Lots of folks imply that NDSU is only good because they invest more in football than everyone else.
In 2016, the following FCS schools had a larger football budget than NDSU (
source):
James Madison University
Liberty University
University of Delaware
Fordham University
University of Richmond
Furman University
Villanova University
College of William and Mary
Lafayette College
Montana State University
College of the Holy Cross
The University of Montana
Colgate University
Bucknell University
Stony Brook University
Samford University
Elon University
Lehigh University
In 2015, the following FCS schools had a larger football budget than NDSU:
Liberty University
James Madison University
University of Richmond
Villanova University
University of Delaware
Montana State University
College of William and Mary
Furman University
Fordham University
Colgate University
Lafayette College
Bethune-Cookman University
Stony Brook University
Samford University
Elon University
College of the Holy Cross
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
The University of Montana
Lehigh University
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Mercer University
Eastern Washington University
2014:
College of William and Mary
Liberty University
James Madison University
Villanova University
Fordham University
University of Delaware
University of Richmond
Montana State University
Samford University
Furman University
Lafayette College
Bethune-Cookman University
Lehigh University
Colgate University
The University of Montana
University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Stony Brook University
Elon University
College of the Holy Cross
So, if they're the Bama of FCS, it's because Klieman=Saban