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
Football seasons
2026
2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4т North Dakota State $^   8 0     12 1  
No. 9 South Dakota ^   6 2     10 5  
No. 2 Illinois State ^   5 3     12 5  
No. 14 North Dakota ^   5 3     8 6  
No. 18 Youngstown State ^   5 3     8 5  
No. 13 South Dakota State ^   4 4     9 5  
No. 25 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
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was 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 was the MVFC's first season dropping to 10 teams since the 2019 season, and will be the last for now.

Illinois State made it to the National Championship as the first FCS team ever to win four playoff road games.[1] They were defeated in the title game by Montana State.[2] South Dakota made the playoffs as the 11th seed and was able to make the quarterfinals before falling to 3rd seeded Montana.[3] North Dakota State (1st seed) and South Dakota State (14th seed) both lost in the second round of the playoffs, to Illinois State[4] and Montana[5] respectively. This was the first year that NDSU made the playoffs but did not manage to reach the quarterfinal round. North Dakota also made it to the second round after playing on the road in the first round, but they fell on the road to Tarleton State to end their postseason.[6] Youngstown State made the playoffs as well, but lost to Yale at home in the first round.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

Coaching changes

North Dakota

On December 8, 2024, Eric Schmidt was named the next head coach at North Dakota.[10] Schmidt takes over for Bubba Schweigert, who stepped down after the 2024 season.[11]

Northern Iowa

On December 3, 2024, Todd Stepsis was named the new head coach at Northern Iowa.[12] Stepsis takes over for longtime coach Mark Farley, who retired after the 2024 season.[13]

South Dakota

On January 16, 2025, Travis Johansen was named the next head coach at South Dakota.[14] Johansen steps in for Bob Nielson, who retired after the 2024 season.[15]

South Dakota State

On December 31, 2024, Dan Jackson was named the next head coach at South Dakota State.[16] Jackson was hired after Jimmy Rogers left the program to become the next head coach at Washington State.[17]

Preseason

League poll

The annual preseason poll; voted on by conference coaches, athletic directors, and media members.[18]

Predicted
finish
Team Points
(First 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

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 2
Coaches 6 7 4 4 5 6 10 9 20 18 17 13 11т 17 2
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 14
Coaches RV 22 17 17 15т 14 12 11 10 10 15 18 16 23 16
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 5
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 9
Coaches 5 6 20 21 18 RV RV RV RV RV 25 22 21 20 11
South Dakota State STATS 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 8 16 22 16 13
Coaches 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 5 9 15 22 18 14
Southern Illinois STATS 20 14 17 13 11 10 8 12 16 16 15 21 24 23 25
Coaches 20 15 14 11 12 11 9 12 18 17 16 23 RV 25 RV
Youngstown State STATS RV RV RV RV 24 24 RV RV 22 18 21 20 18 14 18
Coaches RV RV 25 24 19 18 20 25 21 19 22 19 17 13 17

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 StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+ W 41–24   3,206 [19]
August 28 5:00 PM Mercyhurst No. RV Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+ W 24–15   7,040 [20]
August 30 11:00 AM No. 1 North Dakota State The Citadel Johnson Hagood StadiumCharleston, SC ESPN+ W 38–0   10,691 [21]
August 30 1:00 PM Butler Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+ W 38–14   9,079 [22]
August 30 2:30 PM No. 4 South Dakota No. 22^ Iowa State Jack Trice StadiumAmes, IA FOX L 7–55   61,500 [23]
August 30 4:30 PM Murray State East Tennessee State William B. Greene Jr. StadiumJohnson City, TN ESPN+ L 17–45   9,122 [24]
August 30 5:00 PM No. 6 Illinois State No. 18^ Oklahoma Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK ESPN+ L 35–3   83,218 [25]
August 30 6:00 PM No. RV North Dakota No. 17^ Kansas State Bill Snyder Family StadiumManhattan, KS ESPN+ L 38–35   51,927 [26]
August 30 6:00 PM No. 15 Sacramento State No. 3 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+ W 20–3   19,163 [27]
August 30 6:00 PM Thomas More No. 20 Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+ W 49–3   6,585 [28]
#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 StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+ W 38–14   5,281 [29]
September 6 1:00 PM Robert Morris No. RV Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+ W 56–17   12,042 [30]
September 6 1:30 PM No. 1 North Dakota State No. RV Tennessee State Nissan StadiumNashville, TN ESPN+ W 59–3   8,569 [31]
September 6 3:00 PM Northern Iowa Wyoming War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY Altitude2 L 7–31   25,009 [32]
September 6 6:00 PM Morehead State No. 7 Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+ W 41–13   N/A [33]
September 6 6:00 PM No. 4 South Dakota Lamar Provost Umphrey StadiumBeaumont, TX ESPN+ L 13–20   6,043 [34]
September 6 6:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+ L 24–45   15,027 [35]
September 6 6:00 PM Portland State No. 20 North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+ W 50–20   11,469 [36]
September 6 6:30 PM No. 14 Southern Illinois Purdue Ross-Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN BTN L 17–34   54,663 [37]
September 6 7:00 PM No. 2 South Dakota State No. 3 Montana State Bobcat StadiumBozeman, MT ESPN+ W 30–24 2OT   22,117 [38]
#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 StadiumBloomington, IN BTN L 0–73   46,219 [39]
September 13 1:00 PM Northern Colorado No. 12 South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+ W 24–17 OT   6,445 [40]
September 13 2:00 PM No. 7 Illinois State Eastern Illinois O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL (Mid-America Classic) ESPN+ W 42–30   6,720 [41]
September 13 2:00 PM No. 16 North Dakota No. 5 Montana Washington–Grizzly StadiumMissoula, MT ESPN+ L 23–24   26,492 [42]
September 13 2:30 PM No. RV Youngstown State Michigan State Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI BTN L 24–41   71,301 [43]
September 13 2:30 PM No. RV Southeast Missouri State No. 1 North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+ W 41–14   17,354 [44]
September 13 4:00 PM Eastern Washington Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+ W 17–14   10,774 [45]
September 13 6:00 PM Murray State Georgia State Center Parc StadiumAtlanta, GA ESPN+ L 21–37   13,988 [46]
September 13 6:00 PM Drake No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+ W 37–21   19,213 [47]
September 13 6:00 PM No. 17 Southern Illinois No. RV UT Martin Graham StadiumMartin, TN ESPN+ W 37–10   5,402 [48]
#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 StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+ W 38–36 2OT   11,287 [49]
September 20 1:00 PM Drake No. 15 South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+ W 42–21   7,441 [50]
September 20 2:00 PM Indiana State No. 5 Montana Washington–Grizzly StadiumMissoula, MT ESPN+ L 20–63   26,193 [51]
September 20 3:00 PM Valparaiso No. 16 North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+ W 58–7   11,424 [52]
September 20 5:00 PM No. RV Youngstown State Towson Johnny Unitas StadiumTowson, MD FloSports W 31–28   6,042 [53]
September 20 6:00 PM Murray State Jacksonville State AmFirst StadiumJacksonville, AL ESPN+ L 10–45   21,426 [54]
September 20 6:00 PM No. 13 Southern Illinois No. RV Southeast Missouri State Houck StadiumCape Girardeau, MO (War for the Wheel) ESPN+ W 59–31   8,050 [55]
September 20 7:00 PM Northern Iowa Utah Tech Greater Zion StadiumSt. George, UT ESPN+ L 9–20   4,784 [56]
#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 FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 51–13   18,498 [57]
September 27 2:00 PM Mercyhurst No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+ W 51–7   19,034 [58]
#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 DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+  USD 49–24   7,953 [59]
October 4 4:00 PM No. 15 North Dakota Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+  UND 35–7   12,048 [60]
October 4 5:00 PM No. 2 South Dakota State No. 24 Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+  SDSU 35–30   11,068 [61]
October 4 6:00 PM No. 1 North Dakota State No. 6 Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+  NDSU 33–16   9,829 [62]
October 4 6:00 PM Indiana State No. 10 Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+  SIU 55–27   10,132 [63]
#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 StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+  USD 19–14   5,373 [64]
October 11 2:00 PM Northern Iowa No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+  SDSU 31–3   19,342 [65]
October 11 2:30 PM No. 8 Southern Illinois No. 1 North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 45–17   15,812 [66]
October 11 3:00 PM No. RV Youngstown State No. 13 North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 35–17   11,960 [67]
October 11 6:00 PM No. 9 Illinois State Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+  ILST 46–32   5,647 [68]
#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 StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+  NDSU 38–7   3,252 [69]
October 18 1:00 PM No. 2 South Dakota State Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+  SDSU 35–14   6,746 [70]
October 18 1:00 PM No. 22 South Dakota Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+  USD 17–14   8,434 [71]
October 18 2:00 PM No. RV Youngstown State No. 10 Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+  YSU 40–35   9,834 [72]
October 18 2:00 PM No. 9 North Dakota No. 12 Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+  UND 38–19   5,132 [73]
#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 DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+  ILST 21–13   6,333 [74]
October 25 1:00 PM Murray State No. 22 Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 51–17   9,664 [75]
October 25 2:00 PM Northern Iowa No. 16 Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+  SIU 31–17   8,115 [76]
October 25 3:00 PM Indiana State No. 8 North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 46–17   10,618 [77]
October 25 7:00 PM No. 1 North Dakota State No. 2 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD (Dakota Marker) ESPNU  NDSU 38–7   19,477 [78]
#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 DakotaDomeVermillion, SD (Sitting Bull Trophy) ESPN+  USD 26–21   6,809 [79]
November 1 2:00 PM Northern Iowa No. 17 Illinois State Hancock StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+  ILST 31–16   7,756 [80]
November 1 2:00 PM Indiana State No. 4т South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+  INST 24–12   15,842 [81]
November 1 2:30 PM No. 18 Youngstown State No. 1 North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 38–30   14,607 [82]
November 1 4:00 PM No. 16 Southern Illinois Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+  SIU 27–7   8,506 [83]
#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 StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+  ILST 52–20   3,202 [84]
November 8 1:00 PM No. 1 North Dakota State No. 13 North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND (Nickel Trophy) ESPN+  NDSU 15–10   12,749 [85]
November 8 1:00 PM Murray State Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+  UNI 31–14   8,529 [86]
November 8 1:00 PM No. 15 Southern Illinois No. 21 Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 48–38   8,448 [87]
November 8 3:00 PM No. 8 South Dakota State No. 22 South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD (rivalry) ESPNU  USD 24–17   9,159 [88]
#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 No. 13 North Dakota Murray State Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY ESPN+  UND 35–17   6,783 [89]
November 15 11:00 AM Indiana State No. 20 Youngstown State Stambaugh StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 48–29   7,392 [90]
November 15 12:00 PM No. 17 South Dakota No. 21 Southern Illinois Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL ESPN+  USD 53–51 5OT   5,622 [91]
November 15 2:00 PM No. 14 Illinois State No. 16 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+  ILST 35–21   11,407 [92]
November 15 2:30 PM Northern Iowa No. 1 North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 48–16   14,736 [93]
#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 StadiumNormal, IL ESPN+  SIU 37–7   6,895 [94]
November 22 12:00 PM Murray State Indiana State Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN ESPN+  MUST 31–17   2,834 [95]
November 22 1:00 PM No. 22 South Dakota State No. 13 North Dakota Alerus CenterGrand Forks, ND ESPN+  SDSU 34–31 OT   11,396 [96]
November 22 1:00 PM No. 18 Youngstown State Northern Iowa UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA ESPN+  YSU 35–32   7,361 [97]
November 22 2:30 PM St. Thomas No. 1 North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+ W 62–7   15,278 [98]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
November 22 No. 16 South Dakota

FCS playoffs

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 StadiumYoungstown, OH ESPN+ L 42–43   4,869 [99]
November 29 12:00 PM No. RV Drake (PFL) No. 12 (11) South Dakota DakotaDomeVermillion, SD ESPN+ W 38–17   3,964 [100]
November 29 12:00 PM No. 22 New Hampshire (CAA) No. 16 (14) South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD ESPN+ W 41–3   3,843 [101]
November 29 12:00 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 17т (16) Southeastern Louisiana (Southland) Strawberry StadiumHammond, LA ESPN+ W 21–3   3,321 [102]
November 29 12:00 PM No. 19 North Dakota No. 6 (13) Tennessee Tech (OVC–Big South) Tucker StadiumCookeville, TN ESPN+ W 31–6   4,641 [103]
#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 StadiumMacon, GA ESPN+ W 47–0   3,042 [104]
December 6 12:00 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 1 (1) North Dakota State FargodomeFargo, ND ESPN+  ILST 29–28   10,464 [105]
December 6 12:00 PM No. 19 North Dakota No. 5 (4) Tarleton State (UAC) Memorial StadiumStephenville, TX ESPN+ L 13–31   19,742 [106]
December 6 1:00 PM No. 16 (14) South Dakota State No. 3 (3) Montana (Big Sky) Washington-Grizzly StadiumMissoula, MT ESPN+ L 29–50   18,197 [107]
#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 StadiumMissoula, MT ABC L 22–52   22,725 [108]
December 13 4:00 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 11 (8) UC Davis (Big Sky) UC Davis Health StadiumDavis, CA ESPN+ W 42–31   9,216 [109]
#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 StadiumVillanova, PA ESPN2 W 30–14   4,133 [110]
#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 6:30 PM No. 17т Illinois State No. 2 (2) Montana State (Big Sky) FirstBank StadiumNashville, TN ESPN L 34–35OT   24,105 [111]
#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) [112] Plez Lawrence RB INST Dathan Hickey DB YSU Sebastian Lopez PK INST Julius Loughridge RB SDSU Seth Anderson OL UND
Week 2 (Sept. 8) [113] 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) [114] 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) [115] 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) [116] Cole Payton QB NDSU Nathaniel Staehling LB NDSU Jackson Williams RS NDSU James Basinger RB SDSU Griffin Empey RG NDSU
Week 6 (Oct. 6) [117] Jerry Kaminski QB UND Shug Walker LB SIU Alex Bullock WR SDSU Max Pelham P SDSU Shane Willenbring OC SDSU
Week 7 (Oct. 13) [118] 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) [119] Beau Brungard QB YSU Jalen Lee S SDSU Zeke Mata PK USD Kimal Clark DB INST Liam Becher OL UND
Week 9 (Oct. 27) [120] 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) [121] 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) [122] 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) [123] Beau Brungard QB YSU Tye Niekamp LB ILST Andrew Lastovka PK YSU Carson Fletcher RB USD Seth Anderson OL UND
Week 13 (Nov. 28) [124] 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.[125]

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 Walter Payton Award is given to the best offensive player in the FCS. [126] The MVFC's own Beau Brungard (QB - Youngstown State) won the award.[127] The following players were listed as finalists for the award:

Buck Buchanan Award

The following MVFC players were listed as finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which was given to the best FCS defensive player:[128]

Jerry Rice Award

The following MVFC players were listed as finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, which was the given to the most outstanding FCS freshman player:[129]

Eddie Robinson Award

The following MVFC coaches were listed as finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, which was given to the best FCS head coach:[130]

All-Americans

AP[131]
1st Team
AP
2nd Team
AFCA[132]
1st Team
AFCA
2nd Team
STATS[133]
1st Team
STATS
2nd Team
STATS
3rd Team
ADA[134]
Beau Brungard, QB, Youngstown State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Beau Johnson, OL, North Dakota State Green tickY
Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Caleb Bowers, LS, North Dakota State Green tickY
Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY
Daniel Sobkowicz, WR, Illnois State Green tickY Green tickY
DJ Williams, WR, Southern Illinois Green tickY
Dylan Calabrese, LS, Illinois State Green tickY
Eli Ozick, PK, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Griffin Empey, OL, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Jeremiah McClendon, DB, Southern Illinois Green tickY Green tickY
Kimal Clark, DB, Indiana State Green tickY Green tickY
Kobe Clayborne, DL, South Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY
Lance Rucker, DL, North Dakota Green tickY Green tickY
Logan Kopp, LB, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
L.J. Phillips Jr., RB, South Dakota Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Max Pelham, P, South Dakota State Green tickY
Max Tomczak, WR, Youngstown State Green tickY
Mike Wells, DL, Youngstown State Green tickY
Paul Geelen, PK, Southern Illinois Green tickY
Quinten Christensen, OL, South Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY
Seth Anderson, OL, North Dakota Green tickY Green tickY
Shadwel Nkuba II, DB, Illinois State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Trent Fraley, OL, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Tye Niekamp, LB, Illinois State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY

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

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 January 5, 2026
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 17 123–79 (.609) 123–79 (.609) 76–57 (.571) 2 7 12–7 (.632) 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

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