Three Missouri Valley Football Conference teams will represent the MVFC in the NCAA FCS playoffs, which begin Saturday, Nov. 26. League champ South Dakota State is joined by at-large selections North Dakota and North Dakota State.
For the third time in the last four seasons, North Dakota is postseason bound. The Fighting Hawks will visit Weber State on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 3 p.m. in the opening round of the FCS Playoffs, with the winner heading to No. 4 seed Montana State the following weekend. UND is making its second playoff appearance as an MVFC member.
North Dakota State (9-2) is the No. 3 overall seed and will face the winner of this week's first round game between Southeast Missouri State (9-2) and Montana (7-4) scheduled for 9 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 26. That game will be televised on ESPN2. NDSU's second round home playoff football game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.
For the first second time in three seasons, South Dakota State has earned the top seed in the FCS playoff field. The Jackrabbits were awarded the No. 1 seed after compiling a 10-1 record, including an 8-0 mark in MVFC play. SDSU will receive a first-round bye and will host the winner between Saint Francis (Pa.) and Delaware on Saturday, Dec. 3. Kickoff for that game is tentatively set for 2 p.m. Central Time at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
South Dakota State is making its 11th-straight post-season appearance and 12th all-time as an MVFC member. NDSU is making its 13th-striaght FCS post-season trip. NDSU is 41-3 as an MVFC member in the playoffs; SDSU is 14-11; and UND is 1-1.
Home Sweet Home
Both NDSU and SDSU will host their first games on Saturday, Dec. 3. The MVFC is 83-20 all-time in home playoff games. NDSU is 31-1; and SDSU is 20-5 at home in the post-season.
In the Field of 24
Since 2014 (8 seasons), the Missouri Valley Football Conference has averaged 4.625 bids, earning a league-record and FCS-tying record six bids last season. The league had nine title-game appearances in those eight years and six titles (Illinois State and NDSU both reached the finals in 2014.) In those eight seasons, the MVFC has combined for 62 victories; next best is the CAA with 36. Since the field expanded to 24 teams in 2013, the MVFC has had three or more teams every year but one (2013). The MVFC has earned four or more bids all but two years since 2014 (2018, 2022).
MVFC in the Playoffs (Most Total Bids, All Time)
6 -- 2021
5 -- 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020
4 -- 2003, 2016, 2019
3 -- 2006, 2010, 2012, 2018, 2022
16 teams (1986-2009, 2020); 20 (2010-12); 24 (2013-present)
Seed Chatter
Since 1985 and counting 2022, a league member has been seed No. 1-4 in the FCS Championship a total of 30 times (eight different league members have been seed in the Top 4 in league history.) Only twice previously have two MVFC teams been seeded in the Top 4 in the same tournament. UNI (1) and Southern Illinois (4) represented the league in 2007 -- UNI lost in the quarters and SIU lost in the semis; both to Joe Flacco-led Delaware. In 2015, Illinois State was the #2 seed and NDSU the #3. They met in the title game, and NDSU won. That season represented the only other time the MVFC had two of the top 3 tournament seeds (in addition to 2022).
MVFC Ties FCS Record
In 2021, for the first time in Conference history, six Missouri Valley Football teams earned bids into the 24-team FCS playoff field. Only one other conference in NCAA history has received six bids in a single playoff (CAA in 2018). The MVFC had received as many as five bids four times previously (2014, 2015, 2017, and in Spring 2021).
2021 Playoff Success
League schools combined for eight wins in the 2021 tournament, capped by NDSU’s championship game victory against Montana State. NDSU extended the MVFC’s FCS-record to 11-straight title game appearances for a league school. Notably, the 2021 season marked the 16th title appearance for the MVFC. The league is 11-5 in title games, although Youngstown State (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) and Southern Illinois (1983) both played in the championship prior to joining the league. All of the league’s title-game appearances have occurred since 1997.
Playoff Dominance
The MVFC is 81-38 (.681) since 2010 in the playoffs -- which includes 15 intra-conference games (meaning the league is 66-23 against teams from other leagues for a phenomenal .776 winning percentage). Last season, MVFC teams combined to go 25-5 against non-conference FCS teams. All five losses were to ranked FCS teams, all of which made the 2021 playoff field.
SDSU Claims Title, AQ
With a win against visiting Illinois State, the Jackrabbits set a school record with their 10th consecutive victory, improved to 10-1 overall and finished the Conference slate with a perfect 8-0 mark. In addition to earning an outright title (its first outright crown and third overall title), SDSU has earned the MVFC’s automatic berth into the FCS playoffs, marking the program’s 11th consecutive postseason appearance.
MVFC All-Time Titles (Shared/Outright) -- TOTAL
UNI (6/10) -- 16
North Dakota State (4/6) -- 10
Southern Illinois (3/2) -- 5
Western Illinois (1/4) -- 5
Illinois State (2/1) -- 3
Missouri State (2/1) -- 3
South Dakota State (2/1) -- 3
Eastern Illinois (1/1) -- 2
Youngstown State (1/1) -- 2
North Dakota (1/0) -- 1
Western Kentucky (1/0) -- 1
MVFC Teams To Go Unbeaten in League Play
UNI (1985, 1987, 1994, 1996, 2007) -- 5
North Dakota State (2013, 2018, 2019) -- 3
Southern Illinois (2004, 2009) -- 2
Western Illinois (1988, 1997) -- 2
Illinois State (1999) -- 1
South Dakota State (2022) -- 1
Against the FCS
The MVFC has a 15-7 record against FCS schools in 2022. Five of the seven losses have been against ranked FCS teams. Remarkably, a league member has only lost two games to an unranked FCS opponent since September of 2019, going 37-2 against FCS unranked teams during that span, including a perfect 24-0 last year.
Against the FBS
Including Southern Illinois’ 31-24 win at Northwestern in 2022, Missouri Valley Football Conference schools have combined for 48 wins against FBS teams since 1985. A league member has picked up at least one FBS win for 12 of the last 13 seasons (only missing the 2020-21 COVID season in which only one FBS team was played).
Margin Call
A total of 20 league games (of 44) were decided by one score in 2022. Two league teams (UND and SDSU) are a perfect 2-0 in games decided by one score. Illinois State (4-2) and Youngstown State (4-2) had six of their seven eight games to date decided by a touchdown or less. Meanwhile, Indiana State (0-4) was winless in “close” league tilts.