North Dakota State·MVFC

2017 — The Ten-Win Year

North Dakota State's 2017 season (14-1) is a middle chapter: table-stakes progress, no crown in the ledger, the program still writing the book.

Record 14-1
Final result 14-win season
AP final — post-bowls
SP+ +5.6 last-week
Era —
The shape of the season · week by week, cumulative W-L below
W vs Miss Sta 72-7 W @ East Was 40-13 W vs Robe Mor 56-0 W vs Miss Sta 38-11 W @ Indi Sta 52-0 W @ Youn Sta 27-24 W vs West Ill 24-12 W vs Nort Iow 30-14 L @ Sout Sta 21-33 W vs Sout Dak 49-14 W @ Illi Sta 20-7 W vs San Die 38-3 W vs Wofford 42-10 W vs Sam Hou 55-13 Bowl W @ Jame Mad 17-13 Bowl
Defining moments
The statement

The 2017 season's largest margin: North Dakota State 72, Mississippi Valley State 7. A 65-point win — the year's high-water mark.

The setback

The season's deepest loss: North Dakota State 21, South Dakota State 33. A 12-point margin the season is remembered by.

The postseason

The season's last act: North Dakota State beat James Madison 17-13 in the postseason.

"Go Bison"
— North Dakota State fanbase voice · 2017· synthesized
What it meant

2017 is a middle chapter for North Dakota State — neither a crown year nor a crisis. It is the kind of season that fills the ledger between the named ones and gives the arc its shape.