Thirteen of the last 15 FCS national football championships were claimed by a program from the Dakotas or Montana. Montana State won the most recent FCS national championship. North Dakota State has won 10 since the start of 2011, while South Dakota State claimed back-to-back crowns in 2022-23.  

The only two teams outside of that region to boast an FCS national championship since 2011 were Sam Houston in the spring season of 2021 and James Madison in 2016. Both of those programs now live in the FBS ranks. Of the 13 programs to win an FCS national championship this century, seven have moved up to the FBS with North Dakota State joining the Mountain West ahead of the 2026 season.  

But will the latest move up help parity return to the FCS ranks? Can it loosen the chokehold from the powers in Montana and Dakota? FCS coaches in the state of Texas aren’t so sure. There are 13 FBS programs in the Lone Star State and there are 100 more that recruit heavily within their borders. That’s before they even start competing with their FCS peers for players on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal.  

“I don’t know if we’ll ever fully bridge that gap consistently because of who they are,” East Texas A&M head coach Clint Dolezel said at Southland Conference media days. “They don’t have the FBS schools that we have in our states. They’re basically the FBS schools in their states.” 

The northern schools also hold a resources advantage over those in Texas and Louisiana. It isn’t hard to do a quick Google search and diagnose the differences between the facilities at, say, South Dakota State and UIW.  

The atmosphere at Dykhouse Stadium, which opened in 2016, sits over 19,000, and cost upwards of $65 million, is a bit different than Benson Stadium in San Antonio, which sits just under 6,500 and was built for $7 million 20 years ago.  

“A South Dakota State fundraiser can raise $1.5 million. Down here, we’re happy to raise $45,000-$50,000 at a fundraiser,” SFA head coach Colby Carthel said. “Those guys are playing with 105 guys and most of them are on scholarship. Down here, we’re still working up to 63.” 

The coaches say the extra passion and commitment from the fan base is another byproduct of the undersaturation in the market. Kids growing up in the Dakotas see the Bison and the Jackrabbits as the pinnacle of college football. There is a generational love and passion for the football teams up there because there aren’t any other FBS or pro franchises close enough to go see.  

“Those teams up there are the Texas’ and Texas A&Ms of those states, so all the resources, the money, and the generational passion for their football programs feed into those teams,” Carthel said. “You’re either a Grizz or a Bobcat. You’re either a Bison or a Sioux. Down here, you could grow up in a house that roots for one of the dozens of schools down here.” 

That doesn’t mean schools from outside of the Dakotas or Montana can’t compete for titles. Illinois State was one point away from winning one last season. We’re not five years removed from Sam Houston winning one, though the circumstances were admittedly unique during the spring season after COVID.  

Creating a true FCS dynasty in the Southland or at a place like Tarleton and ACU might be impossible because of oversaturation of programs in Texas and the sheer number of programs that mine inside our borders for talent, but that doesn’t mean a team down south can’t catch lightning in a bottle. But that starts with retention. Retention of players and coaches. And that leads back to commitment, and the resources that a committed fan base and administration can provide.  

“UIW, for example, has lost guys like Eric Morris, G.J. Kinne, and Mack Leftwich,” Killough pointed out. This is still a relationship game and those schools up north have more continuity in their staffs. Kids will stay for relationships, so we need to keep the same voices and mentors in the building if we want to catch lightning in a bottle.”  

Another way to shift the power dynamic is to create an advantage in the postseason. The higher seeds host playoff games at the FCS level. UTRGV head coach Travis Bush says that one way to close the gap is to schedule more games against those superpowers, which would lead to higher seeds for Southland teams and more home games for schools in Texas.  

The other coaches agree. The brand of football is much different in those two regions. The Dakota and Montana schools are stereotypically bigger and use a more ground-and-pound approach. They play bully ball and use multiple tight ends, a brand of football that suits cold weather teams in December. Texas is a 7-on-7 state in a lot of ways, so the FCS teams here are typically higher-scoring and spread, which plays well in the heat.  

“I think the biggest thing is to handle business in the regular season where you get a chance to play down south in a warm environment that helps our brand of football and maybe puts them at a disadvantage in the playoffs,” Carthel said.  

For now, the power structure in the FCS remains tilted north. North Dakota State’s move to the FBS may create opportunities for schools outside of that region, but not completely. For programs in Texas, closing that gap requires more than a high-end quarterback or a couple of upsets. It requires investment, continuity, and a way to control more of their own destiny on the field come playoff time.  

The dominant programs in the Dakotas and Montana built a model around scarcity. The South has to find a way to build one around abundance.