a 27% chance to win the Mountain West and less than a 1% chance to win the national title, according to the A to Z Sports model (6,000 simulated seasons, updated October 18, 2026). It has a 2% chance to be the highest-ranked Group of 6 team, which earns an automatic bid. Projected regular-season wins: 9.7. Biggest game left: at New Mexico (Sat, Oct 24, Week 8) — a win puts N Dakota St at 6%, a loss at less than 1%. Playoff odds by final regular-season record — 11-1: 9% · 10-2: <1% · 9-3: <1%.

More Mountain West: Mountain West championship odds · Air Force · Hawai'i · Nevada · New Mexico · N Illinois · San José St · UNLV · UTEP · Wyoming · All teams

About the A to Z Sports CFB Playoff Predictor

The A to Z Sports CFB Playoff Predictor: every FBS team's path to the 2026 College Football Playoff. It gives all 138 FBS teams their odds to make the 12-team playoff, win their conference, earn a first-round bye and win the national title, from 6,000 simulations of the rest of the season. Pick the winner of any game and every team's odds update, with each conference's official tiebreakers and the 2026 CFP format applied. Every team has a page with what it needs and who to root for, and you can build, download and share your own bracket. Free to use. No account needed.

Last updated October 18, 2026 · results through Week 7 · based on 6,000 simulated seasons.

How to use the College Football Playoff Predictor

  1. See every team's odds. We simulate the rest of the season thousands of times and count how often each team makes the 12-team playoff.
  2. Pick any game. Tap a team to make them the winner. Both teams' strength updates the way it would after a real result, and every team's odds update nationwide.
  3. Sim the rest. Use "Sim this week" or "Sim to Selection Day" — your picks stay locked.
  4. Pick the title games. "Title games" (after the last week) shows each conference's likely championship matchups. Pick a winner — the pick follows that team if it gets there.
  5. Make the bracket yours. Your picks shape the projected bracket — tap See the Bracket on any page. Tap any team to send it through, or edit the 12 to swap in any team. It follows the 2026 rules, so every Power 4 champion and the top Group of 6 team stay in.
  6. Go deeper. Conference pages apply each league's official tiebreakers. Team pages show what your team needs and who to root for.
  7. Share it. Copy a link to your scenario, or download a ready-to-post graphic of your team's odds, the projected 12-team field or your bracket.

Frequently asked questions

What are N Dakota St's chances to make the College Football Playoff?

A 2% chance, according to the A to Z Sports model (6,000 simulated seasons, updated October 18, 2026). The North Dakota State Bison are 6-1 (3-1 in the Mountain West). Chance to be the top-ranked Group of 6 team, which gets an automatic bid: 2%. Chance to win the national title: less than 1%.

What does N Dakota St need to make the playoff?

If N Dakota St finishes the regular season 11-1, it makes the playoff in 9% of simulated seasons; at 10-2, less than 1%; at 9-3, less than 1%. The biggest game left is at New Mexico (Sat, Oct 24, Week 8): a win puts N Dakota St at 6%, a loss at less than 1%. Winning the Mountain West helps most: N Dakota St wins it in 27% of simulations.

Who should N Dakota St fans root for?

The results elsewhere that help N Dakota St most: UConn over James Madison (Week 11, +2 points); App State over James Madison (Week 8, +2 points); Texas St over Boise St (Week 9, +1 point). Each number is how much that result alone raises N Dakota St's playoff odds.

Can N Dakota St win the Mountain West?

N Dakota St reaches the Mountain West Championship in 63% of simulated seasons and wins the conference in 27%. Ties for a title-game spot are broken with the Mountain West's official tiebreakers.

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