North Dakota State to MWC & Group Of 5 Coaching Changes in 2026

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The College Football Experience (@TCEonSGPN) on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network keys in on the recent North Dakota State to the Mountain West Conference news and every group of 5 head coaching hire this offseason. Pick Dundee aka (@TheColbyD) & Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) break down their favorite Group Of 5 coaching hires of the offseason and make sense of the North Dakota State Bisons jumping to the Mountain West Conference news. Will North Dakota State instantly be a college football playoff contender despite the NCAA rules being against it? Is this get a major win for the Mountain West Conference moving forward?

Will Alex Mortensen work out as the UAB Blazers next head football coach? Is Jim Mora to Colorado State the slam dunk hire of the entire Group Of 5? How do we think the UConn Huskies landed with Jason Candle from Toledo heading into town? Is Brian Hartline going to win a lot at South Florida right away? Is the Will Hall hire by the Tulane Green Wave flying under the radar a bit? Will Charles Huff have the Memphis Tigers in the college football playoffs? How will Neal Brown do in Denton, Texas with the North Texas Mean Green? Is Ryan Beard a questionable hire by Coastal Carolina? We talk it all and more on this episode of The College Football Experience.

00:00 Welcome In + Sponsor Shoutouts (Kashi)
01:13 Show Setup: Offseason Content, Schedules & Transfer Portal Plans
02:26 Meet the Hosts: Colby & “Mac” + College Hoops/Baseball Plug
04:41 Realignment Bombshell: North Dakota State Joins the Mountain West
07:53 Why NDSU Is a Grand Slam Add: NFL Talent, Wins & FBS Readiness
16:16 Sacramento State’s FBS Push: Paying Their Way Into the MW/MAC?
21:55 Coaching Carousel Note: Bobby Hauck’s 4-Day Retirement to Illinois DC
25:36 FCS-to-FBS Pressure Cooker: Who’s Next to Move Up? (Tarleton, SDSU, Montana)
32:22 More FCS Coaching Moves: South Dakota/Drake to Rutgers Staff
35:16 Quick Ad Break + Back to Business: G5 Coaching Hires Begin
37:39 Jay Norvell Lands at Iowa: Reset After Colorado State
38:33 AAC Coaching Hire #1: Charles Huff Takes Over at Memphis
42:34 AAC Coaching Hire #2: Neil Brown to North Texas (Post-WVU)
43:18 Neil Brown to North Texas: why the fit makes sense
44:26 App State’s miss & ranking Brown vs. Huff
45:10 Tulane promotes Will Hall: the case for a “sneaky good” hire
48:43 UAB hires Alex Mortensen: surprising choice over Skip Holtz
50:46 USF lands Brian Hartline + AAC hire power rankings
54:02 Sun Belt carousel: Ryan Beard (Coastal) & Billy Napier to JMU
58:08 Southern Miss hires Blake Anderson: stabilizing after Huff leaves
01:00:52 New Pac-12 splash: Jim Mora to Colorado State (best hire?)
01:03:49 Oregon State’s JaMarcus Shepherd & Wazzu’s Kirby Moore
01:09:38 MAC hires: Kent State’s Mark Carney, Ohio’s Hauser, Toledo’s Jacobs
01:17:05 C-USA note: Casey Woods to Missouri State + UConn hires Jason Candle
01:20:33 Final thoughts: best hires, upcoming episodes, and sign-off