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North Dakota State vs Air Force matchup
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
North Dakota State visits Air Force on Sept. 12, 2026.
The game pits Air Force's fourth-ranked rushing attack against a Bison defense that has allowed 104 rushing yards.
Background
North Dakota State is 2-0 and has outscored its first two opponents 71-7, including a 38-0 shutout of Fordham, and this is its first conference game as a new Mountain West member. Air Force opened with a 34-0 shutout of Duquesne, running for 431 yards and four touchdowns, and enters with the nation's fourth-ranked rushing attack. The matchup is framed as a clash of the Falcons' run game against a Bison defense that has allowed just 104 rushing yards so far.
How it unfolded
- Sep 5, 2026Air Force beat Duquesne 34-0, rushing for 431 yards and four touchdowns; quarterback Szarka threw for 19 yards on 3-of-5 attempts and ran 13 times for 51 yards and two scores.
- Sep 8, 2026Preview notes list North Dakota State (2-0) at Air Force (1-0) for Sept. 12 at 10 p.m. EDT, with an opening line of North Dakota State by 2.5 and TV on Fox Sports 1.
- Sep 10, 2026Bleacher Nation lists the Bison as 2.5-point favorites with moneyline Bison -130/Falcons +110 and a total of 47.5 points, for the Sept. 12 game at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs.
- Sep 10, 2026The Gazette reports North Dakota State is preparing for its Mountain West debut against Air Force's unique offense, with the game at 8 p.m. Saturday.
- Sep 11, 2026FOX Sports lists DraftKings odds as of Sept. 12: moneyline North Dakota State -125, Air Force +105; spread North Dakota State -1.5; over/under 47.5.
- Sep 12, 2026FOX Sports Research picks NDSU -1.5.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- FOX Sports Research notes Air Force's fourth-ranked rushing attack meets a Bison defense that has allowed just 104 rushing yards, says something has to give, expects Tim Polasek to have the Bison ready, and picks NDSU -1.5.
- Coach
- North Dakota State coach Tim Polasek says he has never leaned on analytics as much as for this matchup, including studying Air Force's habit of deferring to the second half after winning the coin toss, a decision it made all 15 times in the past two years.