2025 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

After the conclusion of the 2024 college football season, Missouri State left the conference to reclassify to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and move to Conference USA after 39 years in the league as a charter member. This move matches the Bears' departure from MVFC's sister conference, the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), which they also left after the 2024–25 collegiate season.^[8]

Later, on May 5, 2025, the conference announced a new governance structure to begin on July 1, 2025 that placed MVC commissioner Jeff Jackson as the next MVFC commissioner following Patty Viverito's retirement on June 30. It also placed Summit League commissioner Josh Fenton as an executive advisor to the conference. The new structure formalized the decades-long unofficial ties between the MVC and MVFC, and also established a formal relationship between the MVFC and Summit.^[9]

On December 8, 2024, Eric Schmidt was named the next head coach at North Dakota.^[10] Schmidt takes over for Bubba Schweigert, who stepped down after the 2024 season.^[11]

On December 3, 2024, Todd Stepsis was named the new head coach at Northern Iowa.^[12] Stepsis takes over for longtime coach Mark Farley, who retired after the 2024 season.^[13]

On January 16, 2025, Travis Johansen was named the next head coach at South Dakota.^[14] Johansen steps in for Bob Nielson, who retired after the 2024 season.^[15]

On December 31, 2024, Dan Jackson was named the next head coach at South Dakota State.^[16] Jackson was hired after Jimmy Rogers left the program to become the next head coach at Washington State.^[17]

Summarize Top Qs Fact Check

The annual preseason poll; voted on by conference coaches, athletic directors, and media members.^[18]

Predicted finish	Team	Points (First place votes)
1	North Dakota State	417 (39)
2	South Dakota State	355
3	South Dakota	349 (3)
4	Illinois State	292
5	Youngstown State	211
6	Southern Illinois	208
7	North Dakota	196
8	Northern Iowa	130
9	Indiana State	105
10	Murray State	47

In a departure from seasons past, the MVFC released a player "watch-list" that was voted on by the league's athletic directors, coaches, and media members.

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	Wk 13	Final
Illinois State	STATS	6	7	7	6	7	6	9	10	18	17	16	14	11	17т	2
	Coaches	6	7	4	4	5	6	10	9	20	18	17	13	11т	17	2
Indiana State	STATS
	Coaches			RV
Murray State	STATS
	Coaches
North Dakota	STATS	RV	20	16	16	14	15	13	9	8	8	13	13	13	19	14
	Coaches	RV	22	17	17	15т	14	12	11	10	10	15	18	16	23	16
North Dakota State	STATS	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	4т
	Coaches	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	5
Northern Iowa	STATS
	Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV
South Dakota	STATS	4	4	12	15	17	21	23	22	21	RV	22	17	16	12	9
	Coaches	5	6	20	21	18	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	22	21	20	11
South Dakota State	STATS	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	4т	8	16	22	16	13
	Coaches	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	5	9	15	22	18	14
Southern Illinois	STATS	20	14	17	13	11	10	8	12	16	16	15	21	24	23	25
	Coaches	20	15	14	11	12	11	9	12	18	17	16	23	RV	25	RV
Youngstown State	STATS	RV	RV	RV	RV	24	24	RV	RV	22	18	21	20	18	14	18
	Coaches	RV	RV	25	24	19	18	20	25	21	19	22	19	17	13	17

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

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

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 28	5:00 PM	McKendree	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	W 41–24	3,206	[19]
August 28	5:00 PM	Mercyhurst	No. RV Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	W 24–15	7,040	[20]
August 30	11:00 AM	No. 1 North Dakota State	The Citadel	Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, SC	ESPN+	W 38–0	10,691	[21]
August 30	1:00 PM	Butler	Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	W 38–14	9,079	[22]
August 30	2:30 PM	No. 4 South Dakota	No. 22^ Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA	FOX	L 7–55	61,500	[23]
August 30	4:30 PM	Murray State	East Tennessee State	William B. Greene Jr. Stadium • Johnson City, TN	ESPN+	L 17–45	9,122	[24]
August 30	5:00 PM	No. 6 Illinois State	No. 18^ Oklahoma	Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, OK	ESPN+	L 35–3	83,218	[25]
August 30	6:00 PM	No. RV North Dakota	No. 17^ Kansas State	Bill Snyder Family Stadium • Manhattan, KS	ESPN+	L 38–35	51,927	[26]
August 30	6:00 PM	No. 15 Sacramento State	No. 3 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 20–3	19,163	[27]
August 30	6:00 PM	Thomas More	No. 20 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	W 49–3	6,585	[28]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 6	12:00 PM	Eastern Illinois	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	W 38–14	5,281	[29]
September 6	1:00 PM	Robert Morris	No. RV Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	W 56–17	12,042	[30]
September 6	1:30 PM	No. 1 North Dakota State	No. RV Tennessee State	Nissan Stadium • Nashville, TN	ESPN+	W 59–3	8,569	[31]
September 6	3:00 PM	Northern Iowa	Wyoming	War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY	Altitude2	L 7–31	25,009	[32]
September 6	6:00 PM	Morehead State	No. 7 Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	W 41–13	N/A	[33]
September 6	6:00 PM	No. 4 South Dakota	Lamar	Provost Umphrey Stadium • Beaumont, TX	ESPN+	L 13–20	6,043	[34]
September 6	6:00 PM	Southeastern Louisiana	Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	L 24–45	15,027	[35]
September 6	6:00 PM	Portland State	No. 20 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	W 50–20	11,469	[36]
September 6	6:30 PM	No. 14 Southern Illinois	Purdue	Ross-Ade Stadium • West Lafayette, IN	BTN	L 17–34	54,663	[37]
September 6	7:00 PM	No. 2 South Dakota State	No. 3 Montana State	Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT	ESPN+	W 30–24 2OT	22,117	[38]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 12	6:30 PM	Indiana State	No. 22^ Indiana	Memorial Stadium • Bloomington, IN	BTN	L 0–73	46,219	[39]
September 13	1:00 PM	Northern Colorado	No. 12 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 24–17 OT	6,445	[40]
September 13	2:00 PM	No. 7 Illinois State	Eastern Illinois	O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL (Mid-America Classic)	ESPN+	W 42–30	6,720	[41]
September 13	2:00 PM	No. 16 North Dakota	No. 5 Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT	ESPN+	L 23–24	26,492	[42]
September 13	2:30 PM	No. RV Youngstown State	Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lansing, MI	BTN	L 24–41	71,301	[43]
September 13	2:30 PM	No. RV Southeast Missouri State	No. 1 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	W 41–14	17,354	[44]
September 13	4:00 PM	Eastern Washington	Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	W 17–14	10,774	[45]
September 13	6:00 PM	Murray State	Georgia State	Center Parc Stadium • Atlanta, GA	ESPN+	L 21–37	13,988	[46]
September 13	6:00 PM	Drake	No. 2 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 37–21	19,213	[47]
September 13	6:00 PM	No. 17 Southern Illinois	No. RV UT Martin	Graham Stadium • Martin, TN	ESPN+	W 37–10	5,402	[48]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 20	12:00 PM	North Alabama	No. 6 Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	W 38–36 2OT	11,287	[49]
September 20	1:00 PM	Drake	No. 15 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 42–21	7,441	[50]
September 20	2:00 PM	Indiana State	No. 5 Montana	Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT	ESPN+	L 20–63	26,193	[51]
September 20	3:00 PM	Valparaiso	No. 16 North Dakota†	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	W 58–7	11,424	[52]
September 20	5:00 PM	No. RV Youngstown State	Towson	Johnny Unitas Stadium • Towson, MD	FloSports	W 31–28	6,042	[53]
September 20	6:00 PM	Murray State	Jacksonville State	AmFirst Stadium • Jacksonville, AL	ESPN+	L 10–45	21,426	[54]
September 20	6:00 PM	No. 13 Southern Illinois	No. RV Southeast Missouri State	Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO (War for the Wheel)	ESPN+	W 59–31	8,050	[55]
September 20	7:00 PM	Northern Iowa	Utah Tech	Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT	ESPN+	L 9–20	4,784	[56]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
September 20	No. 1 North Dakota State	No. 2 South Dakota State

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 27	1:00 PM	No. 17 South Dakota	No. 1 North Dakota State†	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 51–13	18,498	[57]
September 27	2:00 PM	Mercyhurst	No. 2 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 51–7	19,034	[58]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
September 27	No. 7 Illinois State	Indiana State	Murray State	No. 14 North Dakota	Northern Iowa	No. 11 Southern Illinois	No. 24 Youngstown State

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 4	2:00 PM	Murray State	No. 21 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	USD 49–24	7,953	[59]
October 4	4:00 PM	No. 15 North Dakota	Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	UND 35–7	12,048	[60]
October 4	5:00 PM	No. 2 South Dakota State	No. 24 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	SDSU 35–30	11,068	[61]
October 4	6:00 PM	No. 1 North Dakota State	No. 6 Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	NDSU 33–16	9,829	[62]
October 4	6:00 PM	Indiana State	No. 10 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	SIU 55–27	10,132	[63]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 11	12:00 PM	No. 23 South Dakota	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	USD 19–14	5,373	[64]
October 11	2:00 PM	Northern Iowa	No. 2 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	SDSU 31–3	19,342	[65]
October 11	2:30 PM	No. 8 Southern Illinois	No. 1 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 45–17	15,812	[66]
October 11	3:00 PM	No. RV Youngstown State	No. 13 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 35–17	11,960	[67]
October 11	6:00 PM	No. 9 Illinois State	Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	ILST 46–32	5,647	[68]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 18	12:00 PM	No. 1 North Dakota State	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	NDSU 38–7	3,252	[69]
October 18	1:00 PM	No. 2 South Dakota State	Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	SDSU 35–14	6,746	[70]
October 18	1:00 PM	No. 22 South Dakota	Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	USD 17–14	8,434	[71]
October 18	2:00 PM	No. RV Youngstown State	No. 10 Illinois State†	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	YSU 40–35	9,834	[72]
October 18	2:00 PM	No. 9 North Dakota	No. 12 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	UND 38–19	5,132	[73]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 25	1:00 PM	No. 18 Illinois State	No. 21 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	ILST 21–13	6,333	[74]
October 25	1:00 PM	Murray State	No. 22 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	YSU 51–17	9,664	[75]
October 25	2:00 PM	Northern Iowa	No. 16 Southern Illinois†	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	SIU 31–17	8,115	[76]
October 25	3:00 PM	Indiana State	No. 8 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 46–17	10,618	[77]
October 25	7:00 PM	No. 1 North Dakota State	No. 2 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker)	ESPNU	NDSU 38–7	19,477	[78]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 1	1:00 PM	No. 8 North Dakota	No. RV South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD (Sitting Bull Trophy)	ESPN+	USD 26–21	6,809	[79]
November 1	2:00 PM	Northern Iowa	No. 17 Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	ILST 31–16	7,756	[80]
November 1	2:00 PM	Indiana State	No. 4т South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	INST 24–12	15,842	[81]
November 1	2:30 PM	No. 18 Youngstown State	No. 1 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 38–30	14,607	[82]
November 1	4:00 PM	No. 16 Southern Illinois	Murray State†	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	SIU 27–7	8,506	[83]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 8	12:00 PM	No. 16 Illinois State	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	ILST 52–20	3,202	[84]
November 8	1:00 PM	No. 1 North Dakota State	No. 13 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND (Nickel Trophy)	ESPN+	NDSU 15–10	12,749	[85]
November 8	1:00 PM	Murray State	Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	UNI 31–14	8,529	[86]
November 8	1:00 PM	No. 15 Southern Illinois	No. 21 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	YSU 48–38	8,448	[87]
November 8	3:00 PM	No. 8 South Dakota State	No. 22 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD (rivalry)	ESPNU	USD 24–17	9,159	[88]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 15	11:00 AM	No. 13 North Dakota	Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY	ESPN+	UND 35–17	6,783	[89]
November 15	11:00 AM	Indiana State	No. 20 Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	YSU 48–29	7,392	[90]
November 15	12:00 PM	No. 17 South Dakota	No. 21 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	USD 53–51 5OT	5,622	[91]
November 15	2:00 PM	No. 14 Illinois State	No. 16 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	ILST 35–21	11,407	[92]
November 15	2:30 PM	Northern Iowa	No. 1 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 48–16	14,736	[93]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 22	12:00 PM	No. 24 Southern Illinois	No. 11 Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	SIU 37–7	6,895	[94]
November 22	12:00 PM	Murray State	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	MUST 31–17	2,834	[95]
November 22	1:00 PM	No. 22 South Dakota State	No. 13 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	SDSU 34–31 OT	11,396	[96]
November 22	1:00 PM	No. 18 Youngstown State	Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	YSU 35–32	7,361	[97]
November 22	2:30 PM	St. Thomas	No. 1 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	W 62–7	15,278	[98]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
November 22	No. 16 South Dakota

In 2025, six teams made the FCS playoffs. North Dakota State (No. 1) received a first round bye; South Dakota (No. 11), South Dakota State (No. 14), Youngstown State (No. 15), Illinois State, and North Dakota played in the first round. Below are the games in which they played.

Index to colors and formatting
MVFC member won
MVFC member lost
MVFC teams in bold

All times Central time, seedings in parentheses.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 29	11:00 AM	No. 24 Yale (Ivy League)	No. 14 (15) Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	L 42–43	4,869	[99]
November 29	12:00 PM	No. RV Drake (PFL)	No. 12 (11) South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 38–17	3,964	[100]
November 29	12:00 PM	No. 22 New Hampshire (CAA)	No. 16 (14) South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 41–3	3,843	[101]
November 29	12:00 PM	No. 17т Illinois State	No. 17т (16) Southeastern Louisiana (Southland)	Strawberry Stadium • Hammond, LA	ESPN+	W 21–3	3,321	[102]
November 29	12:00 PM	No. 19 North Dakota	No. 6 (13) Tennessee Tech (OVC–Big South)	Tucker Stadium • Cookeville, TN	ESPN+	W 31–6	4,641	[103]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 6	11:00 AM	No. 11 (12) South Dakota	No. 7 (6) Mercer (SoCon)	Five Star Stadium • Macon, GA	ESPN+	W 47–0	3,042	[104]
December 6	12:00 PM	No. 17т Illinois State	No. 1 (1) North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	ILST 29–28	10,464	[105]
December 6	12:00 PM	No. 19 North Dakota	No. 5 (4) Tarleton State (UAC)	Memorial Stadium • Stephenville, TX	ESPN+	L 13–31	19,742	[106]
December 6	1:00 PM	No. 16 (14) South Dakota State	No. 3 (3) Montana (Big Sky)	Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT	ESPN+	L 29–50	18,197	[107]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 13	2:30 PM	No. 11 (12) South Dakota	No. 3 (3) Montana (Big Sky)	Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT	ABC	L 22–52	22,725	[108]
December 13	4:00 PM	No. 17т Illinois State	No. 11 (8) UC Davis (Big Sky)	UC Davis Health Stadium • Davis, CA	ESPN+	W 42–31	9,216	[109]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 20	6:30 PM	No. 17т Illinois State	No. 9 (12) Villanova (CAA)	Villanova Stadium • Villanova, PA	ESPN2	W 30–14	4,133	[110]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
January 5	6:30 PM	No. 17т Illinois State	No. 2 (2) Montana State (Big Sky)	FirstBank Stadium • Nashville, TN	ESPN	L 34–35OT	24,105	[111]
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

2025–26 records against non-conference foes:

Summarize Timeline Top Qs Fact Check

Week	Offensive			Defensive			Special teams			Newcomer			Offensive line
	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team
Week 1 (Sept. 1) [112]	Plez Lawrence	RB	INST	Dathan Hickey	DB	YSU	Sebastian Lopez	PK	INST	Julius Loughridge	RB	SDSU	Seth Anderson	OL	UND
Week 2 (Sept. 8) [113]	Beau Brungard	QB	YSU	Logan Wilson	DL	INST	Matt Maldonado	PK	ILST	Larry Stephens III	WR	INST	Jake Pope	OT	ILST
Week 3 (Sept. 15) [114]	L. J. Phillips Jr.	RB	USD	Tye Niekamp	LB	ILST	Paul Geelen	K/P	SIU	Ayden Price	WR	UNI	Brock Woolf	RT	USD
Week 4 (Sept. 22) [115]	DJ Williams	QB	SIU	Chris Presto	LB	SIU	Shadwel Nkuba II	DB	ILST	Andrew Lastovka	PK	YSU	Derek Harden	OG	SIU
Week 5 (Sept. 29) [116]	Cole Payton	QB	NDSU	Nathaniel Staehling	LB	NDSU	Jackson Williams	RS	NDSU	James Basinger	RB	SDSU	Griffin Empey	RG	NDSU
Week 6 (Oct. 6) [117]	Jerry Kaminski	QB	UND	Shug Walker	LB	SIU	Alex Bullock	WR	SDSU	Max Pelham	P	SDSU	Shane Willenbring	OC	SDSU
Week 7 (Oct. 13) [118]	Cole Payton	QB	NDSU	Malachi McNeal	LB	UND	B.J. Fleming	WR	UND	Will Leyland	PK	USD	Jake Pope	RT	ILST
Week 8 (Oct. 20) [119]	Beau Brungard	QB	YSU	Jalen Lee	S	SDSU	Zeke Mata	PK	USD	Kimal Clark	DB	INST	Liam Becher	OL	UND
Week 9 (Oct. 27) [120]	Cole Payton	QB	NDSU	Tye Niekamp	LB	ILST	Tae Marrero Jr.	PR	SIU	Ky Wilson	KR/WR	YSU	Trent Fraley	C	NDSU
Week 10 (Nov. 3) [121]	Rashad Rochelle	WR/KR	INST	DeJuan Lewis	DB	USD	Nic Yatsko	DB	INST	Jackson Williams	RS	NDSU	Landon Woodard	OG	ILST
Week 11 (Nov. 10) [122]	Bill Jackson	RB	UNI	Donovan Woolen	LB	NDSU	Victor Dawson	S	ILST	Aaron Bickerton	P	NDSU	Jacob Arop	OL	USD
										Matt Maldonado	PK	ILST
Week 12 (Nov. 17) [123]	Beau Brungard	QB	YSU	Tye Niekamp	LB	ILST	Andrew Lastovka	PK	YSU	Carson Fletcher	RB	USD	Seth Anderson	OL	UND
Week 13 (Nov. 28) [124]	Jawaun Northington	RB	MUST	Dylan Rowsey	DB	MUST	Ky "Flash" Wilson	KR/WR	YSU	Paul Geelen	K/P	SIU	Noah Fenske	C	SIU

On December 1, 2025, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released their Players of the Year and All-Conference Honors.^[125]

• Beau Brungard, QB (Jr - Youngstown State)

• Tye Niekamp, LB (Jr - Illinois State)

• Kimal Clark, DB (Sr - Indiana State)

• Luke Mailander, WR (Fr - Illinois State)

• Tim Polasek (North Dakota State)

On November 24, 2025, STATS Perform released their list of finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, Jerry Rice Award, and Eddie Robinson Award, respectively. Finalists are listed in alphabetical order.

The Walter Payton Award is given to the best offensive player in the FCS. ^[126] The MVFC's own Beau Brungard (QB - Youngstown State) won the award.^[127] The following players were listed as finalists for the award:

• Bryce Lance (WR - North Dakota State)
• Cole Payton (QB - North Dakota State)
• DJ Williams (QB - Southern Illinois)
• L. J. Phillips Jr. (RB - South Dakota)

The following MVFC players were listed as finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which was given to the best FCS defensive player:^[128]

• Kimal Clark (DB - Indiana State)
• Logan Kopp (LB - North Dakota State)
• Tye Niekamp (LB - Illinois State)

The following MVFC players were listed as finalists for the Jerry Rice Award, which was the given to the most outstanding FCS freshman player:^[129]

• Nic Yatsko (DB - Indiana State)

The following MVFC coaches were listed as finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award, which was given to the best FCS head coach:^[130]

• Tim Polasek (North Dakota State)

	AP[131] 1st Team	AP 2nd Team	AFCA[132] 1st Team	AFCA 2nd Team	STATS[133] 1st Team	STATS 2nd Team	STATS 3rd Team	ADA[134]
Beau Brungard, QB, Youngstown State	Y		Y		Y			Y
Beau Johnson, OL, North Dakota State		Y
Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State	Y		Y		Y			Y
Caleb Bowers, LS, North Dakota State					Y
Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State		Y			Y
Daniel Sobkowicz, WR, Illnois State		Y					Y
DJ Williams, WR, Southern Illinois							Y
Dylan Calabrese, LS, Illinois State						Y
Eli Ozick, PK, North Dakota State		Y				Y		Y
Griffin Empey, OL, North Dakota State	Y			Y			Y
Jeremiah McClendon, DB, Southern Illinois		Y				Y
Kimal Clark, DB, Indiana State	Y				Y
Kobe Clayborne, DL, South Dakota State				Y			Y
Lance Rucker, DL, North Dakota		Y				Y
Logan Kopp, LB, North Dakota State		Y	Y			Y
L.J. Phillips Jr., RB, South Dakota		Y	Y			Y
Max Pelham, P, South Dakota State			Y
Max Tomczak, WR, Youngstown State							Y
Mike Wells, DL, Youngstown State							Y
Paul Geelen, PK, Southern Illinois							Y
Quinten Christensen, OL, South Dakota State	Y					Y
Seth Anderson, OL, North Dakota		Y			Y
Shadwel Nkuba II, DB, Illinois State		Y		Y			Y
Trent Fraley, OL, North Dakota State	Y		Y		Y			Y
Tye Niekamp, LB, Illinois State	Y		Y		Y			Y

Summarize Fact Check

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Game 6	Game 7	Game 8	Total	Average	% of capacity
Illinois State	Hancock Stadium	13,391	9,671	11,287†	9,829	9,834	7,756	6,895			55,272	9,212	68.7%
Indiana State	Memorial Stadium	12,764	3,206	5,281	5,373†	3,252	3,202	2,834			23,148	3,858	30.2%
Murray State	Roy Stewart Stadium	16,800	15,027†	5,647	6,746	8,506	6,783				42,709	8,541	50.8%
North Dakota	Alerus Center	12,283	11,469	11,424	11,960	10,618	12,749†	11,396			69,616	11,602	94.5%
North Dakota State	Fargodome	18,700	17,354	18,498†	15,812	14,607	14,736	15,278	10,464‡		106,749	15,249	81.6%
Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome	16,324	9,079	10,774	12,084†	8,434	8,529	7,361			56,261	9,376	57.4%
South Dakota	DakotaDome	9,100	6,445	7,441	7,953	6,333	6,809	9,159†	3,964‡		48,104	6,872	75.5%
South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium	19,340	19,163	19,213	19,034	19,342	19,477†	15,842	11,407	3,843‡	127,321	15,915	82.3%
Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium	15,000	6,585	10,132†	5,132	8,115	5,622				35,586	7,117	47.4%
Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium	20,630	7,040	12,042†	11,068	9,664	8,448	7,392	4,869‡		60,523	8,646	41.9%

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