4 MVFC Teams in Top 25
North Dakota State and South Dakota State have held the top two spots in the Stats Perform poll all season (eight polls).  Before this year, the league had a No. 1 and No. 2 ranked team in the same poll a total of six times in MVFC history.



In the Metrics
Nine MVFC teams rank in the Top 27 of the Sagarin football ratings, which includes seven of the Top 20, and four among the Top 10.  The same nine MVFC schools rank in the Top 39 of the Massey FCS computer rankings.  Notably, nine MVFC programs rank in the Top 17 of Massey’s Strength of Schedule ratings, which includes South Dakota, which has the FCS’ hardest SOS. The MVFC is the top-rated FCS league in the Sagarin, followed by the Big Sky, ASUN, Southern, and WAC.

Sagarin Conference Ratings
1. Missouri Valley Football
2. Big Sky
3. ASUN
4. Southern
5. WAC


The Dakota Marker
Last year, South Dakota State scored on three long touchdown drives in the first half and held off second-ranked North Dakota State for a 27-19 victory to retain the Dakota Marker.  Notably, NDSU leads the all-time series, 63-44-5, including a 10-8 advantage in Dakota Marker games.  South Dakota State has won four of the last six Dakota Marker matchups.

No. 1 vs. No. 2
For just the second time in FCS history, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams will play one another in a regular-season game.  Top-ranked NDSU entertains No. 2 SDSU in Fargo on Saturday.  There have been just six 1 vs. 2 matchups in FCS history prior to this weekend.  There have been seven 1 vs. 2 matchups (by seed) in the playoffs.

FCS No. 1 vs. No. 2 Matchups (6)
12/19/81: No. 2 Idaho State 34, No. 1 Eastern Kentucky 23 (FCS Championship)
10/24/92: No. 1 UNI 27, No. 2 Idaho 26 (Regular Season)
12/21/96: No. 2 Marshall 49, No. 1 Montana 29 (FCS Championship)
12/18/09: No. 2 Villanova 23, No. 1 Montana 21 (FCS Championship)
1/9/16 (2015 Season): No. 2 NDSU 37, No. 1 Jacksonville State 10 (FCS Championship)
1/11/20 (2019 Season): No. 1 NDSU 28, No. 2 James Madison 20 (FCS Championship)

FCS No. 1 vs. No. 2 Seeds in Playoffs (7)
12/19/81: No. 2 Idaho State 34, No. 1 Eastern Kentucky 23 (FCS Championship)
12/21/96: No. 2 Marshall 49, No. 1 Montana 29 (FCS Championship)
12/18/09: No. 2 Villanova 23, No. 1 Montana 21 (FCS Championship)
1/7/12 (2011 Season): No. 2 NDSU 17, No. 1 Sam Houston State 6 (FCS Championship)
1/6/18 (2017 Season): No. 2 NDSU 17, No. 1 James Madison 13 (FCS Championship)
1/11/20 (2019 Season): No. 1 NDSU 28, No. 2 James Madison 20 (FCS Championship)
5/16/21 (2020 Season): No. 2 Sam Houston 23, No. 1 SDSU (FCS Championship)


Ranked vs. Ranked
When South Dakota State and North Dakota State face off Saturday in Fargo, N.D., it will mark the 215th time two ranked Missouri Valley Football teams have played one another.  In the first 214 such-meetings the home team is 123-90 and the higher-ranked team is 133-81.  (Rankings are based on appearance in either the Stats Perform or AFCA poll; the numbers above also include one neutral site game.)  The SDSU-NDSU matchup features teams that have played one another while both have been ranked 14-straight times (dating back to 2012).