# 2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

The 2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season will be 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 will be the MVFC's first season dropping to 10 teams since the 2019 season.

## Previous season

In 2024, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, South Dakota won the conference with South Dakota State receiving the automatic bid to the 2024 playoffs. The second-seeded Bison would go on to win their tenth FCS Championship, beating top-seeded and previously undefeated Montana State. South Dakota State and South Dakota would receive the second and third seeds, respectively, and each would fall in the semifinals. The Jacks would lose to the eventual champion Bison, while the Coyotes would fall to Montana State. Illinois State also made the playoffs as the twelve seed, part of the expanded seeding for the 2024 edition of the playoffs. The Redbirds would defeat Southeast Missouri State in the first round before falling to five seed UC Davis in the second round.

## 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, which they also left after the 2024–25 collegiate season.

## Coaching changes
### North Dakota

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

### Northern Iowa

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

### South Dakota

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

### South Dakota State

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

## 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 |
| Illinois State | STATS |
| Illinois State | Coaches |
| Indiana State | STATS |
| Indiana State | Coaches |
| Murray State | STATS |
| Murray State | Coaches |
| North Dakota | STATS |
| North Dakota | Coaches |
| North Dakota State | STATS |
| North Dakota State | Coaches |
| Northern Iowa | STATS |
| Northern Iowa | Coaches |
| South Dakota | STATS |
| South Dakota | Coaches |
| South Dakota State | STATS |
| South Dakota State | Coaches |
| Southern Illinois | STATS |
| Southern Illinois | Coaches |
| Youngstown State | STATS |
| Youngstown State | Coaches |

## 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 |
| August 28 | TBA | McKendree | Indiana State | Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN | ESPN+ |
| August 28 | 5:00 PM | Mercyhurst | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH | ESPN+ |
| August 30 | TBA | Illinois State | Oklahoma | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK | TBA |
| August 30 | TBA | Murray State | East Tennessee State | William B. Greene Jr. Stadium • Johnson City, TN | ESPN+ |
| August 30 | TBA | North Dakota | Kansas State | Bill Snyder Family Stadium • Manhattan, KS | TBA |
| August 30 | TBA | North Dakota State | The Citadel | Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC | ESPN+ |
| August 30 | TBA | Butler | Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |
| August 30 | TBA | South Dakota | Iowa State | Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA | TBA |
| August 30 | TBA | Sacramento State | South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| August 30 | Southern Illinois |

#### Week 2

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| September 6 | TBA | Morehead State | Illinois State | Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL | ESPN+ |
| September 6 | TBA | Eastern Illinois | Indiana State | Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN | ESPN+ |
| September 6 | TBA | Southeastern Louisiana | Murray State | Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY | ESPN+ |
| September 6 | TBA | Portland State | North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN+ |
| September 6 | TBA | North Dakota State | Tennessee State | Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN | ESPN+ |
| September 6 | TBA | Northern Iowa | Wyoming | War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY | TBA |
| September 6 | TBA | South Dakota | Lamar | Provost Umphrey Stadium • Beaumont, TX | TBA |
| September 6 | TBA | South Dakota State | Montana State | Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT | ESPN+ |
| September 6 | TBA | Southern Illinois | Purdue | Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN | TBA |
| September 6 | 1:00 PM | Robert Morris | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 3

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| September 13 | 2:00 PM | Illinois State | Eastern Illinois | O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL (Mid-America Classic) | ESPN+ |
| September 13 | TBA | Indiana State | Indiana | Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN | TBA |
| September 13 | TBA | Murray State | Georgia State | Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA | TBA |
| September 13 | TBA | North Dakota | Montana | Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT | ESPN+ |
| September 13 | TBA | Southeast Missouri State | North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |
| September 13 | TBA | Eastern Washington | Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |
| September 13 | TBA | Northern Colorado | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD | ESPN+ |
| September 13 | TBA | Drake | South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN+ |
| September 13 | TBA | Southern Illinois | UT Martin | Graham Stadium • Martin, TN | ESPN+ |
| September 13 | TBA | Youngstown State | Michigan State | Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI | TBA |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 4

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| September 20 | TBA | North Alabama | Illinois State | Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL | ESPN+ |
| September 20 | TBA | Indiana State | Montana | Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT | ESPN+ |
| September 20 | TBA | Murray State | Jacksonville State | AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL | TBA |
| September 20 | TBA | Valparaiso | North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN+ |
| September 20 | TBA | Northern Iowa | Utah Tech | Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT | ESPN+ |
| September 20 | TBA | Drake | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD | ESPN+ |
| September 20 | TBA | Southern Illinois | Southeast Missouri State | Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO (War for the Wheel) | ESPN+ |
| September 20 | TBA | Youngstown State | Towson | Johnny Unitas Stadium • Towson, MD | FloSports |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| September 20 | North Dakota State | South Dakota State |

#### Week 5

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| September 27 | TBA | South Dakota | North Dakota State† | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | |
| September 27 | TBA | Mercyhurst | South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week | Bye Week |
| September 27 | Illinois State | Indiana State | Murray State | North Dakota | Northern Iowa | Southern Illinois | Youngstown State |

#### Week 6

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| October 4 | TBA | North Dakota State | Illinois State | Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL | ESPN+ |
| October 4 | TBA | Indiana State | Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ |
| October 4 | TBA | Murray State | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD | ESPN+ |
| October 4 | TBA | North Dakota | Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |
| October 4 | 5:00 PM | South Dakota State | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 7

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| October 11 | TBA | Illinois State | Murray State | Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY | ESPN+ |
| October 11 | TBA | South Dakota | Indiana State | Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN | ESPN+ |
| October 11 | TBA | Youngstown State | North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN+ |
| October 11 | TBA | Southern Illinois | North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |
| October 11 | TBA | Northern Iowa | South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 8

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| October 18 | TBA | Youngstown State | Illinois State† | Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL | ESPN+ |
| October 18 | TBA | North Dakota State | Indiana State | Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN | ESPN+ |
| October 18 | TBA | South Dakota State | Murray State | Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY | ESPN+ |
| October 18 | TBA | North Dakota | Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ |
| October 18 | TBA | South Dakota | Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 9

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| October 25 | TBA | Illinois State | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD | ESPN+ |
| October 25 | TBA | Indiana State | North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN+ |
| October 25 | TBA | Murray State | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH | ESPN+ |
| October 25 | TBA | North Dakota State | South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker) | ESPN+ |
| October 25 | TBA | Northern Iowa | Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 10

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| November 1 | TBA | Northern Iowa | Illinois State | Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL | ESPN+ |
| November 1 | TBA | Indiana State | South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN+ |
| November 1 | TBA | Southern Illinois | Murray State† | Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY | ESPN+ |
| November 1 | TBA | North Dakota | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD | ESPN+ |
| November 1 | TBA | Youngstown State | North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 11

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| November 8 | TBA | Illinois State | Indiana State | Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN | ESPN+ |
| November 8 | TBA | Murray State | Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |
| November 8 | TBA | North Dakota State | North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND (Nickel Trophy) | ESPN+ |
| November 8 | TBA | South Dakota State | South Dakota | DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD | ESPN+ |
| November 8 | 1:00 PM | Southern Illinois | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 12

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| November 15 | TBA | Illinois State | South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD | ESPN+ |
| November 15 | 11:00 AM | Indiana State | Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH | ESPN+ |
| November 15 | TBA | North Dakota | Murray State | Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY | ESPN+ |
| November 15 | TBA | Northern Iowa | North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |
| November 15 | TBA | South Dakota | Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

#### Week 13

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV |
| November 22 | TBA | Southern Illinois | Illinois State | Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL | ESPN+ |
| November 22 | TBA | Murray State | Indiana State | Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN | ESPN+ |
| November 22 | TBA | South Dakota State | North Dakota | Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND | ESPN+ |
| November 22 | TBA | St. Thomas | North Dakota State | Fargodome • Fargo, ND | ESPN+ |
| November 22 | TBA | Youngstown State | Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA | ESPN+ |
| $^#$Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
| Date | Bye Week |
| November 22 | South Dakota |

## MVFC records vs other conferences

2025–26 records against non-conference foes:
| FCS power conferences | Record |
| Big Sky | None |
| CAA | None |
| FCS power total | 0–0 |
| Other FCS conferences | Record |
| Big South–OVC | None |
| Ivy League | None |
| MEAC | None |
| Northeast | None |
| Patriot | None |
| PFL | None |
| SoCon | None |
| Southland | None |
| SWAC | None |
| UAC | None |
| Other FCS total | 0–0 |
| Other Division I opponents | Record |
| Football Bowl Subdivision | 0–0 |
| Total Division I | 0–0 |
| Other NCAA opponents | Record |
| Division II | 0–0 |
| Total non-conference record | 0–0 |
| FCS power conferences | Record |
| Big Sky | None |
| CAA | None |
| FCS power total | 0–0 |
| Other FCS conferences | Record |
| Big South–OVC | None |
| Ivy League | None |
| MEAC | None |
| Northeast | None |
| Patriot | None |
| PFL | None |
| SoCon | None |
| Southland | None |
| SWAC | None |
| UAC | None |
| Other FCS total | 0–0 |
| Total postseason record | 0–0 |

## Awards and honors
### Players of the week honors

| Week | Offensive | Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams | Special teams | Freshman | Freshman | Freshman |
| Week | Player | Position | Team | Player | Position | Team | Player | Position | Team | Player | Position | Team |

## Home attendance

| Team | Stadium | Capacity | % of capacity |
| Illinois State | Hancock Stadium | 13,391 | % |
| Indiana State | Memorial Stadium | 12,764 | % |
| Murray State | Roy Stewart Stadium | 16,800 | % |
| North Dakota | Alerus Center | 12,283 | % |
| North Dakota State | Fargodome | 18,700 | % |
| Northern Iowa | UNI-Dome | 16,324 | % |
| South Dakota | DakotaDome | 9,100 | % |
| South Dakota State | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium | 19,340 | % |
| Southern Illinois | Saluki Stadium | 15,000 | % |
| Youngstown State | Stambaugh Stadium | 20,630 | % |
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 February 28, 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 | 111–74 (.600) | 111–74 (.600) | 71–54 (.568) | 2 | 6 | 8–6 (.571) | 0 |
| Indiana State | Curt Mallory | 8 | 24–55 (.304) | 24–55 (.304) | 16–40 (.286) | 0 | 0 | 0–0 (–) | 0 |
| Murray State | Jody Wright | 2 | 1–11 (.083) | 1–11 (.083) | 0–8 (.000) | 0 | 0 | 0–0 (–) | 0 |
| North Dakota | Eric Schmidt | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0–0 (–) | 0 |
| North Dakota State | Tim Polasek | 2 | 14–2 (.875) | 14–2 (.875) | 7–1 (.875) | 1 | 1 | 4–0 (1.000) | 1 |
| Northern Iowa | Todd Stepsis | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0–0 (–) | 0 |
| South Dakota | Travis Johansen | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0–0 (–) | 0 |
| South Dakota State | Dan Jackson | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0–0 (–) | 0 |
| Southern Illinois | Nick Hill | 10 | 48–56 (.462) | 48–56 (.462) | 28–42 (.400) | 0 | 3 | 3–3 (.500) | 0 |
| Youngstown State | Doug Phillips | 6 | 21–31 (.404) | 21–31 (.404) | 15–23 (.395) | 0 | 1 | 1–1 (.500) | 0 |
* ↑ Indiana State did not play football in the 2020–21 academic year