Six MVFC Teams Ranked This Week; Five Among the Top 10 -- Six league teams are in the Stats Perform poll this week (Oct. 19). The league has had five teams in the Top 15 of a national poll during the same week nine times this year and 56 times in MVFC history.  The league matched a Conference record by placing five teams in the Top 10 of the Stats Perform top-10 list (it also happened earlier this year on Sept. 14.)

Weekly MVFC Notes (PDF)

Beating No. 1 -- Fifteen different times an MVFC school has been knocked from the No. 1 slot by another conference school -- before North Dakota defeated South Dakota State on Oct. 17, the most recent occurrence was in December 2025 when Illinois State defeated No. 1 and previously unbeaten NDSU in the second round of the playoffs. NoDak’s victory against SDSU was its first against a top-ranked FCS program.

Youngstown State Tops MVFC -- For the first time since the season-ending FCS poll of 2016, Youngstown State is the highest-rated Missouri Valley Football team in the polls. The Penguins lead six MVFC ranked teams this week as YSU is No. 4 in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches polls. The last regular-season poll that featured YSU as the league’s top-rated team was on Sept. 3, 2007.

MVFC: Best in the FCS -- Missouri Valley Football teams have combined for an FCS-best 19-4 record against other FCS opponents in 2026. No other FCS league can match that winning percentage (.826) this season. The MVFC’s overall win percentage (.617) and record (21-13) is also an FCS best.

FCS Leagues, Non-Conference vs. FCS Teams
1. Missouri Valley Football (19-4) .826
2. Ivy (17-7) .708
3. United (16-10) .615
4. Southland (6-4) .600
5. Big Sky (13-10) .565
6. MEAC (14-12) .538
7. Coastal (16-14) .533
8. SoCon (13-12) .520
9. Patriot (10-10) .500
10. OVC (10-14) .417
11. SWAC (5-9) .357
12. PFL (5-19) .208
13. NEC (3-20) .130

Ratings Leaders (Massey/Sagarin) -- Seven MVFC teams rank among the top 20 in the Massey Ratings. South Dakota State leads the MVFC at No. 2, while Youngstown State (4), North Dakota (6), South Dakota (7), and Illinois State (8) are also among the Top 10 in Massey.

FCS Massey Leaders (FCS Sagarin in Parentheses)
1. Montana State (2)
2. South Dakota State (1)
3. SF Austin (5)
4. Youngstown State (3)
5. Tarleton State (8)
6. North Dakota (6)
7. South Dakota (4)
8. Illinois State (7)
9. Northern Arizona (12)
10. Montana (9)
15. UNI (14)
19. Southern Illinois (19)

Brungard Named NFF William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist -- YSU QB Beau Brungard has been named one of the finalists for the 2026 National Football Foundation William V. Campbell Trophy®, the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced. The William V. Campbell Trophy® is college football’s premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. This prestigious award is given to only 18 finalists across all levels of NCAA divisions.

North Dakota Is National Stats Perform Team of the Week -- North Dakota was named the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week, while also being the highest risers in both national polls following a 21-10 upset of top-ranked South Dakota State Saturday.  NoDak recorded its first win over the No. 1 ranked team at the FCS level in six tries.

Four in MVFC in Top 10 Reveal -- The Division I Football Championship Committee released its FCS Top 10 rankings on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The second release, following week 10, will be Nov. 5.

FCS Top 10 -- Ranking #1
1. Montana State (Big Sky)
2. Tarleton State (UAC)
3. Youngstown State (MVFC)
4. SFA (Southland)
5. South Dakota State (MVFC)
6. North Dakota (MVFC)
7. Northern Arizona (Big Sky)
8. South Dakota (MVFC)
9. Austin Peay (UAC)
10. Harvard (Ivy League)
Receiving Top-10 Votes: Illinois State

Two in MVFC on Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award Watch List -- Stats Perform’s 2026 Jerry Rice Award Watch List runs 30 deep – matching the largest in the FCS freshman player of the year award’s 16-year history.  The Jerry Rice Award is named after the legendary Hall of Fame wide receiver who starred in the FCS at Mississippi Valley State. True and redshirt freshmen are eligible.

MVFC Players on the Watch List
QB Austyn Modrzewski, South Dakota, R-Fr.
WR Jadyn Reed, Indiana State, WR, Fr.

Yotes-Jacks Tabbed for ESPNU -- The 120th all-time meeting of the Interstate Series, presented by First Interstate Bank, between South Dakota and South Dakota State on the gridiron will kickoff at 3 p.m. (CT) on ESPNU on Halloween at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, the network announced Monday.  The Halloween clash between the two Division I South Dakota schools will be a top-10 battle, marking the first time both teams have been ranked inside the top-10 since the 2024 meeting in Brookings.

MVFC Offenses Atop FCS -- Three MVFC teams rank among the FCS’ top 10 scoring offenses in 2026, led by South Dakota and Youngstown State (t7th, 39.1 ppg). The league’s all-time single-season mark is 42.6 ppg, established by Southern Illinois in 2004.

FCS Leaders, Scoring Offense
1. South Carolina St. (MEAC) -- 43.6
2. Alcorn (SWAC) -- 41.9
3. SFA (Southland) -- 40.9
3. Tarleton St. (UAC) -- 40.9
5. Alabama A&M (SWAC) -- 40.1
6. Montana St. (Big Sky) -- 39.7
7. South Dakota (MVFC) -- 39.1
7. Youngstown St. (MVFC) -- 39.1
9. Montana (Big Sky) -- 37.8
10. Illinois St. (MVFC) -- 37.7
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14. North Dakota (MVFC) -- 36.6
15. South Dakota St. (MVFC) -- 36.4

Scoring Offense, Season (MVFC All-Time Records):
42.6, Southern Illinois, 2004 (12 games)
42.5, South Dakota State, 2024 (13 games)
41.5, North Dakota State, 2018 (15 games)
41.1, North Dakota State, 2025 (13 games)
39.2, Illinois State, 2005 (11 games)
38.7, North Dakota State, 2013 (15 games)
38.7, North Dakota State, 2017 (15 games)

Ranked vs. Ranked -- This week, there is one MVFC game that feature ranked teams playing one another. In Conference history, there have been 269 previous games in which two league teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. Of those 269 games, 76 times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the Top 10 at the same time. Twenty-one meetings have occurred in the playoffs. The home team is 148-119 in those games; the higher-ranked team is 171-97. Those figures include two neutral-site games, and one game in which the teams were both ranked No. 25.

MVFC Ranked vs. Ranked (Oct. 24)
[#6/#8] UND at  [#8/#6] USD [Midco/ESPN+] -- 1:00 p.m. CT

First Things First -- MVFC schools hold two of the top five spots in the FCS for total first downs. Youngstown State (1st, 202) and North Dakota (5th, 187) top the MVFC schools on the list -- South Dakota (11th), Illinois State (14th), and South Dakota State (18th) represent the league in the Top 20.

FCS Leaders, Total First Downs
1. Youngstown St. (MVFC) -- 202
2. Alcorn (SWAC) -- 196
3. Eastern Wash. (Big Sky) -- 191
4. Alabama A&M (SWAC) -- 190
5. North Dakota (MVFC) -- 187
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11. South Dakota (MVFC) -- 169
14. Illinois St. (MVFC) -- 167
18. South Dakota St. (MVFC) -- 163