For the first time in 26 years, the FCS National Championship game was broadcast on network television.
"National news wants to cover national stories, and NDSU has become a national story," said NDSU President Dean Bresciani.
ABC made the call back in October, but every year it's a pretty sure bet the Bison will be in Frisco.
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Since 2002, the game has been shown on ESPN2.
ABC decided to pick up the game this year because of the growing excitement around the FCS championship game that draws more than 20,000 fans to Toyota Stadium.
President Bresciani points out that only the big schools like Alabama get the cameras on Saturdays.
"The biggest, best universities in the nation fit that niche, and that means we are becoming one of the biggest and best universities in the nation," Bresciani said.
The most eyes on any Bison game during this historic run was a playoff game against South Dakota State in 2016 when nearly 2 million people watched it on ESPN.
But since ABC is a network, and available to anyone, this year is expected to crush that record.
The leader of the Herd says the national exposure is a win for the entire university as it even got to air a promotional commercial during the game, one that shows more than athletics.
"When they see our athletic program on the national stage, that sets our academics on the national stage.," explained Bresciani.
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North Dakota Tourism even jumped on the exposure, airing two 30-second spots.
"It's an incredible opportunity for the entire state," Bresciani said.
NDSU says there has never been an official study on how the success of the Bison football team has benefited the school as a whole.
