That’s a Wrap
The MVFC wrapped up its regular-season non-conference portion of the schedule as UNI (at Weber State) and Youngstown State (vs. Robert Morris) played their final regular-season non-league tilts on Sept. 28. The league went 20-10 against its FCS peers this year and was 1-8 against FBS foes. That included seven games against ranked FCS teams (2-5 record) and two games against ranked FBS teams (0-2 record).
Valley Football Weekly Notebook (PDF)
Open Season
All 10 league teams will open MVFC action on Saturday, Oct. 5, in what is the 35th season of the Conference’s existence. North Dakota State (8) has the longest active win streak in MVFC season-opening games. Southern Illinois and Missouri State played in the league’s first conference game on Sept. 7, 1985.
Saturday, Oct. 5
#1 North Dakota State at #6 Illinois State | Normal, Ill. • 12 p.m. CT [NBCSCH/ESPN+/NBC ND]
RV Indiana State at South Dakota | Vermillion, S.D. • 2 p.m. CT [Midco/ESPN+]
Missouri State at Western Illinois | Macomb, Ill. • 3 p.m. CT [ESPN+]
#17 Youngstown State at #13 UNI | Cedar Falls, Iowa • 4 p.m. CT [PSN/ESPN3]
RV Southern Illinois at #3 South Dakota State | Brookings, S.D. • 2 p.m. CT [MyTV/ESPN+]
Preseason Poll, Revisited
North Dakota State was tabbed as the 2019 MVFC pre-season favorite; NDSU has earned the league title for eight-straight years, four times sharing it with another league school. North Dakota State has a league-record eight-straight Conference titles (shared or outright), and that is second-only to UNI’s 16. The Panthers had a streak of seven-straight titles from 1990-96.
Back to Back, Jack
NDSU picked up its second win against a top-25 team in as many games as the Bison knocked off No. 4 UC Davis on Sept. 21, 2019. The Bison closed the 2018 season with four-straight wins against ranked foes (#23 Montana State, #7 Colgate, #5 South Dakota State and #3 Eastern Washington.) Notably, during its current 25-game winning streak, the Bison have beat 13 teams ranked in the Top 25 at the time of the game. NDSU’s next game (at Illinois State on Oct. 5) will also be against a ranked team.
5 MVFC Teams Ranked
Two-time defending national champ North Dakota State headlines a list of five MVFC teams who appear in the polls this week.
In the Massey Ratings, the Big Sky has six teams in the Top 20, while the MVFC and CAA Football each have five.
Massey Rankings, Team Leaders (Top 4)
1. North Dakota State
2. South Dakota State
3. James Madison
4. Montana
Among conferences, the MVFC is the top-rated league in the FCS (Sagarin), and five MVFC schools are in the Top 10.
Sagarin Rankings, Team Leaders (FCS)
1. North Dakota State
2. South Dakota State
3. James Madison
4. Montana
5. UNI
6. Weber State
7. Youngstown State
8. Princeton
9. Eastern Washington
10. Illinois State
Sagarin Rankings, Conference Leaders (FCS)
1. MISSOURI VALLEY
2. Big Sky
3. CAA Football
4. Ivy
5. Southern
6. Southland
7. Ohio Valley
Tough Schedules
MVFC teams hold six of the Top 36 spots in the Massey Ratings strength of schedule index. UNI (4) and Missouri State (6) lead the league and rank in the FCS Top 10.
Strength of Schedule Ratings, Massey Ratings
4. UNI
6. Missouri State
14. South Dakota
28. Southern Illinois
30. South Dakota State
36. North Dakota State
Ranked vs. Ranked
There have been 173 games in which two league teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. Of those 173 games, 44 times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the Top 10 at the same time. Ten meetings have occurred in the playoffs. The home team is 101-71, while the higher-ranked team is 108-65. One game (Jan. 10, 2015 in Frisco) was played at a neutral site.
Two games this weekend will feature two ranked MVFC teams.
Winning Against No. 1
When North Dakota State knocked off top-ranked and previously unbeaten James Madison in the 2017 FCS title game, It marked the 17th time an MVFC member had recorded a win vs. the nation’s top-rated team (9 of those 17 wins were against a fellow league member). Illinois State, which hosts top-ranked North Dakota State this Saturday, is 3-6 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams as an MVFC member, recording wins against Youngstown State (1993), Southern Illinois (2005) and New Hampshire (2014).
Still Perfect
Just six FCS teams remain unbeaten in 2019, and two of those are in the MVFC. There are still 18 perfect FBS teams.
FCS Unbeaten Teams (2019)
5-0 Villanova
4-0
North Dakota State, Youngstown State
2-0 Dartmouth, Princeton, Yale
Bison on Another Run
North Dakota State extended its current winning streak to an FCS-best 25 games after beating UC Davis on Sept. 21. The Bison set a league and FCS record with a 33-game win streak from 2012-14.
Active FCS Winning Streaks
25 – North Dakota State
12 -- Princeton
6 – Villanova
Longest FCS Winning Streaks (All Time)
33 -- North Dakota State (2012-14)
26 -- James Madison (2016-17)
25 -- North Dakota State (2017-present)
24 -- Penn (1992-95); Montana (2001-02)
Longest Active FCS Win Streaks (League Only)
29 -- San Diego (Pioneer)
11 -- North Dakota State (MVFC)
11 -- Colgate (Patriot)
9 -- Kennesaw State (Big South)
Home Sweet Home
Six league schools are still perfect at home this season. North Dakota State (21) and South Dakota State (14) lead the FCS.
NCAA Leaders, Active Home Win Streaks
21 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
14 - South Dakota State (MVFC)
12 - Stony Brook (CAA)
12 - Grambling (SWAC)
11 - Eastern Washington (Big Sky)
Against Ranked FCS Teams
The MVFC is 2-5 against Top-25 opponents so far this year, with North Dakota State earning both of the league’s wins. The league has now had multiple wins against ranked non-conference FCS teams during the regular season 17 times in the league’s 35-year history. Since 2014, league schools have combined for a 45-24 record against non-conference top-25 teams (counting the playoffs).
MVFC in the NFL
There were a total of 25 student-athletes representing MVFC schools on NFL opening-day rosters.
Among the NCAA Leaders
Walter Payton Award Watch List candidate RB James Robinson of Illinois State is among the FCS leaders in rushing yards per game, as he ranks 10th at 108.0 yards per game.
Great Start to a Career
North Dakota State rookie QB Trey Lance ranks among the NCAA leaders in pass efficiency (2nd with a 194.9 rating) and ‘points responsible for’ (9th with 90 points). He’s the NCAA freshman leader in both categories. Former NDSU QB Easton Stick established the league single-season record with his 172.4 passer rating in 2018.
Cook is 2nd in the FCS
UNI’s Matthew Cook continues to lead the league and ranks second in the FCS in field goals made per game. He has averaged 2.25 field goals through UNI’s first four contests. On the season, he is 3-3 from 20-29 yards, 3-3 from 30-39, 2-2 from 40-49 and 1-1 from 50+.
Total Defense Leaders
Five Valley Football teams rank among the FCS leaders in total defense. South Dakota State leads the MVFC and ranks 6th nationally, surrendering just 269.0 yards per game. NDSU (8th/277.8 ypg), UNI (12th/294.5 ypg), Youngstown State (13th/296.0 ypg) and Indiana State (15th/304.8 ypg) all rank among the Top 15 in the FCS. Three MVFC schools rank in the Top 11 for scoring defense: South Dakota State (3rd/12.0 ppg); North Dakota State (7th/13.8 ppg) and Illinois State (11th/17.0).
What a Rush
Youngstown State and North Dakota State both rank among the national leaders in rushing yards per game. The Penguins average 296.3 yards through four games to place 4th nationally; while the Bison are 5th nationally, averaging 286.8 yards per game.
Scoring Offense Leaders
Youngstown State and North Dakota State both rank among the NCAA leaders in scoring, too. Youngstown State averages 44.5 points per game to rank 4th nationally, while NDSU is 6th (42.3 points per game).
Penguins Lead the FCS
Youngstown State leads the FCS in turnover margin (+2.25). The Penguins have gained 11 turnovers while surrendering just two through their first four games. Notably, YSU was 111th in the FCS last year, gaining only nine total turnovers through 11 games while surrendering 19 last year.
Yet Another FBS Win
Thanks to Southern Illinois’ 45-20 win at UMass on Sept. 7, 2019, the league has had at least one FBS win in each of the last 10 seasons. The Conference has 46 FBS wins in its history. The league went 1-8 against FBS programs this past season.