The Week Ahead
All 10 league teams are in action with five conference games on the slate.  Illinois State, which beat Missouri State last weekend in the opener for both schools, hopes to improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the league when it hosts Indiana State.  And two schools will have Homecoming games this weekend, including North Dakota State and Western Illinois.

Saturday, Sept. 30
*Missouri St. at #2 N. Dakota St., 2:30 pm CT • Fargo, ND • NBC ND / ESPN3
*#10 South Dakota at #13 W. Illinois, 3 pm CT • Macomb, Ill. • ESPN3
*#20 UNI at Southern Illinois, 6 pm CT • Carbondale, Ill. • ESPN3
*#4 S. Dakota St. at #5 Youngstown St., 6 pm CT • Youngstown, Ohio • ESPN3
*Indiana State at #8 Illinois State, 6:30 pm CT • Normal, Ill. • ESPN3
*denotes Conference game

Weekly MVFC Notebook (PDF)

On the Air
All five league games will air on ESPN3 this weekend, with the league producing the South Dakota-Western Illinois contest at 3 pm CT.  Scott Warmann, Danan Hughes and Kelly Burke will be on the call from Macomb.

• All five league games this week feature at least one ranked team, and two of the matchups pit two top-25 teams against one another.  It will mark the 152nd and 153rd time in league history that two ranked teams played one another.  The meeting between No. 4 South Dakota State and No. 5 Youngstown State will be the 35th meeting between two top-10 MVFC schools, and the 11th involving two top-5 MVFC schools.
• Youngstown State’s 10-game winning streak at home is tied for the fourth-best active streak in the NCAA.  North Dakota State’s 10-game road winning streak is best among current streaks.
• Based on cumulative opposition (past opponents and future opponents), all 10 MVFC schools rank in the Top 20 in the NCAA for ‘toughest schedules.’
• South Dakota ranks No. 4 in total offense (561.3 yards per game) to lead the league.  North Dakota State (1st at 56.0 points per game) and South Dakota (5th at 52.3 ppg) are in the Top 5 in the FCS in scoring offense.
• The MVFC has the top 3 schools in the FCS for fewest passing yards allowed per game:  North Dakota State (1st, 78.7 ypg); Illinois State (2nd, 100.3 ypg); and Youngstown State (3rd, 111.0).
• Seven MVFC teams are ranked in the FCS Coaches top-25 poll, marking the 14th time that’s happened in league history, including the third week in a row this season. Five teams appear in the Top 10 for the first time this year (and for the third time in league history), matching a record previously established on 9/28/15 and again on 10/5/15. Three teams are in the Top 5 of the poll for the third-straight week and fourth time in league history (also on 9/28/15).
• South Dakota (at Bowling Green) and Western Illinois (at Coastal Carolina) earned FBS wins this year.  The league has now had two or more FBS wins in the same season in six of the past seven seasons.
• The MVFC’s nine road wins in non-conference regular-season play match a league record that was established in 2007.  Illinois State (at Northern Arizona on Oct. 7) has one non-conference game remaining.

Open Season
The 33rd season of MVFC action gets underway in earnest on Sept. 30 (Illinois State and Missouri State opened league play this past weekend in Springfield, Mo.)  Youngstown State (8) and North Dakota State (6) have the longest active win streaks in season-opening games.  YSU, in fact, is 17-3 all-time in its first league game each season. Southern Illinois and Missouri State played in the league’s first conference game on 9/7/85.  

Against the FBS
The MVFC recorded a 2-5 record this year against FBS schools.  The Conference has had at least one FBS win in each of the last eight seasons.  The FCS now has nine wins against FBS schools overall in 2017.  There were 10 FCS wins against FBS programs in 2016 and the FCS set a record in 2013 with 16 wins against FBS programs that year.

Idaho State 30, Nevada 28
North Carolina A&T State 35, Charlotte 31
South Dakota 35, Bowling Green 27
Liberty 48, Baylor 45
James Madison 34, East Carolina 14
New Hampshire 22, Georgia Southern 12
Tennessee State 17, Georgia State 10
Howard 43, UNLV 40
Western Illinois 52, Coastal Carolina 10


Against the FCS
The MVFC is 18-4 against FCS schools this year, which includes two road losses to ranked FCS teams, one of which (Liberty) is transitioning to FBS.  CAA Football is an FCS-best 19-2 against FCS peers, and only the Big Sky (8-6), Ivy (9-2), SoCon (7-5) and Southland (6-4) have winning marks.

Road Warriors
MVFC teams have combined to post nine non-conference road wins, among the best in the league’s 32-year history (the totals below also include playoff games.)

Non-Conference Road Wins, All-Time
11 - 2014 (11-12) [includes 4 playoff road wins]
10 - 1999 (10-10) [includes 2 playoff road wins]
9 - 2017 (9-8)
9 - 2007 (9-7) [all were in regular-season play]
9 - 2016 (9-9) [includes 2 playoff road wins]
8 -- 6 times
  
Western Sets MVFC Record
Western Illinois’ 52 points against Coastal Carolina set a league record for most points against an FBS opponent.

Most Points by MVFC School vs. FBS Foe
52 - W. Illinois (at Coastal Caro, 9-23-17, W, 52-10)
47 - Southern Illinois (at Indiana, 9-15-15, L, 48-47)
45 - Southern Illinois (at E. Mich, 9-8-02, L, 48-45)
44 - Indiana St. (at W. Kentucky, 9-17-11, W, 44-16)
44 - YSU (vs. Kent State, 9-6-97, W, 44-23)
43 - Missouri State (at Mizzou, 9-2-17, L, 72-43)
42 - UNI (at Wyoming, 9-11-93, L, 45-42)

5 in MVFC are Still Perfect
Five MVFC schools are unbeaten in 2017 (Illinois State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Western Illinois are all 3-0).  In 2012, three league teams (Illinois State-5-0; North Dakota State-5-0; and Youngstown State-4-0) all started 4-0 or better before losing.  That’s the only time three different league teams started a season 4-0.  The first time the league had as many as two 4-0 teams was in 2007 (UNI/SIU that year).  Notably, only 15 unscathed FCS teams (and 24 in the FBS) remain, through games of Sept. 30.

FCS Unbeatens (15)
4-0    James Madison, North Carolina A&T
3-0    Citadel, Illinois State, North Dakota State, Sam Houston State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Western Illinois, Wofford
2-0    Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton, Yale

FCS Unbeatens (by conference)
5    Missouri Valley Football, Ivy League
2    SoCon
1    CAA Football, MEAC, Southland

MVFC Dominates Sagarin Rankings
Among conferences, the MVFC is the top-rated league in the FCS, but also ranks ahead of a number of FBS leagues, including the Mountain West (West Division), the C-USA (both the East and West divisions), the MAC (East Division), and the Sun Belt.  The league owns seven of the top 8 positions in this week's team rankings (James Madison from the CAA is the only non-MVFC school in the Top 8 among FCS schools.)

Sagarin Rankings, Conference Leaders (FCS)
 1. MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL
  2. CAA Football
  3. Southern
  4. Big Sky
  5. Ohio Valley

Nation’s Top Defenses
North Dakota State and Illinois State rank 1-2 in the FCS in total defense.  The Bison are also tops in rushing (27.7 ypg allowed) and passing defense (78.7 ypg allowed). 

Efficiency Leaders
QB Chris Streveler of USD (4th, 173.5 rating) and QB Sean McGuire of Western Illinois (6th, 171.8 rating) are among the national FCS leaders.  The league single-season record:  Steve Beard, UNI (169.5 in 1996).

Among the Best All-Time
The MVFC’s 20-9 (.690) non-conference record would rank third-best all-time in league history, behind 2014 (35-12, .745) and 1999 (30-12, .714).  The 2014 season includes a 7-1 playoff non-conference record, and the 1999 season includes a 5-2 playoff slate against non-league teams.  The .690 regular-season record is fifth-best in league annals (with one game left).

Making a Point
Three league schools rank in the Top 5 in the FCS in fewest points allowed.  South Dakota (7th, 13.7) Western Illinois (11th, 14.7) and South Dakota State (18th, 16.7) also represent the league in the Top 20.