It was clearly just an ingenious ploy to throw the SDSU game since they knew with a loss they would a) still be outright conference champs and b) still be a top 2 seed in the playoffs. Additionally, they were sick of beating SDSU in the early rounds of the playoffs and knew a win over NDSU would give those dirty jacks the boost they needed to be seeded high enough to get on the opposite of the bracket. It further made sense with JSU and SHSU trending into the #3 and #6 spots since it meant the #2 seed would have an easier route to Frisco than even the #1 seed would (and an 11-0 Bison squad would've been dangerously close to overtaking JMU for that #1 spot). And to top it all off if, by some miracle, SDSU made it all the way to Frisco there would be no better way to ultimately crush their spirits than to win a game with a much more important trophy than a rock on the line. It really was an ingenious plan. The only risk involved was counting on SDSU not to shit the bed in their last two games and get knocked out of the seeds but, luckily, they held up their end of the bargain.
I heard all this from my NCAA contact in Dallas. Just figured I would share so you all would know.