FARGO, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota State’s road to the highest level of college football was paved by an unprecedented run of success, with 10 national championships serving as sparkling souvenirs from a two-decade stay in the Championship Subdivision. That exit sign for the Bowl Subdivision came into view through a rare and bitter taste of failure.The Bison rumbled last year into the FCS playoffs with the top seed, a first-round bye and an unbeaten record. Then came Dec. 6 and the fateful game against Illinois State. The Redbirds, a conference rival, rallied three times from two-touchdown deficits for a one-point victory at the Fargodome. The 19,000-seat stadium was about half full for the thriller.“That was the point in time for me when I said, ‘We’ve got to get this done,’” athletic director Matt Larsen recalled. “We were really close already. I remember thinking to myself, ‘If we don’t make this move, this might be the norm.’ I think our fan base is as passionate as they’ve always been, but they wanted a new challenge. This provides that new energy and new competition.”The latest era for this powerhouse on the prairie starts on Saturday when North Dakota State hosts Jacksonville State in its first game as an FBS program. The Bison then make their Mountain West debut on Sept. 12 at Air Force, marking yet another turn on the sport’s carousel of conference realignment. Sacramento State is also moving up to the FBS this season.“I always knew it could happen, but I never was really thinking about it,” linebacker Donovan Woolen said. “To play better games against better competition is going to be a lot more fun. To be able to test our abilities and see our fullest potential of what we can do as players and as a team, I think we’re ready for it.”