Wk 2 · 2026
North Dakota State Bison at Air Force Falcons — Sat, Sep 12
Sat, Sep 12 ·
Falcon Stadium, USAF Academy, CO
· FS1 FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
10:00pET
NDSU -1.5 · total 48.5 DraftKings opened +6.5 · 5 toward AF
Ratings differential NDSU by 7.3
What is at stake
A Mountain West game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
N Dakota St form
L 7-13at UNLVW 28-0vs WYOW 31-10at SACW 38-32at AFW 38-0vs FOR
2026 season
Air Force form
W 28-7at NIUW 14-9vs NAVYW 36-33at NEVL 32-38vs NDSUW 34-0vs DUQ
2026 season
N Dakota St this season
Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Against the spread3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Over / under1-5 · 17% (6 games)
Air Force this season
Straight up4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Against the spread3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 7
| Opponent | N Dakota St | Air Force |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming Mountain West | vs W 28-0 preview | at Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
| UNLV Mountain West | at L 7-13 preview | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
| Nevada Mountain West | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview | at W 36-33 preview |
| New Mexico Mountain West | at Wk 8 · scheduled preview | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview |
| UTEP Mountain West | vs Wk 9 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview |
| N Illinois Mountain West | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | at W 28-7 preview |
| San José St Mountain West | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, N Dakota St leads 1–0 · N Dakota St won the last one
1 meeting
in 2006–2026 · average margin
6.0 points toward N Dakota St
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-12 | N Dakota St 38 — 32 Air Force | at AF | N Dakota St |
N Dakota St leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Nathan Hayes QB #2 | 75/116, 995 YDS, 7 TD, 2 INT |
| Trey Drake QB #10 | 3/4, 35 YDS | |
| Rushing | DJ Scott RB #7 | 70 CAR, 298 YDS, 4 TD |
| Myles Mitchell RB #5 | 46 CAR, 214 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Nyeoti Punni RB #4 | 26 CAR, 129 YDS | |
| Receiving | Jackson Williams WR #18 | 22 REC, 358 YDS, 1 TD |
| Mekhi Collins WR #15 | 10 REC, 164 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Reis Kessel TE #81 | 13 REC, 150 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jordan McCants WR #11 | 2 REC, 79 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Donovan Woolen LB #1 | 35 |
| Darius Givance S #29 | 27 | |
| Gavin Sell LB #3 | 26 | |
| Sacks | Kelton McCaslin DE #9 | 3 |
| Peder Haugo LB #41 | 1 | |
| Matthew Stenbroten DE #11 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Marion Moore CB #16 | 2 |
| Keith Williams LB #52 | 1 | |
| Taylen Eady S #14 | 1 |
Air Force leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Liam Szarka QB #9 | 19/38, 296 YDS, 1 TD, 4 INT |
| Evan Medders QB #5 | 3/7, 47 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | Liam Szarka QB #9 | 92 CAR, 391 YDS, 7 TD |
| Rocco Conti RB #44 | 35 CAR, 187 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Kemper Hodges QB #4 | 23 CAR, 146 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Simon Kibbee TE #80 | 6 REC, 103 YDS |
| Adam Hrynciw WR #10 | 4 REC, 83 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Matt Long WR #3 | 4 REC, 80 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Jonah Dawson WR #8 | 3 REC, 39 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Blake Fletcher LB #6 | 44 |
| Dallas Daley LB #8 | 28 | |
| Max Mustell DB #36 | 15 | |
| Sacks | Max Mustell DB #36 | 2 |
| Jaylin Reese LB #45 | 1.5 | |
| Blake Fletcher LB #6 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Max Mustell DB #36 | 1 |
| Blake Fletcher LB #6 | 1 | |
| Korey Johnson DB #2 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.