Sorting Out North Dakota State and Sacramento State's Non-Conference Dilemma

Sacramento State and North Dakota State have cleared the first hurdle by receiving invitations to FBS conferences. Now, another herculean task awaits. Both schools must craft an FBS non-conference schedule after the entirety of the Power Four finalized their schedules, and days before the rest of the FBS locks theirs. Surprisingly, the task may be easier than it seems.

What North Dakota State and Sacramento State Already Have

North Dakota State and Sacramento State already both have FCS games to keep, while the Hornets also have an FBS paycheck game against Fresno State. More importantly, they have each other. The easiest step is for both schools to schedule a home-and-home series. This would put the Bison at two out of four non-conference games scheduled, and leave Sacramento State with just one opening to fill.

The Hawai’i Exemption at Work

The Hawai’i Exemption could have its most usage in years thanks to North Dakota State and Sacramento State. Hawai’i has an opening for a game and can easily schedule Sacramento State. An extra home game might actually benefit the Rainbow Warriors financially. Although Hawai’i is in the middle of negotiations for its new media deal, the old deal with Spectrum Sports penalized Hawai’i for not meeting home football game quotas. An extra home game could help the Warriors fill a potential quota in their new media deal.

While most Hawai’i Exemption-eligible teams are in the Mountain West with North Dakota State, the Bison can schedule one of Hawai’i’s non-conference opponents. New Mexico State visits Hawai’i this year and only has four non-conference games scheduled.

A visit from North Dakota State would give the Aggies their most high-profile home opponent since Boston College and Minnesota visited Las Cruces in 2013. The Mountain West can do the Bison a favor and avoid forcing North Dakota State to make two trips to the Borderlands.

This would complete Sacramento State’s non-conference schedule, while leaving North Dakota State with one more opening.

Is USC in Play?

The USC Trojans are the last school in the country with an incomplete non-conference slate. The Trojans have made it clear that they are targeting a Week Zero game. They could get it if the Mountain West sends the Bison to Hawai’i. North Dakota State could complete its schedule with a Week Zero visit to the Los Angeles Coliseum. Talk about a grand entrance to the FBS. (Hopefully, it goes better for the Bison than it did for Missouri State.)

The North Dakota State game could give USC a PR boost after much of the public lambasted the Trojans for their role in ending their series with Notre Dame. Playing one of the greatest dynasties in college football history helps the Trojans save some face. It also reveals a simple truth early on for the Trojans. If they cannot beat the latest FCS promotee, they have bigger concerns than building a Playoff resume in the Big Ten. USC should not avoid North Dakota State if the situation presents itself.

Finding three non-conference games when much of the FBS has closed up shop is not an easy task. However, the path is less arduous than one may think. Both schools mostly have Hawai’i’ and a pair of bickering automatic qualifier schools to thank for this.