FARGO, N.D. -- North Dakota State University wants to move its Bison sports teams to NCAA Division I, citing both a desire to compete against tougher teams and worries about the future of Division II.

"If you're going to be the best, you have to play the best,'' Athletic Director Gene Taylor said Friday.

The school said it had booked Division I-AA's top football program, the University of Montana, as part of the move.

NDSU President Joseph Chapman called the move a "calculated risk'' that fits with growth elsewhere on the campus, including in research and doctoral programs.

"In many ways, we are not the same university that we were just a short time ago,'' Chapman said.

Taylor recommended the move and planned a two-year transition to give younger athletes time to decide whether they want to transfer to other schools. NDSU will not be eligible to win NCAA championships for five years following the 2003-2004 academic year.

The transition also give other teams in the North Central Conference, NDSU's current Division II league, time to replace the Bison -- or decide to move up themselves.

Northern Colorado also has announced its intention to leave the NCC and move to Division I. South Dakota State also is considering the jump.

Taylor said the fact Division II is accepting more smaller programs played a role in his decision. "Who are we going to play, what are we going to look like five years down the road?'' he said.

NDSU will consider the 2003-2004 academic year an exploratory term during which it will schedule some Division I contests but remain a member of the NCC, Taylor said.

It will leave the NCC in May 2004, Chapman said in a letter to the league. The Bison will play a full Division I schedule during the 2004-2005 year.

The football team would play in Division I-AA, a subdivision for football teams that are not required to meet stadium or attendance requirements.

Taylor said the school has signed an agreement to play the University of Montana, the defending Division I-AA football champion, next September.

"Those are schools we can compete with,'' Chapman said.

Taylor said NDSU can continue to play old foes, particularly the University of North Dakota. "This is a rivalry we're not going to throw away, that's for sure,'' he said.

NDSU coaches have put together a $7.8 million budget for Division I play, a 42 percent increase over this year's $5.5 million budget. The additional expenses stem from more travel and scholarship spending.

Travel costs would more than double to $1.7 million, and scholarship spending would increase from $900,310 to more than $1.5 million, according to the draft budget.

The university has studied the move since last year. In January, consultants hired by the school said NDSU was "at the very top of that list'' of Division II schools that should consider the jump.

A June report said the school could afford the move, thanks to higher ticket sales, donations, sponsorships and student activity fees.

The January report, by Carr Sports Associates of Florida, said finding a Division I conference to join would be the most difficult aspect NDSU would face in the move.

The Big Sky Conference had been discussed as a possible home. In June, however, commissioner Doug Fullerton said it was not likely that NDSU or any of five other Division II schools considering a move up would join that league, because of the longer trips that would be needed for games.

Taylor said he has talked with athletic directors and conference officials but would not discuss details.