PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE
#14Montana (13) at #3 SDSU (2) [ESPN+] 1 PM CT
#15 Abilene Christian (15) at #2 NDSU (3) [ESPN+] 2 PM CT
#13Tarleton State (14) at #4 South Dakota (3) [ESPN+] 2 PM CT
#12 Illinois State (10) at #5 UC Davis (5) [ESPN+] 3 PM CT
#11 Villanova (11) at #6 UIW (6) [ESPN+] 1 PM CT
#10 Rhode Island (10) at #7Mercer (8) [ESPN+] 1 PM CT
UT Martin (20) at #1Montana State (1) [ESPN+] 2 PM CT
Lehigh (NR) at #8 Idaho (7) [ESPN+] 8 PM CT
MVFC NOTEBOOK
MVFC: 2 of Top 3 Seeds
Since 1985, a league member has been seeded No. 1-4 in the FCS Championship a total of 35 times (nine different league members have been seeded in the Top 4 in league history.) Four previous times have two MVFC teams been seeded in the Top 4 in the same tournament – and a Missouri Valley Football school won the title in three of those four seasons (2014, 2022, 2023).
Against the Rest
Counting this year, the MVFC is 147-89 in the NCAA FCS playoffs. Included in that overall record is a .500 or better performance against 10 of the 11 conferences faced.
In the Field of 24
The MVFC earned four bids in 2024, marking the 10th time the league has had four or more playoff teams in the same season. The league has 15 title-game appearances in the last 13 years (including an FCS-record and current streak of 11 in a row) and 11 FCS titles in that span. In those 13 seasons (2011-23), the MVFC had a total of 95 playoff victories; next best is the CAA with 54.
In the Round of 16
Since the playoff bracket expanded to 20 teams in 2010 (3 years) and 24 in 2013 (12 years), the MVFC has had a minimum of two teams in the Round of 16 every year, which includes a record-tying five teams in 2023. Five MVFC teams made the Round of 16 in 2014, 2023, and in 2020 (i.e. Spring 2021, when the bracket was only 16 teams). Four MVFC teams (Illinois State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State) are in this year’s Round of 16.
5 MVFC Teams Ranked
Five league teams are in the final regular-season Coaches poll and four are ranked in the Stats Perform poll of Nov. 25. The league has three of the Top 4 (NDSU, USD, SDSU) in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches poll. Illinois State is ranked in both polls (10 and 11), while MoState (21) is ranked in the AFCA poll. The MVFC is 4-3 against ranked FCS nonconference teams in 2024, through games of Saturday, Nov. 30. MVFC schools are 22-7 against FCS opponents this year, with three of those seven losses to ranked FCS non-league teams. The 22-7 mark against peer FCS programs is the best of any FCS league.
