FRISCO – For the last 15 years, the FCS champion has been crowned inside Toyota Stadium in Frisco. In 2019, the NCAA, Southland Conference, the city of Frisco, and Hunt Sports Ventures agreed to a five-year extension through 2025 with an option for the 2026 game. 

The NCAA chose not to exercise the option, as FC Dallas's home stadium is set to undergo a $182 million renovation after North Dakota State finishes celebrating its 35-32 victory over Montana State in front of 18,005 fans. Over the last 14 years, the Bison have won all 10 national championships on the Toyota Stadium field.

Since Frisco started hosting in 2010, the FCS championship game has been tremendously successful. For the past 15 years, 269,083 fans have attended the National Soccer Hall of Fame, where the only recognized NCAA Division I championship event has been held. Attendance has surpassed the stated capacity of 17,677 on twelve occasions, and the average attendance over the previous 15 years (17,939) exceeds the stadium's capacity.

The game has drawn over 20,000 fans three times. The lowest-attended contest was during the 2021 Spring season, which was held in May due to the pandemic. Only 7,840 were on hand to witness Sam Houston win the 2020 national title. That contest also marked the only time fewer than one million television viewers tuned in since 2012, while the battle between North Dakota State and James Madison in 2019 drew a record viewership of 2.68 million.

Many pundits are interested in the viewership numbers from tonight’s game. This year is the first time the game has been broadcast in primetime on linear television without competing against the National Football League.

“Frisco has become synonymous with the national championship game, and that’s a credit to the hard work of the folks here at the stadium, the folks in the city, and the community (who) have embraced the championship,” NCAA FCS committee chairman and NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen said in a press conference on Saturday morning.

During his 11 years as athletic director, the Bison have visited Frisco eight times for the national title game, and he said each visit was unique.

“What I’ve always appreciated about Team Frisco and the job they do here is because we’ve been here several times – it’s not just rinse and repeat for them. They want to make sure it’s special each year,” Larsen said. “I’ve always given them a ton of credit for making sure those first-time attendees felt just as special as the first year they hosted (the game).”

NDSU head coach Tim Polasek experienced the national championship game in Frisco multiple times as a Bison assistant coach. He also helped lead Northern Illinois, Iowa, and Wyoming to eight bowl games between his stints as an assistant with NDSU. Polasek said the experience in Frisco is as good as any bowl experience.

“Team Frisco does it right. Frisco is easy to get into transportation-wise, (and) there are multiple hotels and all the stuff that aligns with a big-time football game,” Polasek said. “It’s obvious to me that this game and the city have done a great job progressing forward. It’s a first-class operation, (and) feels much more like a bowl game.”

While “Frisco has become synonymous with the national championship game,” NCAA director of championships and alliances Ty Halpin said the committee had to move the game with the stadium under renovation to avoid playing with only half of the tickets available, which would inevitably lead to fewer fans and financial impact.

Instead, the game will move to FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Before moving to Frisco, the national championship spent 13 years in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The game in Frisco has also benefitted Texas High School football players, with 19 players on the combined rosters Monday night. Four of those players competed for a school within the Frisco Independent School District, and one more player was from virtually next door at Plano East High School.

Many within the Frisco community are apprehensive about the game returning since the NCAA chose to move to Nashville for two years instead of finding a suitable location near Frisco. After all, those happy in a relationship rarely continue to date others.

Attendance in Nashville will likely determine whether the championship game returns to Frisco. If the game continues to draw around 20,000 fans, roughly 50 percent of FirstBank Stadium's capacity of 39,790, Team Frisco would have an excellent chance to win the next round of bidding. However, if construction takes longer than planned or the game draws close to 35,000 fans, the NCAA would likely seek a venue with more capacity.

Halpin is aware of the anxiety within the Frisco community about the game potentially returning when the renovation is complete. While he could not commit to returning to Frisco in 2027, he made it clear that the city would have an opportunity to win the bid process once the construction is complete.

“(The game) absolutely can come back here. It’s premature to make any sort of commitment. Things can change with construction timelines,” Halpin said. “The mayor’s office (and) the local community has been supportive, and we don’t take that lightly. We’ve had nothing but great experiences here.”

Only time will tell if Monday night was the end of an era or see you soon.