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2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

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2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference season
LeagueNCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
SportFootball
DurationAugust 31, 2023
through January 7, 2024
Number of teams12
2024 NFL Draft
Top draft pickMason McCormick, G, South Dakota State
Picked byPittsburgh Steelers (round 4, pick 119)
Regular season
Champion

Playoff Participants		South Dakota State

North Dakota
North Dakota State
South Dakota
Southern Illinois
Youngstown State
Football seasons
← 2022
2024 →
2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 South Dakota State $^   8 – 0     15 – 0  
No. 4 South Dakota ^   7 – 1     10 – 3  
No. 3 North Dakota State ^   5 – 3     11 – 4  
No. 19 Youngstown State ^   5 – 3     8 – 5  
No. 16 North Dakota ^   5 – 3     7 – 5  
Northern Iowa   5 – 3     6 – 5  
No. 12 Southern Illinois ^   4 – 4     8 – 5  
Illinois State   4 – 4     6 – 5  
Missouri State   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Murray State   1 – 7     2 – 9  
Indiana State   1 – 7     1 – 10  
Western Illinois   0 – 8     0 – 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
As of August 1, 2024
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 38th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 12 teams, as the conference added Murray State over the offseason. It was also the last season with 12 teams for now, as it was announced in May 2023 that Western Illinois would be leaving the MVFC after the 2023 season for the Ohio Valley Conference.[1]

South Dakota State made it to the National Championship and won their 2nd FCS title in program history and became the third MVFC team to win back to back titles.[2] North Dakota State made the playoffs unseeded, and won their way into the semifinals where they lost to 2nd seeded Montana.[3] South Dakota made the playoffs as the 3rd seed, and made it to the quarterfinals, where they lost to North Dakota State.[4] Youngstown State and Southern Illinois made the playoffs unseeded as well, and made it to the 2nd round, losing to 8th seeded Villanova[5] and 4th seeded Idaho.[6] North Dakota made the playoffs unseeded and lost to Sacramento State in the opening round.[7]

Previous season

[edit]

In 2022, South Dakota State won the conference and received the automatic bid to the 2022 playoffs. The Jacks would go on to win their first FCS Championship over rival North Dakota State.[8]
Besides SDSU and NDSU; North Dakota made the playoffs as well. UND lost to Weber State in the first round to be eliminated from contention.[9]

Offseason

[edit]

Over the offseason, the conference officially welcomed in their 12th league member. Murray State will begin their tenure as a MVFC member after joining the sister conference (Missouri Valley Conference) in the summer of 2022. The Racers arrive in the Valley from the Ohio Valley Conference.[10]

Coaching changes

[edit]

Missouri State

[edit]

On December 19, 2022, Ryan Beard was named the new head coach at Missouri State.[11] Beard was previously the Bears defensive coordinator for the last three years. He takes over for Bobby Petrino who left the program for an eventual job at Texas A&M.[12]

South Dakota State

[edit]

On January 20, 2023, Jimmy Rogers was named the new head coach at South Dakota State.[13] Rogers was promoted from defensive coordinator for the Jacks. Former coach John Stiegelmeier retired after the end of last season, leading South Dakota State for 26 seasons.[14]

Preseason

[edit]

Preseason League Poll

[edit]

The annual preseason poll; voted on by conference coaches, athletic directors, and media members.[15]

Predicted finish Team Points (1st place votes)
1 South Dakota State 539 (44)
2 North Dakota State 492 (1)
3 Northern Iowa 409
4 North Dakota 399
5 Southern Illinois 337
6 Youngstown State 323
7 Illinois State 269
8 Missouri State 229
9 South Dakota 226
10 Indiana State 148
11 Murray State 74
12 Western Illinois 65

Preseason Individual Awards

[edit]

Source:[16]

Rankings

[edit]
Main article: 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football 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
  Pre Wk
1		 Wk
2		 Wk
3		 Wk
4		 Wk
5		 Wk
6		 Wk
7		 Wk
8		 Wk
9		 Wk
10		 Wk
11		 Wk
12		 Final
Illinois State STATS Perform RV RV
AFCA Coaches RV RV 25 RV RV RV 25 RV RV RV RV RV RV
Indiana State STATS Perform
AFCA Coaches
Missouri State STATS Perform
AFCA Coaches
Murray State STATS Perform
AFCA Coaches RV
North Dakota STATS Perform 17 17 14 14 12 16 15 11 15 13 10 13 12 16
AFCA Coaches 18 15 13 14 11 15 15 9 17 15 12 17 14 16
North Dakota State STATS Perform 2 2 2 2 2 7 6 14 12 11 12 9 8 3
AFCA Coaches 2 2 2 2 2 8 7 15 11 10 13 9 7 3
Northern Iowa STATS Perform 23 21 RV RV RV RV RV RV 23 18 15 22 RV RV
AFCA Coaches 20 20 RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 23 20 RV
South Dakota STATS Perform 15 10 6 4 9 6 5 3 4
AFCA Coaches 21 17 16 9 12 6 5 3 4
South Dakota State STATS Perform 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
AFCA Coaches 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Southern Illinois STATS Perform RV 24 15 12 10 6 13 12 11 10 11 16 14 12
AFCA Coaches RV 23 18 13 10 5 13 12 12 11 15 20т 17 13
Western Illinois STATS Perform
AFCA Coaches
Youngstown State STATS Perform RV 25 25 24 23 RV 23 25 24 22 22 25 21 19
AFCA Coaches RV 25 RV 24 19 RV 20т RV RV RV RV RV 23 21

Schedule

[edit]
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

[edit]

Week 1

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
August 31 6:00 p.m. Eastern Illinois Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+ L 0–27   4,355 [1]
August 31 6:30 p.m. Valparaiso No. RV Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+ W 52–10   8,593 [2]
August 31 7:00 p.m. Western Oregon No. 1 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 45–7   16,258 [3]
August 31 7:00 p.m. South Dakota Missouri Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium • Columbia, MO SECN L 10–35   50,434 [4]
September 1 7:00 p.m. Missouri State Kansas David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, KS Big 12 NOW, ESPN+ L 17–48   41,091 [5]
September 2 12:00 p.m. Dayton Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+ W 41–0   6,740 [6]
September 2 1:00 p.m. No. 23 Northern Iowa Iowa State Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA Big 12 NOW, ESPN+ L 9–30   58,248 [7]
September 2 2:30 p.m. Eastern Washington No. 2 North Dakota State US Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN ESPN+ W 35–10   22,546 [8]
September 2 3:00 p.m. Drake No. 17 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+ W 55–7   8,503 [9]
September 2 6:00 p.m. No. RV Austin Peay No. RV Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+ W 49–23   8,327 [10]
September 2 6:00 p.m. Presbyterian Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+ W 41–10   6,953 [11]
September 2 8:00 p.m. Western Illinois New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM ESPN+ L 21–58   17,943 [12]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 2

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 7 6:30 p.m. Murray State No. RV^ Louisville L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium • Louisville, KY ACCN L 0–56   45,273 [13]
September 8 6:00 p.m. Indiana State Indiana Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN BTN L 7–41   42,775 [14]
September 9 12:00 p.m. No. 25 Youngstown State No. 5^ Ohio State Ohio Stadium • Columbus, OH BTN L 7–35   102,897 [15]
September 9 1:00 p.m. No. RV St. Thomas South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+ W 24–0   6,126 [16]
September 9 2:30 p.m. Maine No. 2 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+ W 44–7   15,044 [17]
September 9 2:30 p.m. No. 24 Southern Illinois Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium • DeKalb, IL ESPN+ W 14–11   13,114 [18]
September 9 3:00 p.m. Illinois State Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+  ILST 34–18   3,648 [19]
September 9 3:00 p.m. Northern Arizona No. 17 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+ W 37–22   10,009 [20]
September 9 4:00 p.m. No. 12 Weber State No. 21 Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+ L 17–34   7,967 [21]
September 9 6:00 p.m. Missouri State No. RV UT Martin Graham Stadium • Martin, TN ESPN+ L 31–38   6,104 [22]
September 9 6:00 p.m. No. 3 Montana State No. 1 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 20–16   19,332 [23]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 3

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 16 11:00 a.m. No. 14 North Dakota Boise State Albertsons Stadium • Boise, ID FS1 L 18–42   35,610 [24]
September 16 1:00 p.m. Lamar South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+ W 35–6   5,618 [25]
September 16 1:00 p.m. Robert Morris No. 25 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+ W 48–28   12,826 [26]
September 16 2:00 p.m. No. RV Illinois State Eastern Illinois O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL ESPN+ L 13–14   6,602 [27]
September 16 2:00 p.m. Indiana State Ball State Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN ESPN+ L 7–45   15,054 [28]
September 16 2:30 p.m. No. RV Central Arkansas No. 2 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+ W 49–31   15,016 [29]
September 16 2:30 p.m. Drake No. 1 South Dakota State Target Field • Minneapolis, MN ESPN+ W 70–7   18,174 [30]
September 16 5:00 p.m. No. RV Northern Iowa Idaho State Holt Arena • Pocatello, ID ESPN+ W 41–17   N/A [31]
September 16 6:00 p.m. Lindenwood Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+ L 40–43   3,548 [32]
September 16 6:00 p.m. No. 15 Southern Illinois No. 13 Southeast Missouri State Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO ESPN+ W 26–25   8,613 [33]
September 16 6:00 p.m. Murray State Middle Tennessee State Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN ESPN+ L 14–35   16,605 [34]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
September 16 Missouri State

Week 4

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 23 12:00 p.m. Lindenwood Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+ W 48–17   13,391 [35]
September 23 2:00 p.m. Utah Tech Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN+ W 59–14   11,002 [36]
September 23 7:00 p.m. Western Illinois Southern Utah Eccles Coliseum • Cedar City, UT ESPN+ L 17–37   6,504 [37]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
September 23 No. 24 Youngstown State No. RV Northern Iowa No. 2 North Dakota State No. 1 South Dakota State South Dakota No. 14 North Dakota Indiana State No. 12 Southern Illinois Murray State

Week 5

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
September 30 1:00 p.m. South Dakota No. 2 North Dakota State† Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  USD 24–19   18,342 [38]
September 30 1:00 p.m. No. 23 Youngstown State No. RV Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+  UNI 44–41   10,346 [39]
September 30 2:00 p.m. No. 12 North Dakota No. 1 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  SDSU 42–21   19,231 [40]
September 30 4:00 p.m. Missouri State No. 10 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  SIU 33–20   10,359 [41]
September 30 6:00 p.m. Indiana State Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+  MUST 30–28   13,213 [42]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.
Date Bye Week
September 30 Western Illinois Illinois State

Week 6

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 7 1:00 p.m. Western Illinois No. 16 North Dakota† Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 49–10   9,758 [43]
October 7 2:00 p.m. Murray State No. 15 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+  USD 38–7   7,907 [44]
October 7 2:00 p.m. No. 7 North Dakota State Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN+  NDSU 38–10   8,727 [45]
October 7 5:00 p.m. No. 6 Southern Illinois No. RV Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 31–3   9,767 [46]
October 7 6:00 p.m. No. 1 South Dakota State Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  SDSU 40–21   8,272 [47]
October 7 7:00 p.m. No. RV Northern Iowa Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  UNI 27–20   3,228 [48]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 7

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 14 1:00 p.m. No. 6 North Dakota State No. 15 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 49–24   13,091 [49]
October 14 1:00 p.m. No. 23 Youngstown State No. 10 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+  USD 34–31   3,608 [50]
October 14 2:00 p.m. No. RV Northern Iowa No. 1 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  SDSU 41–6   19,357 [51]
October 14 2:00 p.m. No. 13 Southern Illinois Murray State† Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+  SIU 27–6   15,868 [52]
October 14 3:00 p.m. Missouri State Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+  MOST 48–7   2,809 [53]
October 14 3:00 p.m. Indiana State Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  ILST 44–7   N/A [54]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 8

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 21 1:00 p.m. No. 6 South Dakota Indiana State† Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  USD 17–3   4,908 [55]
October 21 2:00 p.m. No. 1 South Dakota State No. 12 Southern Illinois† Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  SDSU 17–10   11,927 [56]
October 21 2:00 p.m. No. RV Illinois State No. 25 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 41–38   10,022 [57]
October 21 2:00 p.m. Murray State Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, IL ESPN+  MOST 28–24   11,386 [58]
October 21 2:30 p.m. Western Illinois No. 14 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 52–7   14,255 [59]
October 21 4:00 p.m. No. 11 North Dakota No. RV Northern Iowa† UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN3  UNI 27–0   10,677 [60]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 9

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
October 28 12:00 p.m. No. 23 Northern Iowa Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  UNI 24–21   N/A [61]
October 28 1:00 p.m. No. 11 Southern Illinois Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+  SIU 63–0   2,636 [62]
October 28 1:00 p.m. Missouri State No. 24 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  YSU 44–28   9,880 [63]
October 28 1:00 p.m. Indiana State No. 15 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 36–33 OT  11,125 [64]
October 28 1:00 p.m. No. 1 South Dakota State No. 4 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+  SDSU 37–3   9,458 [65]
October 28 2:30 p.m. Murray State No. 12 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 38–6   13,876 [66]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 10

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 4 12:00 p.m. No. 22 Youngstown State Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  YSU 19–7   4,798 [67]
November 4 1:00 p.m. Western Illinois No. 18 Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+  UNI 50–6   8,051 [68]
November 4 1:00 p.m. No. 9 South Dakota No. 10 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  USD 14–7   7,106 [69]
November 4 1:00 p.m. No. 13 North Dakota Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+  UND 45–31   6,217 [70]
November 4 2:00 p.m. No. 11 North Dakota State No. 1 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  SDSU 33–16   19,431 [71]
November 4 2:00 p.m. Illinois State Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN+  ILST 36–35   7,700 [72]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 11

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 11 11:00 a.m. Murray State Illinois State Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL ESPN+  ILST 44–7   5,623 [73]
November 11 11:00 a.m. No. 1 South Dakota State No. 22 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+  SDSU 34–0   9,303 [74]
November 11 1:00 p.m. Western Illinois Indiana State Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN ESPN+  INST 27–6   3,151 [75]
November 11 1:00 p.m. No. 10 North Dakota No. 6 South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+  USD 14–10   6,834 [76]
November 11 2:00 p.m. No. 15 Northern Iowa Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO ESPN+  MOST 35–16   6,898 [77]
November 11 2:30 p.m. No. 11 Southern Illinois No. 12 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+  NDSU 34–10   14,191 [78]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 12

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 18 1:00 p.m. No. 5 South Dakota Western Illinois Hanson Field • Macomb, IL ESPN+  USD 48–6   1,935 [79]
November 18 1:00 p.m. Illinois State No. 13 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+  UND 22–21   9,238 [80]
November 18 1:00 p.m. Indiana State No. 16 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+  SIU 38–9   N/A [81]
November 18 1:00 p.m. No. 25 Youngstown State Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY ESPN+  YSU 34–17   5,957 [82]
November 18 2:00 p.m. Missouri State No. 1 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+  SDSU 35–17   15,637 [83]
November 18 4:00 p.m. No. 9 North Dakota State No. 22 Northern Iowa UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA ESPN+  NDSU 48–27   9,852 [84]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

FCS Playoffs

[edit]
See also: 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season § NCAA Division I playoff bracket

In 2023, six teams made the FCS Playoffs. South Dakota State (No. 1) and South Dakota (No. 3) both received byes; while North Dakota, North Dakota State, Southern Illinois, and Youngstown State were unseeded and played in the opening round. Below are the games in which they played.[17]

All times Central time. Tournament seedings in parentheses.

First round

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
November 25 12:00 p.m. No. 15 Sacramento State (Big Sky) No. 12 North Dakota Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND ESPN+ L 35–42   6,522 [85]
November 25 2:00 p.m. No. RV Nicholls (Southland) No. 14 Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL ESPN+ W 35–0   4,576 [86]
November 25 2:30 p.m. No. RV Drake (PFL) No. 8 North Dakota State Fargodome • Fargo, ND ESPN+ W 66–3   7,798 [87]
November 25 4:00 p.m. No. RV Duquesne (Northeast) No. 21 Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH ESPN+ W 40–7   3,866 [88]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Second round

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 2 11:00 a.m. No. 21 Youngstown State No. 6 (8) Villanova (CAA) Villanova Stadium • Villanova, PA ESPN+ L 28–45   2,105 [89]
December 2 1:00 p.m. No. 15 Sacramento State (Big Sky) No. 3 (3) South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ESPN+ W 34–24   6,288 [90]
December 2 1:00 p.m. No. 17 Mercer (SoCon) No. 1 (1) South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN+ W 41–0   10,171 [91]
December 2 2:00 p.m. No. 8 North Dakota State No. 5 (6) Montana State (Big Sky) Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT ESPN+ W 35–34 OT  17,247 [92]
December 2 9:00 p.m. No. 14 Southern Illinois No. 4 (4) Idaho (Big Sky) Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID ESPN+ L 17–20   9,224 [93]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Quarterfinals

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 9 11:00 a.m. No. 6 (8) Villanova (CAA) No. 1 (1) South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN W 23–12   10,216 [94]
December 9 1:30 p.m. No. 8 North Dakota State No. 3 (3) South Dakota DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD ABC  NDSU 45–17   9,141 [95]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Semifinals

[edit]
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
December 15 6:00 p.m. No. 9 (5) Albany (CAA) No. 1 South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD ESPN2 W 59–0   12,265 [96]
December 16 3:30 p.m. No. 8 North Dakota State No. 2 (2) Montana (Big Sky) Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT ESPN2 L 29–31 2OT  26,544 [97]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

National Championship

[edit]
See also: 2024 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game
Date Time Visiting team Home team Site TV Result Attendance Ref.
January 7 1:00 p.m. No. 2 (2) Montana (Big Sky) No. 1 (1) South Dakota State Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX ABC W 23–3   19,512 [98]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

MVFC records vs other conferences

[edit]

2023-24 records against non-conference foes:

Awards and honors

[edit]

Player of the week honors

[edit]
Week Offensive Defensive Special Teams Freshman
Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team Player Position Team
Week 1 (Sept. 4) [18] Nic Baker QB SIU Cole Wisniewski S NDSU Kaedin Steindorf P NDSU Tyshon King RB YSU
Week 2 (Sept. 11) [19] Mason Blakemore RB ILST Nick Gaes DT USD Griffin Crosa K NDSU Griffin Wilde WR SDSU
PJ Jules S SIU
Week 3 (Sept. 18) [20] Nic Baker QB SIU PJ Jules S SIU Tucker Large PR/S SDSU Tyshon King RB YSU
Week 4 (Sept. 25) [21] Jacob Clark QB MOST Caleb Blake CB MOST Ian Wagner K/P ILST Jayden Becks RB MOST
Week 5 (Oct. 2) [22] Theo Day QB UNI Dennis Shorter SS USD Orion Phillips P MUST Plez Lawrence RB INST
Carter Bell WR USD
Week 6 (Oct. 9) [23] Isaiah Davis RB SDSU Logan Kopp LB NDSU Jake Andjelic PK INST Tyshon King RB YSU
Week 7 (Oct. 16) [24] Gaven Ziebarth RB UND Isaiah Stalbird LB SDSU Will Leyland PK USD Owen Rozanc PK MOST
Luke Skokna RB/RS UND
Week 8 (Oct. 23) [25] Amauri Pesek-Hickson RB UNI Devin Goree DL MOST Andrew Lastovka PK YSU Charles Pierre Jr. RB USD
Week 9 (Oct. 30) [26] Mitch Davidson QB YSU Logan Kopp LB NDSU Hunter Dustman PK/P SDSU C.J. Elrichs PK UND
Week 10 (Nov. 6) [27] Tommy Schuster QB UND Brendan Webb LB USD Hunter Dustman K/P SDSU Mason Blakemore QB ILST
Week 11 (Nov. 13) [28] Raylen Sharpe WR MOST Garret Ollendieck LB INST Red Wilson WR/RS UND Amir Abdullah LB ILST
Week 12 (Nov. 20) [29] Jadon Janke WR SDSU Cole Wisniewski S NDSU Will Leyland PK USD Tim Varga DE SIU
Mark Gronowski QB SDSU

Players of the Year

[edit]

On November 27, 2023, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released their Players of the Year and All-Conference Honors.[30]

Offensive Player of the Year

[edit]

Two players were named as Offensive Player of the Year.

Defensive Player of the Year

[edit]

Newcomer of the Year

[edit]

Freshman of the Year

[edit]

Coach of the Year

[edit]

All-Conference Teams

[edit]

National Awards

[edit]

On November 21, 2023, STATS Perform released their list of finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, Jerry Rice Award, and the Eddie Robinson Award, respectively. Finalists are listed by order they appeared in the STATS Perform article.

Walter Payton Award

[edit]

The Walter Payton Award is given to the best FCS offensive player. The MVFC's own Mark Gronowski won the award (QB - South Dakota State).[31] Here were the other MVFC finalists:[32]

Buck Buchanan Award

[edit]

The Buck Buchanan Award is given to the best FCS defensive player. Here were the MVFC finalists:[33]

Jerry Rice Award

[edit]

The Jerry Rice Award is given to the best FCS freshman player. Here were the MVFC finalists:[34]

Eddie Robinson Award

[edit]

The Eddie Robinson Award is given to the best FCS head coach. The MVFC's own Jimmy Rogers won the award, and it was announced on December 7, 2023.[35] Here were the MVFC finalists:[36]

All-Americans

[edit]
AP[37]
1st Team 		AP
2nd Team 		AP
3rd Team 		AFCA[38]
1st Team
 AFCA
2nd Team 		STATS[39]
1st Team
 STATS
2nd Team 		STATS
3rd Team 		ADA
[40]
Amir Abdullah, LB, Illinois State Green tickY Green tickY
Brendan Webb, DL, South Dakota Green tickY Green tickY
Brock Mogensen, LB, South Dakota Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Cam Grandy, TE, Illinois State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State Green tickY
Cole Rusk, TE, Murray State Green tickY
Cole Wisniewski, DB, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Garret Greenfield, OL, South Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Grant Burkett, P, Missouri State Green tickY
Hunter Brozio, LS, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY
Isaiah Davis, RB, South Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Jake Kubas, OL, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY
Jalen Sundell, OL, North Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY
Jared Penning, OL, Northern Iowa Green tickY
Khristian Boyd, DL, Northern Iowa Green tickY Green tickY
Mark Gronowski, QB, South Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Mason McCormick, OL, South Dakota State Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Matthew Cook, PK, Northern Iowa Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Myles Harden, DB, South Dakota Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
PJ Jules, DB, Southern Illinois Green tickY Green tickY Green tickY
Raylen Sharpe, WR, Missouri State Green tickY Green tickY
Sam Schnee, WR, Northern Iowa Green tickY

Home attendance

[edit]
Team Stadium Capacity Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 Game 5 Game 6 Game 7 Game 8 Game 9 Total Average % of Capacity
Illinois State Hancock Stadium 13,391 6,740 13,391† 8,272 N/A N/A 5,623 34,026 8,506 63.5%
Indiana State Memorial Stadium 12,764 4,355 3,228 4,908† 4,798 3,151 20,440 4,088 32.0%
Missouri State Robert W. Plaster Stadium 17,500 11,002 8,727 11,386† 7,700 6,898 45,713 9,142 52.2%
Murray State Roy Stewart Stadium 16,800 6,953 13,213 15,868† 6,217 5,957 48,208 9,641 57.4%
North Dakota Alerus Center 12,283 8,503 10,009 9,758 13,091† 11,125 9,238 6,522‡ 68,246 9,749 79.4%
North Dakota State Fargodome 18,700 15,044 15,016 18,342† 14,255 13,876 14,191 7,798‡ 98,522 14,074 75.3%
Northern Iowa UNI-Dome 16,324 7,967 10,346 10,677† 8,051 9,852 46,893 9,378 57.5%
South Dakota DakotaDome 9,100 6,126 5,618 7,907 3,608 9,458† 6,834 6,288‡ 9,141‡ 54,980 6,872 75.5%
South Dakota State Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium 19,340 16,258 19,332 19,231 19,357 19,431† 15,637 10,171‡ 10,216‡ 12,265‡ 141,881 15,764 81.5%
Southern Illinois Saluki Stadium 15,000 8,327 10,359 11,927† 7,106 4,812 4,576‡ 47,107 7,851 52.3%
Western Illinois Hanson Field 17,128 3,648† 3,548 2,809 2,636 1,935 14,576 2,915 17.0%
Youngstown State Stambaugh Stadium 20,630 8,593 12,826† 9,767 10,022 9,880 9,303 3,866‡ 64,257 9,179 44.5%

Bold - Exceed or met capacity
†Season High
‡FCS Playoff Game

2024 NFL draft

[edit]
Main article: 2024 NFL draft

The following list includes all MVFC players who were drafted in the 2024 NFL draft.

Player Position School Draft
Round 		Round
Pick 		Overall
Pick 		Team Notes
Mason McCormick
OT
 South Dakota State 4 19 119
Pittsburgh Steelers
Isaiah Davis
RB
 South Dakota State 5 38 173
New York Jets
 from Kansas City via San Francisco
Khristian Boyd
DT
Northern Iowa
 		6 23 199
New Orleans Saints
 from Philadelphia
Myles Harden
CB
South Dakota
 		7 7 227
Cleveland Browns
 from Tennessee

Undrafted Free Agents

[edit]
Player Position School Team
Zack Annexstad QB
Illinois State
 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Terique Owens WR
Missouri State
 San Francisco 49ers
TaMerik Williams RB
North Dakota State
 Seattle Seahawks
Jalen Sundell OL
North Dakota State
 Cleveland Browns
Jake Kubas OL
North Dakota State
 New York Giants
Jayden Price CB
North Dakota State
 Atlanta Falcons
Demarcus Governor CB
Northern Iowa
 Las Vegas Raiders
Sam Schnee WR
Northern Iowa
 Tennessee Titans
P.J. Jules S
Southern Illinois
 Cincinnati Bengals
Brock Mogenson LB
South Dakota
 Dallas Cowboys
Jadon Janke WR South Dakota State Houston Texans
Jaxon Janke WR South Dakota State Houston Texans
Zach Heins TE South Dakota State Los Angeles Chargers
Garret Greenfield OT South Dakota State Seattle Seahawks
DyShawn Gales CB South Dakota State Cleveland Browns
Isaiah Stalbird LB South Dakota State New Orleans Saints
Bryce Oliver WR
Youngstown State
 Tennessee Titans

Source:[41][42]

Head coaches

[edit]

Through January 7, 2024
All stats include 2023 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 15 101–70 (.591) 101–70 (.591) 64–52 (.552) 2 5 7–5 (.583) 0
Indiana State Curt Mallory 6[a] 20–47 (.299) 20–47 (.299) 13–35 (.271) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
Missouri State Ryan Beard 1 4–7 (.364) 4–7 (.364) 3–5 (.375) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
Murray State Dean Hood[b] 4 70–62 (.530) 15–24 (.385) 1–6 (.143) 0 3 0–3 (.000) 0
North Dakota Bubba Schweigert[c] 10 83–71 (.539) 61–50 (.550) 17–12 (.586) 0 5 1–5 (.167) 0
North Dakota State Matt Entz 5 60–11 (.845) 60–11 (.845) 32–7 (.821) 2 5 12–3 (.800) 2
Northern Iowa Mark Farley 23 180–103 (.636) 180–103 (.636) 116–59 (.663) 7 13 16–13 (.552) 0
South Dakota Bob Nielson[d] 8 228–125–1 (.645) 42–45 (.483) 29–31 (.483) 0 3 2–3 (.400) 2
South Dakota State Jimmy Rogers 1 15–0 (1.000) 15–0 (1.000) 8–0 (1.000) 1 1 4–0 (1.000) 1
Southern Illinois Nick Hill 8 44–48 (.478) 44–48 (.478) 26–36 (.419) 0 3 3–3 (.500) 0
Western Illinois Myers Hendrickson[e] 2 0–22 (.000) 0–22 (.000) 0–16 (.000) 0 0 0–0 (–) 0
Youngstown State Doug Phillips 4 18–22 (.450) 18–22 (.450) 12–18 (.400) 0 1 1–1 (.500) 0
  1. ^ Indiana State did not play football in the 2020-21 academic year
  2. ^ Dean Hood coached Eastern Kentucky from 2008-2015. During his time there, the Colonels went 55-38 overall and 44-19 in the Ohio Valley Conference. This also included three FCS playoff berths, all three of which ended in the first round. Hood has coached Murray State since 2020, and while in the Ohio Valley Conference the team finished with a 13-16 overall record and a 9-9 league record.
  3. ^ Bubba Schweigert coached Minnesota Duluth of NCAA Division II from 2004-07. He also coached North Dakota while they were a part of the Big Sky Conference from 2014-17 and were independents in 2018 and 2019.
  4. ^ Bob Nielson coached Western Illinois from 2013-15, which included a run in the playoffs that ended in the second round. Nielson also coached Minnesota-Duluth from 1999-2003 and 2008-12, that second stint included five consecutive NCAA Division II playoff appearances highlighted by 2 National Titles. In the first stint at MN-Duluth included his first Division II playoff appearance. Nielson also coached Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1996-98 that included one NCAA Division III playoff run that ended in the semifinals. Before that, he coached Wartburg from 1991-95, which included two Division III playoff runs as well. His first head coaching job was at Ripon from 1989-90.
  5. ^ Myers Hendrickson previously coached at Kansas Wesleyan of the NAIA from 2019-21, and helped the Coyotes to two NAIA playoff appearances.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Leatherneck Athletics Moving to Ohio Valley Conference for All Sports". goleathernecks.com. Western Illinois Leathernecks. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  2. ^ "South Dakota State Beats Montana to Win 2024 FCS Championship for 2nd Straight Title". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  3. ^ "Bergen comes up big as Montana beats North Dakota State 31-29 in 2 OTs to make FCS Championship game". cbssports.com. CBS. December 17, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "North Dakota State rolls into FCS semifinals with 45-17 win over South Dakota". cbssports.com. CBS. December 9, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Villanova tops Youngstown State 45-28 in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Chavez kicks 29-yard FG in OT to help Idaho beat S. Illinois 20-17, advance to FCS quarters". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 3, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "Late score gives Sacramento State 42-35 win over North Dakota in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. November 25, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  8. ^ "South Dakota State wins 1st FCS title over North Dakota State". ESPN. ESPN. January 8, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  9. ^ "Weber State holds on to beat North Dakota in FCS playoffs". apnews.com. Associated Press. November 26, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  10. ^ "Missouri Valley Football Conference adds Murray State Racers". argusleader.com. Sioux Falls Argus Leader. April 4, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Beard takes over Bears football program". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears. December 19, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  12. ^ "Petrino Accepts Position at UNLV". missouristatebears.com. Missouri State Bears. December 15, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  13. ^ "Rogers introduced as head coach". gojacks.com. South Dakota State Jackrabbits. January 20, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "Stiegelmeier announces retirement". gojacks.com. South Dakota State Jackrabbits. January 19, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  15. ^ "2023 Missouri Valley Football Preseason Poll". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  16. ^ "2023 Preseason Poll and Team" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  17. ^ "2023 FCS Football Official Bracket". ncaa.com. NCAA. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
  18. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (9.4.23)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 4, 2023. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  19. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (9-11-2023)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 11, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  20. ^ "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Sept. 18)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  21. ^ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Sept. 25)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  22. ^ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 2)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  23. ^ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 9)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  24. ^ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (O16)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  25. ^ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 23)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  26. ^ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (O30)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  27. ^ "Missouri Valley Football Players of the Week - Nov. 6". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  28. ^ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week (Nov. 13)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  29. ^ "Missouri Valley Football - Players of the Week". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  30. ^ "2023 Missouri Valley Football All-Conference Teams". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  31. ^ "SDSU's Mark Gronowski Wins 2023 Walter Payton Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  32. ^ "Heisman of the FCS: 30 Named Finalists for 2023 Walter Payton Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  33. ^ "30 FCS Defensive Standouts Named Finalists for 2023 Buck Buchanan Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  34. ^ "22 FCS Freshman Standouts named 2023 Jerry Rice Award Finalists". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  35. ^ "SDSU's Jimmy Rogers is 2023 Eddie Robinson award recipient". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  36. ^ "20 FCS Coaches are named Finalists for the 2023 Eddie Robinson Award". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  37. ^ "South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski and Monmouth RB Jaden Shirden lead AP FCS All-American team". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  38. ^ "Monmouth's Jaden Shirden and North Dakota State's Cole Wisniewski Highlight the 2023 AFCA FCS Coaches' All-America Teams". afca.com. American Football Coaches Association. December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  39. ^ "Widespread Talent Fills 2023 Stats Perform FCS All-America, Freshman Teams". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
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  42. ^ "NFL UDFA Tracker 2024". profootballnetwork.com. PFN. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
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