2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

Last updated

2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season
League NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Sport Football
DurationAugust 28, 2025
through January 5, 2026
Number of teams10
TV partner(s) ESPN College Football, ESPN+, Local TV partners
2026 NFL draft
Regular season
Football seasons
  2024
2026 
2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Indiana State  0 0   2 0  
No. 1 North Dakota State  0 0   2 0  
No. 2 South Dakota State  0 0   2 0  
Youngstown State  0 0   2 0  
No. 7 Illinois State  0 0   1 1  
No. 20 North Dakota  0 0   1 1  
Northern Iowa  0 0   1 1  
No. 14 Southern Illinois  0 0   1 1  
Murray State  0 0   0 2  
No. 4 South Dakota  0 0   0 2  
As of September 7, 2025
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season is the 40th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This is the MVFC's first season dropping to 10 teams since the 2019 season.

Contents

Conference changes

After the conclusion of the 2024 college football season, Missouri State left the conference to reclassify to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and move to Conference USA after 39 years in the league as a charter member. This move matches the Bears' departure from MVFC's sister conference, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), which they also left after the 2024–25 collegiate season. [1]

Later, on May 5, 2025, the conference announced a new governance structure to begin on July 1, 2025 that placed MVC commissioner Jeff Jackson as the next MVFC commissioner following Patty Viverito's retirement on June 30. It also placed Summit League commissioner Josh Fenton as an executive advisor to the conference. The new structure formalized the decades-long unofficial ties between the MVC and MVFC, and also established a formal relationship between the MVFC and Summit. [2]

Coaching changes

North Dakota

On December 8, 2024, Eric Schmidt was named the next head coach at North Dakota. [3] Schmidt takes over for Bubba Schweigert, who stepped down after the 2024 season. [4]

Northern Iowa

On December 3, 2024, Todd Stepsis was named the new head coach at Northern Iowa. [5] Stepsis takes over for longtime coach Mark Farley, who retired after the 2024 season. [6]

South Dakota

On January 16, 2025, Travis Johansen was named the next head coach at South Dakota. [7] Johansen steps in for Bob Nielson, who retired after the 2024 season. [8]

South Dakota State

On December 31, 2024, Dan Jackson was named the next head coach at South Dakota State. [9] Jackson was hired after Jimmy Rogers left the program to become the next head coach at Washington State. [10]

Preseason

League poll

The annual preseason poll; voted on by conference coaches, athletic directors, and media members. [11]

Predicted finishTeamPoints (1st place votes)
1North Dakota State417 (39)
2South Dakota State355
3South Dakota349 (3)
4Illinois State292
5Youngstown State211
6Southern Illinois208
7North Dakota196
8Northern Iowa130
9Indiana State105
10Murray State47

Individual awards

In a departure from seasons past, the MVFC released a player "watch-list" that was voted on by the league's athletic directors, coaches, and media members.

Rankings

Legend
  Improvement in ranking
 Drop in ranking
 Not ranked previous week
 No change in ranking from previous week
RVReceived votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
тTied with team above or below also with this symbol
 PreWk
1
Wk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Final
Illinois StateSTATS67
Coaches67
Indiana StateSTATS
Coaches
Murray StateSTATS
Coaches
North DakotaSTATSRV20
CoachesRV22
North Dakota StateSTATS11
Coaches11
Northern IowaSTATS
CoachesRVRV
South DakotaSTATS44
Coaches56
South Dakota StateSTATS32
Coaches32
Southern IllinoisSTATS2014
Coaches2015
Youngstown StateSTATSRVRV
CoachesRVRV

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

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
August 285:00 PM McKendree Indiana State Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+ W 41–24  3,206 [12]
August 285:00 PM Mercyhurst No. RV  Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+ W 24–15  7,040 [13]
August 3011:00 AMNo. 1  North Dakota State The Citadel Johnson Hagood StadiumCharleston, SC ESPN+ W 38–0  10,691 [14]
August 301:00 PM Butler Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+ W 38–14  9,079 [15]
August 302:30 PMNo. 4  South Dakota No. 22^  Iowa State Jack Trice StadiumAmes, IA FOX L 7–55  61,500 [16]
August 304:30 PM Murray State East Tennessee State William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN ESPN+ L 17–45  9,122 [17]
August 305:00 PMNo. 6  Illinois State No. 18^  Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK ESPN+ L 35–3  83,218 [18]
August 306:00 PMNo. RV  North Dakota No. 17^  Kansas State Bill Snyder Family StadiumManhattan, KS ESPN+ L 38–35  51,927 [19]
August 306:00 PMNo. 15  Sacramento State No. 3  South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+ W 20–3  19,163 [20]
August 306:00 PM Thomas More No. 20  Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+ W 49–3  6,585 [21]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 2

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
September 612:00 PM Eastern Illinois Indiana State Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+ W 38–14  5,281 [22]
September 61:00 PM Robert Morris No. RV  Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+ W 56–17  12,042 [23]
September 61:30 PMNo. 1  North Dakota State No. RV  Tennessee State Nissan StadiumNashville, TN ESPN+ W 59–3  8,569 [24]
September 63:00 PM Northern Iowa Wyoming War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY L 7–31  25,009 [25]
September 66:00 PM Morehead State No. 7  Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+ W 41–13   [26]
September 66:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+ L 24–45  15,027 [27]
September 66:00 PM Portland State No. 20  North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+ W 50–20  11,469 [28]
September 66:00 PMNo. 4  South Dakota Lamar Provost Umphrey StadiumBeaumont, TX ESPN+ L 13–20  6,043 [29]
September 66:30 PMNo. 14  Southern Illinois Purdue Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN BTN L 17–34  54,663 [30]
September 67:00 PMNo. 2  South Dakota State No. 3  Montana State Bobcat StadiumBozeman, MT ESPN+ W 30–242OT  22,117 [31]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 3

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
September 131:00 PM Northern Colorado South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+    
September 132:00 PM Illinois State Eastern Illinois O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL (Mid-America Classic) ESPN+    
September 132:00 PM North Dakota Montana Washington–Grizzly StadiumMissoula, MT ESPN+    
September 132:30 PM Southeast Missouri State North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+    
September 132:30 PM Youngstown State Michigan State Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI BTN    
September 134:00 PM Eastern Washington Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+    
September 136:00 PM Murray State Georgia State Center Parc StadiumAtlanta, GA ESPN+    
September 136:00 PM Drake South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+    
September 136:00 PM Southern Illinois UT Martin Graham StadiumMartin, TN ESPN+    
September 136:30 PM Indiana State Indiana Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN BTN    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 4

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
September 2012:00 PM North Alabama Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+    
September 201:00 PM Drake South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+    
September 202:00 PM Indiana State Montana Washington–Grizzly StadiumMissoula, MT ESPN+    
September 203:00 PM Valparaiso North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+    
September 205:00 PM Youngstown State Towson Johnny Unitas StadiumTowson, MD FloSports    
September 206:00 PM Murray State Jacksonville State AmFirst StadiumJacksonville, AL ESPN+    
September 206:00 PM Southern Illinois Southeast Missouri State Houck StadiumCape Girardeau, MO (War for the Wheel) ESPN+    
September 207:00 PM Northern Iowa Utah Tech Greater Zion StadiumSt. George, UT ESPN+    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
DateBye Week
September 20 North Dakota State South Dakota State

Week 5

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
September 271:00 PM South Dakota North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+    
September 272:00 PM Mercyhurst South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
DateBye Week
September 27 Illinois State Indiana State Murray State North Dakota Northern Iowa Southern Illinois Youngstown State

Week 6

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
October 42:00 PM Murray State South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+    
October 44:00 PM North Dakota Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+    
October 45:00 PM South Dakota State Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+    
October 46:00 PM North Dakota State Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+    
October 46:00 PM Indiana State Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 7

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
October 1112:00 PM South Dakota Indiana State Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+    
October 112:00 PM Northern Iowa South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+    
October 112:30 PM Southern Illinois North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+    
October 113:00 PM Youngstown State North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+    
October 116:00 PM Illinois State Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 8

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
October 1812:00 PM North Dakota State Indiana State Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+    
October 181:00 PM South Dakota Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+    
October 182:00 PM Youngstown State Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+    
October 182:00 PM North Dakota Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+    
October 186:00 PM South Dakota State Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 9

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
October 251:00 PM Illinois State South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+    
October 251:00 PM Murray State Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+    
October 252:00 PM Northern Iowa Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+    
October 253:00 PM Indiana State North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+    
October 25TBA North Dakota State South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD (Dakota Marker)ESPN Network   
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 10

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
November 11:00 PM North Dakota South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD (Sitting Bull Trophy) ESPN+    
November 12:00 PM Northern Iowa Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+    
November 12:00 PM Indiana State South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+    
November 12:30 PM Youngstown State North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+    
November 14:00 PM Southern Illinois Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 11

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
November 812:00 PM Illinois State Indiana State Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+    
November 81:00 PM North Dakota State North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND (Nickel Trophy) ESPN+    
November 81:00 PM Murray State Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+    
November 81:00 PM Southern Illinois Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+    
November 8TBD South Dakota State South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD (rivalry)ESPN Network   
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 12

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
November 1511:00 AM Indiana State Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+    
November 1511:00 AM North Dakota Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+    
November 1512:00 PM South Dakota Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+    
November 152:00 PM Illinois State South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+    
November 152:30 PM Northern Iowa North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 13

DateTimeVisiting teamHome teamSiteTVResultAttendanceRef.
November 2212:00 PM Southern Illinois Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+    
November 2212:00 PM Murray State Indiana State Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+    
November 221:00 PM South Dakota State North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+    
November 221:00 PM Youngstown State Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+    
November 222:30 PM St. Thomas North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
DateBye Week
November 22 South Dakota

MVFC records vs other conferences

2025–26 records against non-conference foes:

Awards and honors

Players of the week honors

WeekOffensiveDefensiveSpecial teamsNewcomerOffensive line
PlayerPositionTeamPlayerPositionTeamPlayerPositionTeamPlayerPositionTeamPlayerPositionTeam
Week 1 (Sept. 1) [32] Plez LawrenceRB INST Dathan HickeyDB YSU Sebastian LopezPK INST Julius LoughridgeRB SDSU Seth AndersonOL UND

Home attendance

TeamStadiumCapacityGame 1Game 2Game 3Game 4Game 5Game 6Game 7Game 8Game 9TotalAverage% of capacity
Illinois State Hancock Stadium 13,391%
Indiana State Memorial Stadium 12,7643,2065,281†8,4874,24333.2%
Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium 16,80015,02715,02715,02789.4%
North Dakota Alerus Center 12,28311,46911,46911,46993.4%
North Dakota State Fargodome 18,700%
Northern Iowa UNI-Dome 16,3249,0799,0799,07955.6%
South Dakota DakotaDome 9,100%
South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium 19,34019,16319,16319,16399.1%
Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium 15,0006,5856,5856,58544.0%
Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium 20,6307,04012,042†19,0829,54146.2%

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

2026 NFL Draft

The following list includes all MVFC players who were drafted in the 2026 NFL draft.

PlayerPositionSchoolDraft
round
Round
pick
Overall
pick
Team

Head coaches

Through September 6, 2025
All stats include 2025 season

TeamHead coachYears at schoolOverall recordRecord at schoolMVFC recordMVFC titlesFCS playoff appearancesFCS playoff recordNational titles
Illinois State Brock Spack 17112–75 (.599)112–75 (.599)71–54 (.568)268–6 (.571)0
Indiana State Curt Mallory 8 [a] 26–55 (.321)26–55 (.321)16–40 (.286)000–0 (–)0
Murray State Jody Wright 21–13 (.071)1–13 (.071)0–8 (.000)000–0 (–)0
North Dakota Eric Schmidt 11–1 (.500)1–1 (.500)0–0 (–)000–0 (–)0
North Dakota State Tim Polasek 216–2 (.889)16–2 (.889)7–1 (.875)114–0 (1.000)1
Northern Iowa Todd Stepsis 11–1 (.500)1–1 (.500)0–0 (–)000–0 (–)0
South Dakota Travis Johansen 10–2 (.000)0–2 (.000)0–0 (–)000–0 (–)0
South Dakota State Dan Jackson 12–0 (1.000)2–0 (1.000)0–0 (–)000–0 (–)0
Southern Illinois Nick Hill 1049–57 (.462)49–57 (.462)28–42 (.400)033–3 (.500)0
Youngstown State Doug Phillips 623–31 (.426)23–31 (.426)15–23 (.395)011–1 (.500)0
  1. Indiana State did not play football in the 2020–21 academic year

References

  1. "Missouri State heads to FBS, joining Conference USA in 2025". ESPN . May 10, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  2. "Missouri Valley Football Conference, Summit League Forge Parternship". Missouri Valley Football Conference. May 5, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  3. "Eric Schmidt named head coach of North Dakota football". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. December 8, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  4. "Head Coach Bubba Schweigert to step down, move into senior administrative role with UND Athletics". North Dakota Fighting Hawks. November 30, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  5. "Todd Stepsis named University of Northern Iowa head coach". Northern Iowa Panthers. December 3, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  6. "UNI Football head coach Mark Farley to retire at conclusion of 2024 season". Northern Iowa Panthers. November 10, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  7. "Travis Johansen named head coach of South Dakota football". South Dakota Coyotes. January 16, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  8. "Head football coach Bob Nielson steps down". South Dakota Coyotes. January 16, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  9. "Jackson selected to lead Jackrabbit football". South Dakota State Jackrabbits. December 31, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  10. "Rogers steps down to become Head Coach at WSU". South Dakota State Jackrabbits. December 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  11. "Missouri Valley Football Announces predicted order of finish". Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 17, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  12. "McKendree Bearkats vs. Indiana State Sycamores". ESPN . Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  13. "Mercyhurst Lakers vs. Youngstown State Penguins". ESPN . Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  14. "North Dakota State Bison vs. The Citadel Bulldogs". ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  15. "Butler Bulldogs vs. Northern Iowa Panthers". ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  16. "South Dakota Coyotes vs. Iowa State Cyclones". ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  17. "Murray State Racers vs. East Tennessee State Buccaneers". ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  18. "Illinois State Redbirds vs. Oklahoma Sooners". ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  19. "North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs. Kansas State Wildcats". ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  20. "Sacramento State Hornets vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits". ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  21. "Thomas More College Saints vs. Southern Illinois Salukis". ESPN . Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  22. "Eastern Illinois Panthers vs. Indiana State Sycamores". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  23. "Robert Morris Colonials vs. Youngstown State Penguins". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  24. "North Dakota State Bison vs. Tennessee State Tigers". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  25. "Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Wyoming Cowboys". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  26. "Morehead State Eagles vs. Illinois State Redbirds". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  27. "Southeastern Louisiana Lions vs. Murray State Racers". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  28. "Portland State Vikings vs. North Dakota Fighting Hawks". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  29. "South Dakota Coyotes vs. Lamar Cardinals". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  30. "Southern Illinois Salukis vs. Purdue Boilermakers". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  31. "South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs. Montana State Bobcats". ESPN . Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  32. "Missouri Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 1)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 1, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.