Bison tailgaters fill up the Toyota Stadium parking lot—again

FRISCO, Texas – Dan Pedersen and his father Paul were set up their tailgating table on the south side of a big recreational vehicle.

"That isn't ours," Dan said. "It's a wind block for us."

The Pedersens were among the thousands of North Dakota State fans who have flocked to Frisco for today's Football Championship Subdivision championship game between the Bison and Jacksonville State of Alabama.

Bison tailgaters filled the parking lot west of Toyota Stadium, where today's game will be played.

Pederson, from Eau Claire, Wis., is the father of Bison freshman kicker Cam Pedersen.

"It's our first year," Dan said. "It's amazing how Fargo has taken over Dallas. They just consumed the town."

Jerry King of Shelley, Minn., drove from Shelley, Minn., to Frisco with 9 other people in his recreational vehicle.

"I'm not even a Bison, I'm an SDSU fan," said King, who used to live in South Dakota and saw two of his sons play for rival South Dakota State in the early 2000s. "I'm still not converted over. But this is awesome. It's unbelievable."

Representing the other end of the tailgating spectrum, Adam Nordby and Gabriel Feist pulled a tiny camper to Frisco. It may be small but it's easy to spot, painted in NDSU green and gold colors.

"We take it camping with us all the time," Feist said. "We show up at the campground and people go 'oh here they are again.'"

So who's going to win today's game?

"It's going to be close, I'm not going to lie," Feist said. "It's going to be ours but it will be close."

1/3: NDSU fans and band members get ready for the arrival of the Bison football team Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, at the Toyota Stadium complex in Frisco, Texas. David Samson / The Forum

2/3: Tailgating bus of Jerry King of Shelley, Minn.

3/3: Tailgaters Paul Pedersen and Dan Pedersen of Eau Claire, Wis.