2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationAugust 28, 2025
through January 5, 2026
Teams10
TV partner(s)ESPN College Football, ESPN+, Local TV partners
2026 NFL draft
Regular season
Champion

Playoff participants		North Dakota State

South Dakota
South Dakota State
Youngstown State
Illinois State
North Dakota
2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 North Dakota State $^   8 – 0     12 – 1  
No. 12 South Dakota ^   6 – 2     10 – 5  
No. 17т Illinois State ^   5 – 3     12 – 4  
No. 19 North Dakota ^   5 – 3     8 – 6  
No. 14 Youngstown State ^   5 – 3     8 – 5  
No. 16 South Dakota State ^   4 – 4     9 – 5  
No. 23 Southern Illinois   4 – 4     7 – 5  
Northern Iowa   1 – 7     3 – 9  
Murray State   1 – 7     1 – 11  
Indiana State   1 – 7     3 – 9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
As of December 24, 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.

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 finish Team Points (1st place votes)
1 North Dakota State 417 (39)
2 South Dakota State 355
3 South Dakota 349 (3)
4 Illinois State 292
5 Youngstown State 211
6 Southern Illinois 208
7 North Dakota 196
8 Northern Iowa 130
9 Indiana State 105
10 Murray State 47

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

Main article: 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football 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		 Wk
13		 Final
Illinois State STATS 6 7 7 6 7 6 9 10 18 17 16 14 11 17т
Coaches 6 7 4 4 5 6 10 9 20 18 17 13 11т 17
Indiana State STATS
Coaches RV
Murray State STATS
Coaches
North Dakota STATS RV 20 16 16 14 15 13 9 8 8 13 13 13 19
Coaches RV 22 17 17 15т 14 12 11 10 10 15 18 16 23
North Dakota State STATS 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Coaches 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Northern Iowa STATS
Coaches RV RV RV RV
South Dakota STATS 4 4 12 15 17 21 23 22 21 RV 22 17 16 12
Coaches 5 6 20 21 18 RV RV RV RV RV 25 22 21 20
South Dakota State STATS 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4т 8 16 22 16
Coaches 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 5 9 15 22 18
Southern Illinois STATS 20 14 17 13 11 10 8 12 16 16 15 21 24 23
Coaches 20 15 14 11 12 11 9 12 18 17 16 23 RV 25
Youngstown State STATS RV RV RV RV 24 24 RV RV 22 18 21 20 18 14
Coaches RV RV 25 24 19 18 20 25 21 19 22 19 17 13

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 Ref.
August 28 5:00 PM McKendree Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+ W 41–24   3,206 [12]
August 28 5:00 PM Mercyhurst No. RV Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+ W 24–15   7,040 [13]
August 30 11:00 AM No. 1 North Dakota State The Citadel Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC ESPN+ W 38–0   10,691 [14]
August 30 1:00 PM Butler Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+ W 38–14   9,079 [15]
August 30 2:30 PM No. 4 South Dakota No. 22^ Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA FOX L 7–55   61,500 [16]
August 30 4:30 PM Murray State East Tennessee State William B. Greene Jr. Stadium • Johnson City, TN ESPN+ L 17–45   9,122 [17]
August 30 5:00 PM No. 6 Illinois State No. 18^ Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK ESPN+ L 35–3   83,218 [18]
August 30 6:00 PM No. RV North Dakota No. 17^ Kansas State Bill Snyder Family Stadium • Manhattan, KS ESPN+ L 38–35   51,927 [19]
August 30 6:00 PM No. 15 Sacramento State No. 3 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 20–3   19,163 [20]
August 30 6:00 PM Thomas More No. 20 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+ W 49–3   6,585 [21]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 2

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 6 12:00 PM Eastern Illinois Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+ W 38–14   5,281 [22]
September 6 1:00 PM Robert Morris No. RV Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+ W 56–17   12,042 [23]
September 6 1:30 PM No. 1 North Dakota State No. RV Tennessee State Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN ESPN+ W 59–3   8,569 [24]
September 6 3:00 PM Northern Iowa Wyoming War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY L 7–31   25,009 [25]
September 6 6:00 PM Morehead State No. 7 Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+ W 41–13   N/A [26]
September 6 6:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+ L 24–45   15,027 [27]
September 6 6:00 PM Portland State No. 20 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+ W 50–20   11,469 [28]
September 6 6:00 PM No. 4 South Dakota Lamar Provost Umphrey Stadium • Beaumont, TX ESPN+ L 13–20   6,043 [29]
September 6 6:30 PM No. 14 Southern Illinois Purdue Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN BTN L 17–34   54,663 [30]
September 6 7:00 PM No. 2 South Dakota State No. 3 Montana State Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT ESPN+ W 30–242OT   22,117 [31]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 3

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 12 6:30 PM Indiana State No. 22^ Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN BTN L 0–73   46,219 [32]
September 13 1:00 PM Northern Colorado No. 12 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+ W 24–17OT   6,445 [33]
September 13 2:00 PM No. 7 Illinois State Eastern Illinois O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL (Mid-America Classic) ESPN+ W 42–30   6,720 [34]
September 13 2:00 PM No. 16 North Dakota No. 5 Montana Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT ESPN+ L 23–24   26,492 [35]
September 13 2:30 PM No. RV Southeast Missouri State No. 1 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+ W 41–14   17,354 [36]
September 13 2:30 PM No. RV Youngstown State Michigan State Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI BTN L 24–41   71,301 [37]
September 13 4:00 PM Eastern Washington Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+ W 17–14   10,774 [38]
September 13 6:00 PM Murray State Georgia State Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA ESPN+ L 21–37   13,988 [39]
September 13 6:00 PM Drake No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 37–21   19,213 [40]
September 13 6:00 PM No. 17 Southern Illinois No. RV UT Martin Graham Stadium • Martin, TN ESPN+ W 37–10   5,402 [41]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 4

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 20 12:00 PM North Alabama No. 6 Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+ W 38–362OT   11,287 [42]
September 20 1:00 PM Drake No. 15 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+ W 42–21   7,441 [43]
September 20 2:00 PM Indiana State No. 5 Montana Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT ESPN+ L 20–63   26,193 [44]
September 20 3:00 PM Valparaiso No. 16 North Dakota† Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+ W 58–7   11,424 [45]
September 20 5:00 PM No. RV Youngstown State Towson Johnny Unitas Stadium • Towson, MD FloSports W 31–28   6,042 [46]
September 20 6:00 PM Murray State Jacksonville State AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL ESPN+ L 10–45   21,426 [47]
September 20 6:00 PM No. 13 Southern Illinois No. RV Southeast Missouri State Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO (War for the Wheel) ESPN+ W 59–31   8,050 [48]
September 20 7:00 PM Northern Iowa Utah Tech Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT ESPN+ L 9–20   4,784 [49]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
September 20 No. 1 North Dakota State No. 2 South Dakota State

Week 5

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 27 1:00 PM No. 17 South Dakota No. 1 North Dakota State† Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 51–13   18,498 [50]
September 27 2:00 PM Mercyhurst No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 51–7   19,034 [51]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
September 27 No. 7 Illinois State Indiana State Murray State No. 14 North Dakota Northern Iowa No. 11 Southern Illinois No. 24 Youngstown State

Week 6

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 4 2:00 PM Murray State No. 21 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+  USD 49–24   7,953 [52]
October 4 4:00 PM No. 15 North Dakota Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+  UND 35–7   12,048 [53]
October 4 5:00 PM No. 2 South Dakota State No. 24 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  SDSU 35–30   11,068 [54]
October 4 6:00 PM No. 1 North Dakota State No. 6 Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  NDSU 33–16   9,829 [55]
October 4 6:00 PM Indiana State No. 10 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  SIU 55–27   10,132 [56]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 7

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 11 12:00 PM No. 23 South Dakota Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  USD 19–14   5,373 [57]
October 11 2:00 PM Northern Iowa No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  SDSU 31–3   19,342 [58]
October 11 2:30 PM No. 8 Southern Illinois No. 1 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 45–17   15,812 [59]
October 11 3:00 PM No. RV Youngstown State No. 13 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 35–17   11,960 [60]
October 11 6:00 PM No. 9 Illinois State Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+  ILST 46–32   5,647 [61]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 8

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 18 12:00 PM No. 1 North Dakota State Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  NDSU 38–7   3,252 [62]
October 18 1:00 PM No. 22 South Dakota Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+  USD 17–14   8,434 [63]
October 18 1:00 PM No. 2 South Dakota State Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+  SDSU 35–14   6,746 [64]
October 18 2:00 PM No. RV Youngstown State No. 10 Illinois State† Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  YSU 40–35   9,834 [65]
October 18 2:00 PM No. 9 North Dakota No. 12 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  UND 38–19   5,132 [66]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 9

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 25 1:00 PM No. 18 Illinois State No. 21 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+  ILST 21–13   6,333 [67]
October 25 1:00 PM Murray State No. 22 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 51–17   9,664 [68]
October 25 2:00 PM Northern Iowa No. 16 Southern Illinois† Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  SIU 31–17   8,115 [69]
October 25 3:00 PM Indiana State No. 8 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 46–17   10,618 [70]
October 25 7:00 PM No. 1 North Dakota State No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker) ESPNU  NDSU 38–7   19,477 [71]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 10

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 1 1:00 PM No. 8 North Dakota No. RV South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD (Sitting Bull Trophy) ESPN+  USD 26–21   6,809 [72]
November 1 2:00 PM Northern Iowa No. 17 Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  ILST 31–16   7,756 [73]
November 1 2:00 PM Indiana State No. 4т South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  INST 24–12   15,842 [74]
November 1 2:30 PM No. 18 Youngstown State No. 1 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 38–30   14,607 [75]
November 1 4:00 PM No. 16 Southern Illinois Murray State† Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+  SIU 27–7   8,506 [76]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 11

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 8 12:00 PM No. 16 Illinois State Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  ILST 52–20   3,202 [77]
November 8 1:00 PM No. 1 North Dakota State No. 13 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND (Nickel Trophy) ESPN+  NDSU 15–10   12,749 [78]
November 8 1:00 PM Murray State Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+  UNI 31–14   8,529 [79]
November 8 1:00 PM No. 15 Southern Illinois No. 21 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 48–38   8,448 [80]
November 8 3:00 PM No. 8 South Dakota State No. 22 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD (rivalry) ESPNU  USD 24–17   9,159 [81]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 12

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 15 11:00 AM Indiana State No. 20 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 48–29   7,392 [82]
November 15 11:00 AM No. 13 North Dakota Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+  UND 35–17   6,783 [83]
November 15 12:00 PM No. 17 South Dakota No. 21 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  USD 53–515OT   5,622 [84]
November 15 2:00 PM No. 14 Illinois State No. 16 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  ILST 35–21   11,407 [85]
November 15 2:30 PM Northern Iowa No. 1 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 48–16   14,736 [86]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 13

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 22 12:00 PM No. 24 Southern Illinois No. 11 Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  SIU 37–7   6,895 [87]
November 22 12:00 PM Murray State Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  MUST 31–17   2,834 [88]
November 22 1:00 PM No. 22 South Dakota State No. 13 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  SDSU 34–31OT   11,396 [89]
November 22 1:00 PM No. 18 Youngstown State Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+  YSU 35–32   7,361 [90]
November 22 2:30 PM St. Thomas No. 1 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 62–7   15,278 [91]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
November 22 No. 16 South Dakota

FCS playoffs

See also: 2025 NCAA Division I FCS football season § NCAA Division I playoff bracket

In 2025, six teams made the FCS playoffs. North Dakota State (No. 1) received a first round bye; South Dakota (No. 11), South Dakota State (No. 14), Youngstown State (No. 15), Illinois State, and North Dakota played in the first round. Below are the games in which they played.

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

All times Central time, seedings in parenthesis.

First round

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 29 11:00 AM No. 24 Yale (Ivy League) No. 14 (15) Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+ L 42–43   4,869 [92]
November 29 12:00 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 18 (16) Southeastern Louisiana (Southland) Strawberry Stadium • Hammond, LA ESPN+ W 21–3   3,321 [93]
November 29 12:00 PM No. 19 North Dakota No. 6 (13) Tennessee Tech (OVC–Big South) Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN ESPN+ W 31–6   4,641 [94]
November 29 12:00 PM No. RV Drake (PFL) No. 12 (11) South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+ W 38–17   3,964 [95]
November 29 12:00 PM No. 22 New Hampshire (CAA) No. 16 (14) South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 41–3   3,843 [96]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Second round

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 6 11:00 AM No. 11 (12) South Dakota No. 7 (6) Mercer (SoCon) Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA ESPN+ W 47–0   3,042 [97]
December 6 12:00 PM No. 19 North Dakota No. 5 (4) Tarleton State (UAC) Memorial Stadium • Stephenville, TX ESPN+ L 13–31   19,742 [98]
December 6 12:00 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 1 (1) North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  ILST 29–28   10,464 [99]
December 6 1:00 PM No. 16 (14) South Dakota State No. 3 (3) Montana (Big Sky) Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT ESPN+ L 29–50   18,197 [100]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Quarterfinals

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 13 2:30 PM No. 11 (12) South Dakota No. 3 (3) Montana (Big Sky) Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT ABC L 22–52   22,725 [101]
December 13 4:00 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 11 (8) UC Davis (Big Sky) UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA ESPN+ W 42–31   9,216 [102]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Semifinals

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 20 6:30 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 9 (12) Villanova (CAA) Villanova Stadium • Villanova, PA ESPN2 W 30–14   4,133 [103]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

National Championship

Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
January 5 7:00 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 2 (2) Montana State (Big Sky) FirstBank Stadium • Nashville, TN ESPN    
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

MVFC records vs other conferences

2025–26 records against non-conference foes:

Awards and honors

Players of the week honors

Week Offensive Defensive Special teams Newcomer Offensive line
Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team
Week 1 (Sept. 1) [104] Plez Lawrence RB INST Dathan Hickey DB YSU Sebastian Lopez PK INST Julius Loughridge RB SDSU Seth Anderson OL UND
Week 2 (Sept. 8) [105] Beau Brungard QB YSU Logan Wilson DL INST Matt Maldonado PK ILST Larry Stephens III WR INST Jake Pope OT ILST
Week 3 (Sept. 15) [106] L. J. Phillips Jr. RB USD Tye Niekamp LB ILST Paul Geelen K/P SIU Ayden Price WR UNI Brock Woolf RT USD
Week 4 (Sept. 22) [107] DJ Williams QB SIU Chris Presto LB SIU Shadwel Nkuba II DB ILST Andrew Lastovka PK YSU Derek Harden OG SIU
Week 5 (Sept. 29) [108] Cole Payton QB NDSU Nathaniel Staehling LB NDSU Jackson Williams RS NDSU James Basinger RB SDSU Griffin Empey RG NDSU
Week 6 (Oct. 6) [109] Jerry Kaminski QB UND Shug Walker LB SIU Alex Bullock WR SDSU Max Pelham P SDSU Shane Willenbring OC SDSU
Week 7 (Oct. 13) [110] Cole Payton QB NDSU Malachi McNeal LB UND B.J. Fleming WR UND Will Leyland PK USD Jake Pope RT ILST
Week 8 (Oct. 20) [111] Beau Brungard QB YSU Jalen Lee S SDSU Zeke Mata PK USD Kimal Clark DB INST Liam Becher OL UND
Week 9 (Oct. 27) [112] Cole Payton QB NDSU Tye Niekamp LB ILST Tae Marrero Jr. PR SIU Ky Wilson KR/WR YSU Trent Fraley C NDSU
Week 10 (Nov. 3) [113] Rashad Rochelle WR/KR INST DeJuan Lewis DB USD Nic Yatsko DB INST Jackson Williams RS NDSU Landon Woodard OG ILST
Week 11 (Nov. 10) [114] Bill Jackson RB UNI Donovan Woolen LB NDSU Victor Dawson S ILST Aaron Bickerton P NDSU Jacob Arop OL USD
Matt Maldonado PK ILST
Week 12 (Nov. 17) [115] Beau Brungard QB YSU Tye Niekamp LB ILST Andrew Lastovka PK YSU Carson Fletcher RB USD Seth Anderson OL UND
Week 13 (Nov. 28) [116] Jawaun Northington RB MUST Dylan Rowsey DB MUST Ky "Flash" Wilson KR/WR YSU Paul Geelen K/P SIU Noah Fenske C SIU

Players of the Year

On December 1, 2025, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released their Players of the Year and All-Conference Honors.[117]

Offensive Player of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year

Newcomer of the Year

Freshman of the Year

Coach of the Year

All–Conference Teams

National Awards

On November 24, 2025, STATS Perform released their list of finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, Jerry Rice Award, and Eddie Robinson Award, respectively. Finalists are listed in alphabetical order.

Walter Payton Award

The following MVFC players were listed as finalists for the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the best FCS offensive player:[118]

Buck Buchanan Award

The following MVFC players were listed as finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the best FCS defensive player:[119]

Jerry Rice Award

The following MVFC players were listed as finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, which is the given to the most outstanding FCS freshman player:[120]

Eddie Robinson Award

The following MVFC coaches were listed as finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, which is given to the best FCS head coach:[121]

Home attendance

Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Game 8 Total Average % of capacity
Illinois State Hancock Stadium 13,391 9,671 11,287† 9,829 9,834 7,756 6,895 55,272 9,212 68.7%
Indiana State Memorial Stadium 12,764 3,206 5,281 5,373† 3,252 3,202 2,834 23,148 3,858 30.2%
Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium 16,800 15,027† 5,647 6,746 8,506 6,783 42,709 8,541 50.8%
North Dakota Alerus Center 12,283 11,469 11,424 11,960 10,618 12,749† 11,396 69,616 11,602 94.5%
North Dakota State Fargodome 18,700 17,354 18,498† 15,812 14,607 14,736 15,278 10,464‡ 106,749 15,249 81.6%
Northern Iowa UNI-Dome 16,324 9,079 10,774 12,084† 8,434 8,529 7,361 56,261 9,376 57.4%
South Dakota DakotaDome 9,100 6,445 7,441 7,953 6,333 6,809 9,159† 3,964‡ 48,104 6,872 75.5%
South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium 19,340 19,163 19,213 19,034 19,342 19,477† 15,842 11,407 3,843‡ 127,321 15,915 82.3%
Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium 15,000 6,585 10,132† 5,132 8,115 5,622 35,586 7,117 47.4%
Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium 20,630 7,040 12,042† 11,068 9,664 8,448 7,392 4,869‡ 60,523 8,646 41.9%

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

2026 NFL Draft

Main article: 2026 NFL draft

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

Player Position School Draft
round 		Round
pick 		Overall
pick 		Team

Head coaches

Through December 20, 2025
All stats include 2025 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 17 123–78 (.612) 123–78 (.612) 76–57 (.571) 2 7 12–6 (.667) 0
Indiana State Curt Mallory 8[a] 27–64 (.297) 27–64 (.297) 17–47 (.266) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
Murray State Jody Wright 2 2–22 (.083) 2–22 (.083) 1–15 (.063) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
North Dakota Eric Schmidt 1 8–6 (.571) 8–6 (.571) 5–3 (.625) 0 1 1–1 (.500) 0
North Dakota State Tim Polasek 2 26–3 (.897) 26–3 (.897) 15–1 (.938) 2 2 4–1 (.800) 1
Northern Iowa Todd Stepsis 1 3–9 (.250) 3–9 (.250) 1–7 (.125) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
South Dakota Travis Johansen 1 10–5 (.667) 10–5 (.667) 6–2 (.750) 0 1 2–1 (.667) 0
South Dakota State Dan Jackson 1 9–5 (.643) 9–5 (.643) 4–4 (.500) 0 1 1–1 (.500) 0
Southern Illinois Nick Hill 10 55–61 (.474) 55–61 (.474) 32–46 (.410) 0 3 3–3 (.500) 0
Youngstown State Doug Phillips 6 29–36 (.446) 29–36 (.446) 20–26 (.435) 0 2 1–2 (.333) 0
  1. ^ Indiana State did not play football in the 2020–21 academic year

References

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