the 2008 season was their first in Division I, opening the door for the rivalry to restart. However, while North Dakota State were members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in football, and the Summit League in non-football sports. North Dakota joined the Big Sky Conference, complicating the matter for scheduling future games. Scheduling logistics with their respective conferences and the yearly frequency of the potential resumption of the series were the stated reasons for not resuming. Several high-profile alumni and sports figures had called for a resumption of the series, and a grassroots movement form for the legislature to require an annual game by law. On December 12, 2010, The Bison hosted North Dakota in men's basketball at the Fargodome in front of an NDSU basketball record crowd of 10,709 for the first athletic meeting between the two schools as Division I opponents. On May 16, 2012, UND athletic director Brian Faison announced that UND and NDSU had been planning a contract for two more games between each other, both in Fargo in 2015 and 2019. On August 22, 2014, UND athletics announced the signing of the contract for two games against NDSU to be played in Fargo on September 19, 2015 and September 7, 2019. On September 9, 2015 #2 ranked NDSU hosted the newly rebranded Fighting Hawks in the first Nickel Trophy matchup in 12 years. The game, which the Bison won 34-9, received ample media attention as the long-running series returned. On January 26, 2017 North Dakota announced that they would move to the Summit League for non-football for the 2018 season, and football-only Missouri Valley Football Conference for the 2020 season. The UND–NDSU matchup became a conference rivalry in non-football sports once again in 2018 when the Fighting Hawks joined the Summit League, and became a conference football rivalry in 2020 when UND and NDSU were reunited in the MVFC. Game results See also List of NCAA college football rivalry games List of most-played college football series in NCAA Division I References College football rivalries in the United States College football rivalry trophies in the United States North Dakota Fighting Hawks football North Dakota State Bison football 1894 establishments in North Dakota