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DUBLIN, IRELAND - AUGUST 23: Kansas State Head Coach Chris Klieman is pictured during the Aer Lingus Classic College Football game between Kansas State Wildcats and Iowa State Cyclones at Aviva Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Former North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman has seen both sides of things.

He won four FCS national championships with the Bison between 2014 and 2018, and that included an unbeaten season in 2018. Klieman’s success continued in the FBS at Kansas State with a Big 12 championship in 2022 and a 3-2 record in bowl games.

As NDSU gets ready for the FBS and possible postseason eligibility, Klieman sees good things ahead for the Herd. He also made it clear that the bowl games have something to offer, if NDSU lands in one this season, which is a shift for a program that won 10 national championships over 15 years in the FCS.

“It’s different but I really enjoyed it,” Klieman told the Fargo Forum’s Jeff Kolpack. “There’s nothing like winning a national championship, but now you’re competing for conference championships and there are still (College Football Playoff) aspirations. I know the move for NDSU was right for them to make that step.”

Bison Kept Rolling After Chris Klieman

NDSU kept winning after Klieman with another three national championships between former head coach Matt Entz and current head coach Tim Polasek. The Bison looked poised for another with a 12-0 regular season in 2025, but Illinois State thwarted that in the playoffs, which turned out to be the final FCS game for NDSU.

In February, NDSU announced the move to the FBS and invitation to the Mountain West Conference. The NCAA will vote next week on whether the Bison can play in the FBS postseason instead of waiting the two-year ban for transitioning teams.

If the NCAA grants the eligibility, the Bison can play in the Mountasn West championship game, a bowl game or the College Football Playoff. One of NDSU’s former FCS rivals, James Madison, made the CFP last year and lost to Oregon in Eugene.

Klieman never led the Wildcats to the CFP, and his best season at KSU resulted in a 10-4 record with a loss in the Sugar Bowl to Alabama. His other bowl game appearances included wins in the Texas Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl and Rate Bowl. He lost his first bowl game, the Liberty Bowl, during his first season with the Wildcats in 2019.

Klieman retired after the 2025 season, citing the stressors of the changing landscape of college football and his well-being as the reason for stepping away at age 58. He notably worked with former NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor both in Fargo and then at Kansas State.

Chris Klieman Kept the NDSU Dynasty Going in FCS

NDSU sought a third consecutive national championship in 2014 when former Bison head coach Craig Bohl suddenly announced his new job with Wyoming.

Bohl planned to take most of his staff, but Klieman, the defensive coordinator at the time, decided to stay put and take over the Bison program. NDSU won a third consecutive title with Bohl, and Klieman carried the reins and the wait of a young dynasty.

The Bison also lost droves of starters to graduation, including quarterback Brock Jensen, after the 2013 season. Klieman nonetheless kept the Bison going with former quarterback Carson Wentz and company, as the Herd extended the championship streak to five years.

Klieman went 69-6 overall for NDSU and 18-1 in the FCS playoffs with four national championships and two Missouri Valley Football Conference titles.