2005 North Dakota State Bison football team

The 2005 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2005 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The team was led by third-year head coach Craig Bohl and played their homes game at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota. The Bison finished the season with an overall record of 7–4 and tied for second place in the Great West Conference with a mark of 3–2.^[1] Despite being ranked #20 at the end of the year, North Dakota State was ineligible for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs per NCAA rules that mandated a four-year probationary period for programs entering NCAA Division I-AA. The Bison were ranked in the top-25 in 10 of the 11 weeks in the season.

2005 North Dakota State Bison football
Conference	Great West Conference
Record	7–4 (3–2 GWC)
Head coach	Craig Bohl (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Patrick Perles (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Willie Mack Garza (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Fargodome
Seasons ← 2004 2006 →

2005 Great West Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 Cal Poly +^		4	–	1					9	–	4
UC Davis +		4	–	1					6	–	5
North Dakota State		3	–	2					7	–	4
South Dakota State		3	–	2					6	–	5
Southern Utah		1	–	4					1	–	9
Northern Colorado		0	–	5					4	–	7
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 1	7:00 pm	Arkansas–Monticello*	No. 22	Fargodome Fargo, ND	W 59–7	13,793	[2]
September 10	6:00 pm	at No. 9 Northwestern State*	No. 20	Harry Turpin Stadium Natchitoches, LA	W 35–7	13,252	[3]
September 17	6:00 pm	Weber State*	No. 12	Fargodome Fargo, ND	W 41–0	14,368	[4]
September 24	1:00 pm	at No. 18 Montana State*	No. 8	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT	L 17–20	13,327	[5]
October 1	6:00 pm	Nicholls State*	No. 13	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Trees Bowl)	W 26–13	14,022	[6]
October 8	6:00 pm	at No. 9 Cal Poly	No. 12	Mustang Stadium San Luis Obispo, CA	L 6–37	6,923	[7]
October 22	1:00 pm	UC Davis	No. 17	Fargodome Fargo, ND	L 14–20	16,193	[8]
October 29	6:00 pm	at Southern Utah		Eccles Coliseum Cedar City, UT	W 37–21	1,621	[9]
November 5	1:00 pm	at Northern Colorado	No. 24	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Harvest Bowl)	W 44–0	10,809	[10]
November 12	6:00 pm	South Dakota State	No. 22	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Dakota Marker)	W 41–17	15,777	[11]
November 19	3:00 pm	No. 11 Southern Illinois	No. 20	McAndrew Stadium Carbondale, IL	L 0–9	5,809	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time