2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference season
2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference season
League	NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Sport	Football
Duration	August 31, 2023; through January 7, 2024
Number of teams	12
2024 NFL draft
Regular season
Champion; ; Playoff Participants	South Dakota State ; ; North Dakota ; North Dakota State ; South Dakota ; Southern Illinois ; Youngstown State
Football seasons
	← 2022 2024 →

Last updated April 26, 2024

2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 South Dakota State $^	8	–	0	15	–	0
No. 4 South Dakota ^	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 3 North Dakota State ^	5	–	3	11	–	4
No. 19 Youngstown State ^	5	–	3	8	–	5
No. 16 North Dakota ^	5	–	3	7	–	5
Northern Iowa	5	–	3	6	–	5
No. 12 Southern Illinois ^	4	–	4	8	–	5
Illinois State	4	–	4	6	–	5
Missouri State	3	–	5	4	–	7
Murray State	1	–	7	2	–	9
Indiana State	1	–	7	1	–	10
Western Illinois	0	–	8	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant As of April 25, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 38th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 12 teams, as the conference added Murray State over the offseason. It was also the last season with 12 teams for now, as it was announced in May 2023 that Western Illinois would be leaving the MVFC after the 2023 season for the Ohio Valley Conference.^[1]

South Dakota State made it to the National Championship and won their 2nd FCS title in program history and became the third MVFC team to win back to back titles.^[2] North Dakota State made the playoffs unseeded, and won their way into the semifinals where they lost to 2nd seeded Montana.^[3] South Dakota made the playoffs as the 3rd seed, and made it to the quarterfinals, where they lost to North Dakota State.^[4] Youngstown State and Southern Illinois made the playoffs unseeded as well, and made it to the 2nd round, losing to 8th seeded Villanova ^[5] and 4th seeded Idaho.^[6] North Dakota made the playoffs unseeded and lost to Sacramento State in the opening round.^[7]

Previous season

In 2022, South Dakota State won the conference and received the automatic bid to the 2022 playoffs. The Jacks would go on to win their first FCS Championship over rival North Dakota State.^[8]
Besides SDSU and NDSU; North Dakota made the playoffs as well. UND lost to Weber State in the first round to be eliminated from contention.^[9]

Offseason

Over the offseason, the conference officially welcomed in their 12th league member. Murray State will begin their tenure as a MVFC member after joining the sister conference (Missouri Valley Conference) in the summer of 2022. The Racers arrive in the Valley from the Ohio Valley Conference.^[10]

Coaching changes

Missouri State

On December 19, 2022, Ryan Beard was named the new head coach at Missouri State.^[11] Beard was previously the Bears defensive coordinator for the last three years. He takes over for Bobby Petrino who left the program for an eventual job at Texas A&M.^[12]

South Dakota State

On January 20, 2023, Jimmy Rogers was named the new head coach at South Dakota State.^[13] Rogers was promoted from defensive coordinator for the Jacks. Former coach John Stiegelmeier retired after the end of last season, leading South Dakota State for 26 seasons.^[14]

Preseason

Preseason League Poll

The annual preseason poll; voted on by conference coaches, athletic directors, and media members.^[15]

Predicted finish	Team	Points (1st place votes)
1	South Dakota State	539 (44)
2	North Dakota State	492 (1)
3	Northern Iowa	409
4	North Dakota	399
5	Southern Illinois	337
6	Youngstown State	323
7	Illinois State	269
8	Missouri State	229
9	South Dakota	226
10	Indiana State	148
11	Murray State	74
12	Western Illinois	65

Preseason Individual Awards

Award	Player	School	Position	Year
First Team Offense	Mark Gronowski	South Dakota State	QB	Jr.
	Isaiah Davis	South Dakota State	RB	Sr.
	Justin Dinka	Indiana State	RB	RS Jr.
	Hunter Brozio	North Dakota State	FB	Sr.
	Jaxon Janke	South Dakota State	WR	Sr.
	Bo Belquist	North Dakota	WR	Sr.
	Bryce Oliver	Youngstown State	WR	Sr.
	Zach Heins	South Dakota State	TE	Sr.
	Mason McCormick	South Dakota State	OL	Sr.
	Garret Greenfield	South Dakota State	OL	Sr.
	Donny Ventrelli	North Dakota	OL	Sr.
	Jalen Sundell	North Dakota State	OL	Sr.
	Jaison Williams	Youngstown State	OL	Jr.
First Team Defense	Khristian Boyd	Northern Iowa	DL	RS Sr.
	Ben McNaboe	North Dakota	DL	Sr.
	Dylan Wudke	Youngstown State	DL	Sr.
	Eli Mostaert	North Dakota State	DL	Sr.
	Adam Bock	South Dakota State	LB	Sr.
	Brock Mogensen	South Dakota	LB	Sr.
	Stephen Hillis	South Dakota	LB	Sr.
	Branson Combs	Southern Illinois	LB	RS Sr.
	Woo Governor	Northern Iowa	DB	Sr.
	DyShawn Gales	South Dakota State	DB	Sr.
	PJ Jules	Southern Illinois	DB	RS Sr.
	Rylan Cole	Indiana State	DB	Jr.
	Myles Harden	South Dakota	DB	Jr.
First Team Special Teams	Matthew Cook	Northern Iowa	PK	Sr.
	Grant Burkett	Missouri State	P	Jr.
	Caden Bolz	Missouri State	LS	Jr.
	Jayden Price	North Dakota State	RS	Sr.
	Carter Bell	South Dakota	AP	Jr.

Award	Player	School	Position	Year
Second Team Offense	Theo Day	Northern Iowa	QB	RS Sr.
	TaMerik Williams	North Dakota State	RB	Sr.
	Travis Theis	South Dakota	RB	Jr.
	Jacardia Wright	Missouri State	RB	Jr.
	Mike Morgan	South Dakota State	FB	Sr.
	D'Ante' Cox	Southern Illinois	WR	Sr.
	Jadon Janke	South Dakota State	WR/RS	Sr.
	Sam Schnee	Northern Iowa	WR	RS Sr.
	Alex Allen	Northern Iowa	TE	RS Sr.
	Joe Stoffel	North Dakota State	TE	Jr.
	Jared Penning	Northern Iowa	OL	RS Jr.
	Isaac Erbes	South Dakota	OL	So.
	Jake Kubas	North Dakota State	OL	Jr.
	Jose Vazquez IV	Indiana State	OL	RS Sr.
	Brandon Westberg	North Dakota State	OL	So.
	Hunter Zambrano	Illinois State	OL	So.
Second Team Defense	Will Mostaert	North Dakota State	DL	Sr.
	Lucas Hunter	Indiana State	DL	Sr.
	Cade Terveer	South Dakota State	DL	Sr.
	Chris Fitzgerald	Youngstown State	DL	Jr.
	Jason Freeman	South Dakota State	LB	Sr.
	Juan DelaCruz	Western Illinois	LB	Jr.
	Geoffrey Brown	Indiana State	LB	Jr.
	Isaiah Stalbird	South Dakota State	LB	Sr.
	Cole Wisniewski	North Dakota State	LB	Sr.
	C.J. Siegel	North Dakota	DB/RS	Sr.
	Dalys Beanum	South Dakota State	DB	Sr.
	Jayden Price	North Dakota State	DB	Sr.
	PJ Hall	Missouri State	DB	Jr.
	Dillon Gearhart	Illinois State	DB	Jr.
Second Team Special Teams	Griffin Crosa	North Dakota State	PK	Sr.
	Hunter Dustman	South Dakota State	P	Sr.
	Sam Merryman	Youngstown State	LS	Jr.
	Jalen Carr	Illinois State	AP	Jr.

Source:^[16]

Rankings

**Legend**
		Improvement in ranking
		Drop in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
		No change in ranking from previous week
RV		Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т		Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

		Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Final
Illinois State	STATS Perform			RV					RV
Illinois State	AFCA Coaches	RV	RV	25	RV	RV		RV	25	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV
Indiana State	STATS Perform
Indiana State	AFCA Coaches
Missouri State	STATS Perform
Missouri State	AFCA Coaches
Murray State	STATS Perform
Murray State	AFCA Coaches			RV
North Dakota	STATS Perform	17	17	14	14	12	16	15	11	15	13	10	13	12	16
North Dakota	AFCA Coaches	18	15	13	14	11	15	15	9	17	15	12	17	14	16
North Dakota State	STATS Perform	2	2	2	2	2	7	6	14	12	11	12	9	8	3
North Dakota State	AFCA Coaches	2	2	2	2	2	8	7	15	11	10	13	9	7	3
Northern Iowa	STATS Perform	23	21	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	18	15	22	RV	RV
Northern Iowa	AFCA Coaches	20	20	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	20	RV
South Dakota	STATS Perform						15	10	6	4	9	6	5	3	4
South Dakota	AFCA Coaches						21	17	16	9	12	6	5	3	4
South Dakota State	STATS Perform	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
South Dakota State	AFCA Coaches	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Southern Illinois	STATS Perform	RV	24	15	12	10	6	13	12	11	10	11	16	14	12
Southern Illinois	AFCA Coaches	RV	23	18	13	10	5	13	12	12	11	15	20т	17	13
Western Illinois	STATS Perform
Western Illinois	AFCA Coaches
Youngstown State	STATS Perform	RV	25	25	24	23	RV	23	25	24	22	22	25	21	19
Youngstown State	AFCA Coaches	RV	25	RV	24	19	RV	20т	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	23	21

Schedule

Index to colors and formatting
MVFC member won
MVFC member lost
MVFC teams in bold

All times Central time.

† denotes Homecoming game
^ denotes AP Poll ranking for FBS teams

Regular season schedule

Week 1

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:00 p.m.	Eastern Illinois	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	L 0–27	4,355
August 31	6:30 p.m.	Valparaiso	No. RV Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	W 52–10	8,593
August 31	7:00 p.m.	Western Oregon	No. 1 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 45–7	16,258
August 31	7:00 p.m.	South Dakota	Missouri	Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium • Columbia, MO	SECN	L 10–35	50,434
September 1	7:00 p.m.	Missouri State	Kansas	David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, KS	Big 12 NOW, ESPN+	L 17–48	41,091
September 2	12:00 p.m.	Dayton	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	W 41–0	6,740
September 2	1:00 p.m.	No. 23 Northern Iowa	Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA	Big 12 NOW, ESPN+	L 9–30	58,248
September 2	2:30 p.m.	Eastern Washington	No. 2 North Dakota State	US Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN	ESPN+	W 35–10	22,546
September 2	3:00 p.m.	Drake	No. 17 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	W 55–7	8,503
September 2	6:00 p.m.	No. RV Austin Peay	No. RV Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	W 49–23	8,327
September 2	6:00 p.m.	Presbyterian	Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	W 41–10	6,953
September 2	8:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	New Mexico State	Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM	ESPN+	L 21–58	17,943
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 2

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 7	6:30 p.m.	Murray State	No. RV^ Louisville	L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium • Louisville, KY	ACCN	L 0–56	45,273
September 8	6:00 p.m.	Indiana State	Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	L 7–41	42,775
September 9	12:00 p.m.	No. 25 Youngstown State	No. 5^ Ohio State	Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH	BTN	L 7–35	102,897
September 9	1:00 p.m.	No. RV St. Thomas	South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 24–0	6,126
September 9	2:30 p.m.	Maine	No. 2 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	W 44–7	15,044
September 9	2:30 p.m.	No. 24 Southern Illinois	Northern Illinois	Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL	ESPN+	W 14–11	13,114
September 9	3:00 p.m.	Illinois State	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	ILST 34–18	3,648
September 9	3:00 p.m.	Northern Arizona	No. 17 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	W 37–22	10,009
September 9	4:00 p.m.	No. 12 Weber State	No. 21 Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	L 17–34	7,967
September 9	6:00 p.m.	Missouri State	No. RV UT Martin	Graham Stadium • Martin, TN	ESPN+	L 31–38	6,104
September 9	6:00 p.m.	No. 3 Montana State	No. 1 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 20–16	19,332
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 3

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 16	11:00 a.m.	No. 14 North Dakota	Boise State	Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID	FS1	L 18–42	35,610
September 16	1:00 p.m.	Lamar	South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 35–6	5,618
September 16	1:00 p.m.	Robert Morris	No. 25 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	W 48–28	12,826
September 16	2:00 p.m.	No. RV Illinois State	Eastern Illinois	O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL	ESPN+	L 13–14	6,602
September 16	2:00 p.m.	Indiana State	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	L 7–45	15,054
September 16	2:30 p.m.	No. RV Central Arkansas	No. 2 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	W 49–31	15,016
September 16	2:30 p.m.	Drake	No. 1 South Dakota State	Target Field • Minneapolis, MN	ESPN+	W 70–7	18,174
September 16	5:00 p.m.	No. RV Northern Iowa	Idaho State	Holt Arena • Pocatello, ID	ESPN+	W 41–17	N/A
September 16	6:00 p.m.	Lindenwood	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	L 40–43	3,548
September 16	6:00 p.m.	No. 15 Southern Illinois	No. 13 Southeast Missouri State	Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO	ESPN+	W 26–25	8,613
September 16	6:00 p.m.	Murray State	Middle Tennessee State	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN	ESPN+	L 14–35	16,605
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
September 16	Missouri State

Week 4

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 23	12:00 p.m.	Lindenwood	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	W 48–17	13,391
September 23	2:00 p.m.	Utah Tech	Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN+	W 59–14	11,002
September 23	7:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	Southern Utah	Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT	ESPN+	L 17–37	6,504
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
September 23	No. 24 Youngstown State	No. RV Northern Iowa	No. 2 North Dakota State	No. 1 South Dakota State	South Dakota	No. 14 North Dakota	Indiana State	No. 12 Southern Illinois	Murray State

Week 5

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 30	1:00 p.m.	South Dakota	No. 2 North Dakota State †	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	USD 24–19	18,342
September 30	1:00 p.m.	No. 23 Youngstown State	No. RV Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	UNI 44–41	10,346
September 30	2:00 p.m.	No. 12 North Dakota	No. 1 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	SDSU 42–21	19,231
September 30	4:00 p.m.	Missouri State	No. 10 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	SIU 33–20	10,359
September 30	6:00 p.m.	Indiana State	Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	MUST 30–28	13,213
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
September 30	Western Illinois	Illinois State

Week 6

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 7	1:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	No. 16 North Dakota †	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 49–10	9,758
October 7	2:00 p.m.	Murray State	No. 15 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	USD 38–7	7,907
October 7	2:00 p.m.	No. 7 North Dakota State	Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN+	NDSU 38–10	8,727
October 7	5:00 p.m.	No. 6 Southern Illinois	No. RV Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	YSU 31–3	9,767
October 7	6:00 p.m.	No. 1 South Dakota State	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	SDSU 40–21	8,272
October 7	7:00 p.m.	No. RV Northern Iowa	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	UNI 27–20	3,228
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 7

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 14	1:00 p.m.	No. 6 North Dakota State	No. 15 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 49–24	13,091
October 14	1:00 p.m.	No. 23 Youngstown State	No. 10 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	USD 34–31	3,608
October 14	2:00 p.m.	No. RV Northern Iowa	No. 1 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	SDSU 41–6	19,357
October 14	2:00 p.m.	No. 13 Southern Illinois	Murray State †	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	SIU 27–6	15,868
October 14	3:00 p.m.	Missouri State	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	MOST 48–7	2,809
October 14	3:00 p.m.	Indiana State	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	ILST 44–7	N/A
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 8

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 21	1:00 p.m.	No. 6 South Dakota	Indiana State †	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	USD 17–3	4,908
October 21	2:00 p.m.	No. 1 South Dakota State	No. 12 Southern Illinois †	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	SDSU 17–10	11,927
October 21	2:00 p.m.	No. RV Illinois State	No. 25 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	YSU 41–38	10,022
October 21	2:00 p.m.	Murray State	Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, IL	ESPN+	MOST 28–24	11,386
October 21	2:30 p.m.	Western Illinois	No. 14 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 52–7	14,255
October 21	4:00 p.m.	No. 11 North Dakota	No. RV Northern Iowa †	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN3	UNI 27–0	10,677
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 9

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
October 28	12:00 p.m.	No. 23 Northern Iowa	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	UNI 24–21	N/A
October 28	1:00 p.m.	No. 11 Southern Illinois	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	SIU 63–0	2,636
October 28	1:00 p.m.	Missouri State	No. 24 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	YSU 44–28	9,880
October 28	1:00 p.m.	Indiana State	No. 15 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 36–33 ^OT	11,125
October 28	1:00 p.m.	No. 1 South Dakota State	No. 4 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	SDSU 37–3	9,458
October 28	2:30 p.m.	Murray State	No. 12 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 38–6	13,876
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 10

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 4	12:00 p.m.	No. 22 Youngstown State	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	YSU 19–7	4,798
November 4	1:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	No. 18 Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	UNI 50–6	8,051
November 4	1:00 p.m.	No. 9 South Dakota	No. 10 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	USD 14–7	7,106
November 4	1:00 p.m.	No. 13 North Dakota	Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	UND 45–31	6,217
November 4	2:00 p.m.	No. 11 North Dakota State	No. 1 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	SDSU 33–16	19,431
November 4	2:00 p.m.	Illinois State	Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN+	ILST 36–35	7,700
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 11

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 11	11:00 a.m.	Murray State	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	ILST 44–7	5,623
November 11	11:00 a.m.	No. 1 South Dakota State	No. 22 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	SDSU 34–0	9,303
November 11	1:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	INST 27–6	3,151
November 11	1:00 p.m.	No. 10 North Dakota	No. 6 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	USD 14–10	6,834
November 11	2:00 p.m.	No. 15 Northern Iowa	Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN+	MOST 35–16	6,898
November 11	2:30 p.m.	No. 11 Southern Illinois	No. 12 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 34–10	14,191
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 12

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 18	1:00 p.m.	No. 5 South Dakota	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	USD 48–6	1,935
November 18	1:00 p.m.	Illinois State	No. 13 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 22–21	9,238
November 18	1:00 p.m.	Indiana State	No. 16 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	SIU 38–9	N/A
November 18	1:00 p.m.	No. 25 Youngstown State	Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	YSU 34–17	5,957
November 18	2:00 p.m.	Missouri State	No. 1 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	SDSU 35–17	15,637
November 18	4:00 p.m.	No. 9 North Dakota State	No. 22 Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	NDSU 48–27	9,852
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

FCS Playoffs

In 2023, six teams made the FCS Playoffs. South Dakota State (No. 1) and South Dakota (No. 3) both received byes; while North Dakota, North Dakota State, Southern Illinois, and Youngstown State were unseeded and played in the opening round. Below are the games in which they played.^[17]

All times Central time. Tournament seedings in parentheses.

First round

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
November 25	12:00 p.m.	No. 15 Sacramento State (Big Sky)	No. 12 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	L 35–42	6,522
November 25	2:00 p.m.	No. RV Nicholls (Southland)	No. 14 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	W 35–0	4,576
November 25	2:30 p.m.	No. RV Drake (PFL)	No. 8 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	W 66–3	7,798
November 25	4:00 p.m.	No. RV Duquesne (Northeast)	No. 21 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	W 40–7	3,866
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Second round

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
December 2	11:00 a.m.	No. 21 Youngstown State	No. 6 (8) Villanova (CAA)	Villanova Stadium • Villanova, PA	ESPN+	L 28–45	2,105
December 2	1:00 p.m.	No. 15 Sacramento State (Big Sky)	No. 3 (3) South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 34–24	6,288
December 2	1:00 p.m.	No. 17 Mercer (SoCon)	No. 1 (1) South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 41–0	10,171
December 2	2:00 p.m.	No. 8 North Dakota State	No. 5 (6) Montana State (Big Sky)	Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	W 35–34 ^OT	17,247
December 2	9:00 p.m.	No. 14 Southern Illinois	No. 4 (4) Idaho (Big Sky)	Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID	ESPN+	L 17–20	9,224
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Quarterfinals

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
December 9	11:00 a.m.	No. 6 (8) Villanova (CAA)	No. 1 (1) South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN	W 23–12	10,216
December 9	1:30 p.m.	No. 8 North Dakota State	No. 3 (3) South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ABC	NDSU 45–17	9,141
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Semifinals

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
December 15	6:00 p.m.	No. 9 (5) Albany (CAA)	No. 1 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN2	W 59–0	12,265
December 16	3:30 p.m.	No. 8 North Dakota State	No. 2 (2) Montana (Big Sky)	Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT	ESPN2	L 29–31 ^2OT	26,544
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

National Championship

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
January 7	1:00 p.m.	No. 2 (2) Montana (Big Sky)	No. 1 (1) South Dakota State	Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX	ABC	W 23–3	19,512
^#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

MVFC records vs other conferences

2023-24 records against non-conference foes:

FCS Power Conferences	Record
Big Sky	4–1
CAA	1–0
FCS Power Total	5–1

Other FCS Conferences	Record
Big South	1–0
Ivy League	None
MEAC	None
Northeast	None
OVC	2–4
Patriot	None
PFL	6–0
SoCon	None
Southland	1–0
SWAC	None
UAC (ASUN–WAC)	3–1
Other FCS Total	13–5

Other Division I Opponents	Record
Football Bowl Subdivision	1–10

Total Division I	19–16

Other NCAA Opponents	Record
Division II	1–0

Total Non-Conference Record	20–16

Post Season

FCS Power Conferences	Record
Big Sky	3–3
CAA	2–1
FCS Power Total	5–4

Other FCS Conferences	Record
Big South	None
Ivy League	None
MEAC	None
Northeast	1–0
OVC	None
Patriot	None
PFL	1–0
SoCon	1–0
Southland	1–0
SWAC	None
UAC (ASUN–WAC)	None
Other FCS Total	4–0

Total Postseason Record	9–4

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

Week	Offensive			Defensive			Special Teams			Freshman
Week	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team
Week 1 (Sept. 4) ^[18]	Nic Baker	QB	SIU	Cole Wisniewski	S	NDSU	Kaedin Steindorf	P	NDSU	Tyshon King	RB	YSU
Week 2 (Sept. 11) ^[19]	Mason Blakemore	RB	ILST	Nick Gaes	DT	USD	Griffin Crosa	K	NDSU	Griffin Wilde	WR	SDSU
Week 2 (Sept. 11) ^[19]	Mason Blakemore	RB	ILST	PJ Jules	S	SIU	Griffin Crosa	K	NDSU	Griffin Wilde	WR	SDSU
Week 3 (Sept. 18) ^[20]	Nic Baker	QB	SIU	PJ Jules	S	SIU	Tucker Large	PR/S	SDSU	Tyshon King	RB	YSU
Week 4 (Sept. 25) ^[21]	Jacob Clark	QB	MOST	Caleb Blake	CB	MOST	Ian Wagner	K/P	ILST	Jayden Becks	RB	MOST
Week 5 (Oct. 2) ^[22]	Theo Day	QB	UNI	Dennis Shorter	SS	USD	Orion Phillips	P	MUST	Plez Lawrence	RB	INST
Week 5 (Oct. 2) ^[22]	Carter Bell	WR	USD	Dennis Shorter	SS	USD	Orion Phillips	P	MUST	Plez Lawrence	RB	INST
Week 6 (Oct. 9) ^[23]	Isaiah Davis	RB	SDSU	Logan Kopp	LB	NDSU	Jake Andjelic	PK	INST	Tyshon King	RB	YSU
Week 7 (Oct. 16) ^[24]	Gaven Ziebarth	RB	UND	Isaiah Stalbird	LB	SDSU	Will Leyland	PK	USD	Owen Rozanc	PK	MOST
Week 7 (Oct. 16) ^[24]	Gaven Ziebarth	RB	UND	Isaiah Stalbird	LB	SDSU	Luke Skokna	RB/RS	UND	Owen Rozanc	PK	MOST
Week 8 (Oct. 23) ^[25]	Amauri Pesek-Hickson	RB	UNI	Devin Goree	DL	MOST	Andrew Lastovka	PK	YSU	Charles Pierre Jr.	RB	USD
Week 9 (Oct. 30) ^[26]	Mitch Davidson	QB	YSU	Logan Kopp	LB	NDSU	Hunter Dustman	PK/P	SDSU	C.J. Elrichs	PK	UND
Week 10 (Nov. 6) ^[27]	Tommy Schuster	QB	UND	Brendan Webb	LB	USD	Hunter Dustman	K/P	SDSU	Mason Blakemore	QB	ILST
Week 11 (Nov. 13) ^[28]	Raylen Sharpe	WR	MOST	Garret Ollendieck	LB	INST	Red Wilson	WR/RS	UND	Amir Abdullah	LB	ILST
Week 12 (Nov. 20) ^[29]	Jadon Janke	WR	SDSU	Cole Wisniewski	S	NDSU	Will Leyland	PK	USD	Tim Varga	DE	SIU
Week 12 (Nov. 20) ^[29]	Mark Gronowski	QB	SDSU	Cole Wisniewski	S	NDSU	Will Leyland	PK	USD	Tim Varga	DE	SIU

Players of the Year

On November 27, 2023, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released their Players of the Year and All-Conference Honors.^[30]

Offensive Player of the Year

Two players were named as Offensive Player of the Year.

Mark Gronowski, QB (Jr - South Dakota State)
Isaiah Davis, RB (Sr - South Dakota State)

Defensive Player of the Year

Brock Mogenson, LB (Sr - South Dakota)

Newcomer of the Year

Mason Blakemore, RB (Jr - Illinois State)

Freshman of the Year

Tye Niekamp, LB (RS-Fr - Illinois State)

Coach of the Year

Bob Nielson (South Dakota)

All-Conference Teams

Award	Player	School	Position	Year
First Team Offense	Mark Gronowski	South Dakota State	QB	Jr
	Isaiah Davis	South Dakota State	RB	Sr
	Mason Blakemore	Illinois State	RB	Jr
	Hunter Brozio	North Dakota State	FB	Sr
	Cam Grandy	Illinois State	TE	Sr
	Jadon Janke	South Dakota State	WR	Sr
	Sam Schnee	Northern Iowa	WR	RS-Sr
	Raylen Sharpe	Missouri State	WR	Jr
	Garret Greenfield	South Dakota State	OL	Sr
	Jake Kubas	North Dakota State	OL	Sr
	Mason McCormick	South Dakota State	OL	Sr
	Jared Penning	Northern Iowa	OL	RS-Jr
	Jalen Sundell	North Dakota State	OL	Sr
First Team Defense	Khristian Boyd	Northern Iowa	DL	RS-Sr
	Dylan Hendricks	North Dakota State	DL	Sr
	Cade Terveer	South Dakota State	DL	Sr
	Brendan Webb	South Dakota	DL	Sr
	Amir Abdullah	Illinois State	LB	Jr
	Jason Freeman	South Dakota State	LB	Sr
	Logan Kopp	North Dakota State	LB	So
	Brock Mogenson	South Dakota	LB	Sr
	Woo Governor	Northern Iowa	DB	Sr
	PJ Jules	Southern Illinois	DB	Sr
	Tucker Large	South Dakota State	DB	So
	Cole Wisniewski	North Dakota State	DB	Sr
First Team Special Teams	Matthew Cook	Northern Iowa	PK	Sr
	Grant Burkett	Missouri State	P	Jr
	Hunter Brozio	North Dakota State	LS	Sr
	Luke Skokna	North Dakota	RS	Sr
	Amar Johnson	South Dakota State	AP	Jr

Award	Player	School	Position	Year
Second Team Offense	Cam Miller	North Dakota State	QB	Sr
	Tyshon King	Youngstown State	RB	Sr
	Jacardia Wright	Missouri State	RB	Jr
	Mike Morgan	South Dakota State	FB	Sr
	Travis Theis	South Dakota	FB	Jr
	Zach Heins	South Dakota State	TE	Sr
	Bo Belquist	North Dakota	WR	Sr
	Bryce Oliver	Youngstown State	WR	Sr
	Daniel Sobkowicz	Illinois State	WR	So
	Joey Lombard	South Dakota	OL	Jr
	Gus Miller	South Dakota State	OL	Jr
	Donny Ventrelli	North Dakota	OL	5th
	Jaison Williams	Youngstown State	OL	Jr
	Hunter Zambrano	Illinois State	OL	Jr
Second Team Defense	Josh Dinga	Illinois State	DL	RS-Sr
	Eli Mostaert	North Dakota State	DL	Sr
	Ryan Van Marel	South Dakota State	DL	Sr
	Dylan Wudke	Youngstown State	DL	Sr
	Branson Combs	Southern Illinois	LB	Jr
	Garret Ollendieck	Indiana State	LB	Jr
	Wyatt Pedigo	North Dakota	LB	Jr
	Isaiah Stalbird	South Dakota State	LB	Sr
	Maddix Blackwell	Indiana State	DB	RS-So
	Dyshawn Gales	South Dakota State	DB	Sr
	Troy Jakubec	Youngstown State	DB	Jr
	Todric McGee	Missouri State	DB	So
	C.J. Siegel	North Dakota	DB	5th
Second Team Special Teams	Will Leyland	South Dakota	PK	So
	Hunter Dustman	South Dakota State	P	Sr
	Kaydon Olivia	South Dakota State	LS	So
	Tucker Large	South Dakota State	RS	So
	Carter Bell	South Dakota	AP	Jr

National Awards

On November 21, 2023, STATS Perform released their list of finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, Jerry Rice Award, and the Eddie Robinson Award, respectively. Finalists are listed by order they appeared in the STATS Perform article.

Walter Payton Award

The Walter Payton Award is given to the best FCS offensive player. The MVFC's own Mark Gronowski won the award (QB - South Dakota State).^[31] Here were the other MVFC finalists:^[32]

Cam Miller (QB - North Dakota State)
Isaiah Davis (RB - South Dakota State)

Buck Buchanan Award

The Buck Buchanan Award is given to the best FCS defensive player. Here were the MVFC finalists:^[33]

Amir Abdullah (LB - Illinois State)
Logan Kopp (LB - North Dakota State)
Brock Mogensen (LB - South Dakota)
PJ Jules (DB - Southern Illinois)

Jerry Rice Award

The Jerry Rice Award is given to the best FCS freshman player. Here were the MVFC finalists:^[34]

Tye Niekamp (LB - Illinois State)

Eddie Robinson Award

The Eddie Robinson Award is given to the best FCS head coach. The MVFC's own Jimmy Rogers won the award, and it was announced on December 7, 2023.^[35] Here were the MVFC finalists:^[36]

All-Americans

	AP^[37] 1st Team	AP 2nd Team	AP 3rd Team	AFCA^[38] 1st Team	AFCA 2nd Team	STATS^[39] 1st Team	STATS 2nd Team	STATS 3rd Team	ADA ^[40]
Amir Abdullah, LB, Illinois State			Y					Y
Brendan Webb, DL, South Dakota			Y		Y
Brock Mogensen, LB, South Dakota	Y			Y		Y
Cam Grandy, TE, Illinois State	Y			Y		Y			Y
Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State							Y
Cole Rusk, TE, Murray State			Y
Cole Wisniewski, DB, North Dakota State	Y			Y		Y			Y
Garret Greenfield, OL, South Dakota State	Y			Y		Y			Y
Grant Burkett, P, Missouri State		Y
Hunter Brozio, LS, North Dakota State				Y			Y
Isaiah Davis, RB, South Dakota State	Y			Y		Y
Jake Kubas, OL, North Dakota State			Y			Y
Jalen Sundell, OL, North Dakota State				Y				Y
Jared Penning, OL, Northern Iowa								Y
Khristian Boyd, DL, Northern Iowa			Y					Y
Mark Gronowski, QB, South Dakota State	Y			Y		Y			Y
Mason McCormick, OL, South Dakota State	Y				Y	Y
Matthew Cook, PK, Northern Iowa	Y				Y		Y		Y
Myles Harden, DB, South Dakota			Y	Y		Y
PJ Jules, DB, Southern Illinois	Y			Y		Y
Raylen Sharpe, WR, Missouri State			Y					Y
Sam Schnee, WR, Northern Iowa					Y

Home attendance

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Game 6	Game 7	Game 8	Game 9	Total	Average	% of Capacity
Illinois State	Hancock Stadium	13,391	6,740	13,391†	8,272	N/A	N/A	5,623				34,026	8,506	63.5%
Indiana State	Memorial Stadium	12,764	4,355	3,228	4,908†	4,798	3,151					20,440	4,088	32.0%
Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium	17,500	11,002	8,727	11,386†	7,700	6,898					45,713	9,142	52.2%
Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium	16,800	6,953	13,213	15,868†	6,217	5,957					48,208	9,641	57.4%
North Dakota	Alerus Center	12,283	8,503	10,009	9,758	13,091†	11,125	9,238	6,522‡			68,246	9,749	79.4%
North Dakota State	Fargodome	18,700	15,044	15,016	18,342†	14,255	13,876	14,191	7,798‡			98,522	14,074	75.3%
Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome	16,324	7,967	10,346	10,677†	8,051	9,852					46,893	9,378	57.5%
South Dakota	DakotaDome	9,100	6,126	5,618	7,907	3,608	9,458†	6,834	6,288‡	9,141‡		54,980	6,872	75.5%
South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium	19,340	16,258	19,332	19,231	19,357	19,431†	15,637	10,171‡	10,216‡	12,265‡	141,881	15,764	81.5%
Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium	15,000	8,327	10,359	11,927†	7,106	4,812	4,576‡				47,107	7,851	52.3%
Western Illinois	Hanson Field	17,128	3,648†	3,548	2,809	2,636	1,935					14,576	2,915	17.0%
Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium	20,630	8,593	12,826†	9,767	10,022	9,880	9,303	3,866‡			64,257	9,179	44.5%

Bold - Exceed or met capacity
†Season High
‡FCS Playoff Game

2024 NFL draft

The following list includes all MVFC players who were drafted in the 2024 NFL draft.

Player	Position	School	Draft Round	Round Pick	Overall Pick	Team

Head coaches

Through January 7, 2024
All stats include 2023 season

Team	Head coach	Years at school	Overall record	Record at school	MVFC record	MVFC titles	FCS Playoff appearances	FCS Playoff record	National Titles
Illinois State	Brock Spack	15	101–70 (.591)	101–70 (.591)	64–52 (.552)	2	5	7–5 (.583)	0
Indiana State	Curt Mallory	6^{[lower-alpha 1]}	20–47 (.299)	20–47 (.299)	13–35 (.271)	0	0	0–0 (–)	0
Missouri State	Ryan Beard	1	4–7 (.364)	4–7 (.364)	3–5 (.375)	0	0	0–0 (–)	0
Murray State	Dean Hood ^{[lower-alpha 2]}	4	70–62 (.530)	15–24 (.385)	1–6 (.143)	0	3	0–3 (.000)	0
North Dakota	Bubba Schweigert ^{[lower-alpha 3]}	10	83–71 (.539)	61–50 (.550)	17–12 (.586)	0	5	1–5 (.167)	0
North Dakota State	Matt Entz	5	60–11 (.845)	60–11 (.845)	32–7 (.821)	2	5	12–3 (.800)	2
Northern Iowa	Mark Farley	23	180–103 (.636)	180–103 (.636)	116–59 (.663)	7	13	16–13 (.552)	0
South Dakota	Bob Nielson ^{[lower-alpha 4]}	8	228–125–1 (.645)	42–45 (.483)	29–31 (.483)	0	3	2–3 (.400)	2
South Dakota State	Jimmy Rogers	1	15–0 (1.000)	15–0 (1.000)	8–0 (1.000)	1	1	4–0 (1.000)	1
Southern Illinois	Nick Hill	8	44–48 (.478)	44–48 (.478)	26–36 (.419)	0	3	3–3 (.500)	0
Western Illinois	Myers Hendrickson ^{[lower-alpha 5]}	2	0–22 (.000)	0–22 (.000)	0–16 (.000)	0	0	0–0 (–)	0
Youngstown State	Doug Phillips	4	18–22 (.450)	18–22 (.450)	12–18 (.400)	0	1	1–1 (.500)	0

↑ Indiana State did not play football in the 2020-21 academic year
↑ Dean Hood coached Eastern Kentucky from 2008-2015. During his time there, the Colonels went 55-38 overall and 44-19 in the Ohio Valley Conference. This also included three FCS playoff berths, all three of which ended in the first round. Hood has coached Murray State since 2020, and while in the Ohio Valley Conference the team finished with a 13-16 overall record and a 9-9 league record.
↑ Bubba Schweigert coached Minnesota Duluth of NCAA Division II from 2004-07. He also coached North Dakota while they were a part of the Big Sky Conference from 2014-17 and were independents in 2018 and 2019.
↑ Bob Nielson coached Western Illinois from 2013-15, which included a run in the playoffs that ended in the second round. Nielson also coached Minnesota-Duluth from 1999-2003 and 2008-12, that second stint included five consecutive NCAA Division II playoff appearances highlighted by 2 National Titles. In the first stint at MN-Duluth included his first Division II playoff appearance. Nielson also coached Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1996-98 that included one NCAA Division III playoff run that ended in the semifinals. Before that, he coached Wartburg from 1991-95, which included two Division III playoff runs as well. His first head coaching job was at Ripon from 1989-90.
↑ Myers Hendrickson previously coached at Kansas Wesleyan of the NAIA from 2019-21, and helped the Coyotes to two NAIA playoff appearances.

Related Research Articles

The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a football-only conference.

The Western Illinois Leathernecks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Western Illinois University located in Macomb, Illinois. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The school's first football team was fielded in 1902. The team plays its home games at the 16,368 seat Hanson Field. The Leathernecks are playing one final MVFC campaign in the fall of 2023 before joining the football alliance between the Big South Conference and Western's primary home of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in 2024.

The 2015 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third year head coach Bob Nielson and played their home games at Hanson Field. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 5–3 in MVFC play to finish in a three way tie for third place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs where they defeated Dayton in the first round before losing in the second round to fellow MVFC member Illinois State.

The 2017 South Dakota Coyotes football team represented the University of South Dakota in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Bob Nielson and played their home games in the DakotaDome. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 4–4 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs, which was the schools first ever FCS Playoff bid, where they defeated Nicholls State in the first round before losing to Sam Houston State in the second round.

The 2017 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Chris Klieman. The team played their 25th season in the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison finished the season 14–1, 7–1 in MVFC play to win the MVFC championship for the seventh consecutive year. As a result, the Bison received the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs as the No. 2 seed. In the playoffs, they defeated San Diego, Wofford, and Sam Houston State to advance to the National Championship game. There they defeated James Madison 17–13 to win the school's sixth National Championship in seven years. The September 30 game against Missouri State was the 700th victory since the team's founding in 1894.

The 2018 North Dakota State Bison football team represents North Dakota State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Klieman, who also coached his final season with the Bison before heading off to take over for the retiring Bill Snyder at Kansas State. The team played their 26th season in the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They entered the season as defending National Champions and had won six of the last seven FCS titles. In 2018, the Bison finished the regular season 11–0, the first undefeated Bison season since the 2013 campaign, and won their eighth consecutive MVFC title. They received an automatic qualifying bid to the FCS playoff tournament and were seeded as the No. 1 team. The Bison then went 4–0 in the FCS playoffs to finish 15–0 and FCS champions.

The 2018 South Dakota Coyotes football team represented the University of South Dakota in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Bob Nielson and played their home games in the DakotaDome. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 4–7, 3–5 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place.

The 2018 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 22nd-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the MVFC. South Dakota State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first round bye, the Jackrabbits defeated Duquesne in the second round and Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals before falling to fellow MVFC member and eventual national champion, North Dakota State, in the semifinals. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.

The 2019 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 23rd-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the MVFC. South Dakota State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first round bye, the Jackrabbits lost to Northern Iowa in the second round. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.

The 2019 Indiana State Sycamores football team represented Indiana State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Curt Mallory and played their home games at Memorial Stadium. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 5–7, 3–5 in MVFC play to finish in seventh place.

The 2019 Illinois State Redbirds football team represented Illinois State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Brock Spack, the Redbirds compiled an overall record of 10–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the MVFC. Illinois State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Redbirds beat Southeast Missouri State in the first round and Central Arkansas in the second round before losing to the eventual national champion, North Dakota State, in the quarterfinals. The team played home games at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.

The 2019 South Dakota Coyotes football team represented the University of South Dakota in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Bob Nielson and played their home games in the DakotaDome. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 5–7, 4–4 in MVFC play to finish in sixth place.

Mark Gronowski is an American football quarterback for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

The 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football rankings consists of two human polls, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Unlike the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), college football's governing body, the NCAA, bestows the national championship title through a 24-team tournament. The following weekly polls determine the top 25 teams at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level of college football for the 2022 season. The STATS poll is voted by media members while the Coaches' Poll is determined by coaches at the FCS level.

The 2022 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 37th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 3rd straight season with 11 teams, and was the last as the conference added a 12th team for the 2023 season.

The 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was a college football game played on January 8, 2023, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game determined the national champion of NCAA Division I FCS for the 2022 season, featuring the finalists of the 24-team playoff bracket, which began on November 26, 2022.

The 2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 36th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 2nd straight season with 11 teams.
North Dakota State made it to the National Championship and won their 9th FCS title in program history. South Dakota State made the playoffs unseeded, and won their way into the semifinals where they lost to 8th seeded Montana State. Southern Illinois also made it to the playoffs, and beat fellow MVFC member South Dakota in the first round, but would fall to eventual champion North Dakota State in the second round. Northern Iowa also made it to the playoffs, but lost to Eastern Washington in the first round.

The 2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was the 35th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2020-21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 11 teams, as they added North Dakota in the offseason. Although, the conference technically only had 10 of their members play the season, since Indiana State opted out of the Spring season.

The 2019 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was the 34th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 8th consecutive season with 10 teams, and would be their last for now as they added North Dakota in the following offseason.

The 2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference season will be the 39th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This will be the MVFC's first season returning to 11 teams, and its 4th in the last 5 seasons.

References

↑ "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports". goleathernecks.com. Western Illinois Leathernecks. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
↑ "South Dakota State Beats Montana to Win 2024 FCS Championship for 2nd Straight Title". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
↑ "Bergen comes up big as Montana beats North Dakota State 31-29 in 2 OTs to make FCS Championship game". cbssports.com. CBS. December 17, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
↑ "North Dakota State rolls into FCS semifinals with 45-17 win over South Dakota". cbssports.com. CBS. December 9, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
↑ "Villanova tops Youngstown State 45-28 in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
↑ "Chavez kicks 29-yard FG in OT to help Idaho beat S. Illinois 20-17, advance to FCS quarters". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 3, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
↑ "Late score gives Sacramento State 42-35 win over North Dakota in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. November 25, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
↑ "South Dakota State wins 1st FCS title over North Dakota State". espn.com. ESPN. January 8, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
↑ "Weber State holds on to beat North Dakota in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. November 26, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football Conference adds Murray State Racers". argusleader.com. Sioux Falls Argus Leader. April 4, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
↑ "Beard takes over Bears football program". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears. December 19, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
↑ "Petrino Accepts Position at UNLV". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears. December 15, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
↑ "Rogers introduced as head coach". gojacks.com. South Dakota State Jackrabbits. January 20, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
↑ "Stiegelmeier announces retirement". gojacks.com. South Dakota State Jackrabbits. January 19, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
↑ "2023 Missouri Valley Football Preseason Poll". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
↑ "2023 Preseason Poll and Team" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
↑ "2023 FCS Football Official Bracket". ncaa.com. NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
↑ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (9.4.23)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
↑ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (9-11-2023)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
↑ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Sept. 18)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Sept. 25)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 2)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 9)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (O16)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 23)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (O30)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football Players of the Week - Nov. 6". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Nov. 13)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
↑ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
↑ "2023 Missouri Valley Football All-Conference Teams". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
↑ "SDSU's Mark Gronowski Wins 2023 Walter Payton Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
↑ "Heisman of the FCS: 30 Named Finalists for 2023 Walter Payton Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
↑ "30 FCS Defensive Standouts Named Finalists for 2023 Buck Buchanan Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
↑ "22 FCS Freshman Standouts named 2023 Jerry Rice Award Finalists". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
↑ "SDSU's Jimmy Rogers is 2023 Eddie Robinson award recipient". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
↑ "20 FCS Coaches are named Finalists for the 2023 Eddie Robinson Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
↑ "South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski and Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden lead AP FCS All-American team". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
↑ "Monmouth's Jaden Shirden and North Dakota State's Cole Wisniewski Highlight the 2023 AFCA FCS Coaches' All-America Teams". afca.com. American Football Coaches Association. December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
↑ "Widespread Talent Fills 2023 Stats Perform FCS All-America, Freshman Teams". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
↑ "FCS ADA Announces 2023 All-America Team". nacda.com. FCS ADA. December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.

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[41] Indiana State did not play football in the 2020-21 academic year

[42] Dean Hood coached Eastern Kentucky from 2008-2015. During his time there, the Colonels went 55-38 overall and 44-19 in the Ohio Valley Conference. This also included three FCS playoff berths, all three of which ended in the first round. Hood has coached Murray State since 2020, and while in the Ohio Valley Conference the team finished with a 13-16 overall record and a 9-9 league record.

[43] Bubba Schweigert coached Minnesota Duluth of NCAA Division II from 2004-07. He also coached North Dakota while they were a part of the Big Sky Conference from 2014-17 and were independents in 2018 and 2019.

[44] Bob Nielson coached Western Illinois from 2013-15, which included a run in the playoffs that ended in the second round. Nielson also coached Minnesota-Duluth from 1999-2003 and 2008-12, that second stint included five consecutive NCAA Division II playoff appearances highlighted by 2 National Titles. In the first stint at MN-Duluth included his first Division II playoff appearance. Nielson also coached Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1996-98 that included one NCAA Division III playoff run that ended in the semifinals. Before that, he coached Wartburg from 1991-95, which included two Division III playoff runs as well. His first head coaching job was at Ripon from 1989-90.

[45] Myers Hendrickson previously coached at Kansas Wesleyan of the NAIA from 2019-21, and helped the Coyotes to two NAIA playoff appearances.

[1] "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports". goleathernecks.com. Western Illinois Leathernecks. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.

[2] "South Dakota State Beats Montana to Win 2024 FCS Championship for 2nd Straight Title". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.

[3] "Bergen comes up big as Montana beats North Dakota State 31-29 in 2 OTs to make FCS Championship game". cbssports.com. CBS. December 17, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

[4] "North Dakota State rolls into FCS semifinals with 45-17 win over South Dakota". cbssports.com. CBS. December 9, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

[5] "Villanova tops Youngstown State 45-28 in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

[6] "Chavez kicks 29-yard FG in OT to help Idaho beat S. Illinois 20-17, advance to FCS quarters". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 3, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

[7] "Late score gives Sacramento State 42-35 win over North Dakota in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. November 25, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.

[8] "South Dakota State wins 1st FCS title over North Dakota State". espn.com. ESPN. January 8, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.

[9] "Weber State holds on to beat North Dakota in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. November 26, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.

[10] "Missouri Valley Football Conference adds Murray State Racers". argusleader.com. Sioux Falls Argus Leader. April 4, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2023.

[11] "Beard takes over Bears football program". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears. December 19, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2023.

[12] "Petrino Accepts Position at UNLV". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears. December 15, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.

[13] "Rogers introduced as head coach". gojacks.com. South Dakota State Jackrabbits. January 20, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.

[14] "Stiegelmeier announces retirement". gojacks.com. South Dakota State Jackrabbits. January 19, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.

[15] "2023 Missouri Valley Football Preseason Poll". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.

[16] "2023 Preseason Poll and Team" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.

[17] "2023 FCS Football Official Bracket". ncaa.com. NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2023.

[18] "Valley Football - Players of the Week (9.4.23)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.

[19] "Valley Football - Players of the Week (9-11-2023)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.

[20] "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Sept. 18)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.

[21] "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Sept. 25)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.

[22] "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 2)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

[23] "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 9)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.

[24] "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (O16)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.

[25] "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 23)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.

[26] "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (O30)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

[27] "Missouri Valley Football Players of the Week - Nov. 6". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.

[28] "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Nov. 13)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.

[29] "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.

[30] "2023 Missouri Valley Football All-Conference Teams". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.

[31] "SDSU's Mark Gronowski Wins 2023 Walter Payton Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.

[32] "Heisman of the FCS: 30 Named Finalists for 2023 Walter Payton Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.

[33] "30 FCS Defensive Standouts Named Finalists for 2023 Buck Buchanan Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.

[34] "22 FCS Freshman Standouts named 2023 Jerry Rice Award Finalists". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.

[35] "SDSU's Jimmy Rogers is 2023 Eddie Robinson award recipient". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.

[36] "20 FCS Coaches are named Finalists for the 2023 Eddie Robinson Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.

[37] "South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski and Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden lead AP FCS All-American team". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.

[38] "Monmouth's Jaden Shirden and North Dakota State's Cole Wisniewski Highlight the 2023 AFCA FCS Coaches' All-America Teams". afca.com. American Football Coaches Association. December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.

[39] "Widespread Talent Fills 2023 Stats Perform FCS All-America, Freshman Teams". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.

[40] "FCS ADA Announces 2023 All-America Team". nacda.com. FCS ADA. December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.

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v t e Missouri Valley Football Conference
Teams	Illinois State Redbirds Indiana State Sycamores Missouri State Bears Murray State Racers North Dakota Fighting Hawks North Dakota State Bison Northern Iowa Panthers South Dakota Coyotes South Dakota State Jackrabbits Southern Illinois Salukis Youngstown State Penguins
Championships & awards	All-time standings Conference champions
Seasons	1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024