FCS CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON

MVFC

#12 overall#1 in FCSRR50 -1.7Upper strength +0.49 teamsTop 25 teams 0

HOPE-DOPING · 2026

Eighteen Titles

The Missouri Valley Football Conference has produced 18 FCS national championships. In 2023 six MVFC teams entered the 24-team bracket simultaneously — a number no other conference in any division has matched. NDSU left for the Mountain West after 2024, but the Valley did not flinch: South Dakota State won the 2025 title in Nashville.

Without NDSU anchoring the top of the bracket, does South Dakota State cement a new dynasty, or does the Valley's depth produce a different champion every year?

FCS9 teamsRace: FCS Playoff

MVFC · Where They Stand · 2026

Power Map

FCS power landscape heading into 2026. Bracket implications begin Week 10.

Favorites
South Dakota State+1.8—South Dakota+1.0—
Challengers
North Dakota+0.7—Illinois State+0.4—
The Field
Southern Illinois-0.6—Youngstown State-1.0—Northern Iowa-2.3—
Rebuilding
Indiana State-4.3—Murray State-6.4—

MVFC · 2026 Season Preview

Three Things to Watch

The Defending ChampionSouth Dakota State: The New MVFC Standard

SDSU won the 2025 FCS title in Nashville — their second in four years — without the NDSU rivalry to validate them. Entering 2026 as the undisputed Valley standard, the Jackrabbits have the roster depth and coaching continuity to win back-to-back. Every other program in the conference is building a case to knock them off.

The TraditionIowa State's Little Brother Is Doing Fine

North Dakota State left the Valley for the Mountain West after 2024, taking 8 FCS titles with them. What remained wasn't emptied — it was clarified. The Valley now has five programs capable of earning a top-4 seed, and none of them is NDSU. The bracket is genuinely open in a way it hasn't been in fifteen years.

Wild CardIllinois State's Quietly Elite Profile

Illinois State has gone 9-win or better three of the last four seasons and earns at-large bids that don't generate national headlines. Their defensive system is one of the most underrated in FCS football. If they're healthy in November, they're a quarterfinal team every year.

Conference Standings · MVFC · 2026

Standings

# Team Conf Overall Pwr Last 5
1South Dakota State0–00–0+1.8—
2South Dakota0–00–0+1.0—
3North Dakota0–00–0+0.7—
4Illinois State0–00–0+0.4—
5Southern Illinois0–00–0-0.6—
6Youngstown State0–00–0-1.0—
7Northern Iowa0–00–0-2.3—
8Indiana State0–00–0-4.3—
9Murray State0–00–0-6.4—

Conference record determines standing. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average. Last 5 = most recent game results.

Conference Power · FCS

Where We Stand

# Conference Avg Power vs Focal Top Team
1MVFCYou are here
-1.7
—South Dakota State
2UAC
-2.2
—Tarleton State
3Big Sky
-2.2
—Montana State
4SWAC
-2.5
—Prairie View A&M
5Southland
-2.7
—Stephen F. Austin
6Southern
-3.0
—Tennessee Tech
7MEAC
-3.0
—South Carolina State
8Patriot
-3.3
—Villanova
9CAA
-3.4
—Rhode Island
10Pioneer
-3.4
—San Diego
11Big South-OVC
-3.6
—UT Martin
12NEC
-3.6
—Long Island University

Round-robin power = strength of schedule-adjusted conference average, points vs. all-level average team. Record = MVFC's record vs. that conference across all games this season.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference has produced 18 FCS national championships. In 2023 six MVFC teams entered the 24-team bracket simultaneously — a number no other conference in any division has matched. NDSU left for the Mountain West after 2024, but the Valley did not flinch: South Dakota State won the 2025 title in Nashville.

Conference Snapshot

RR50-1.7
Upper Strength+0.4
Median Power-1.4
Resume Pulse44.7
Avg ATS--
Wins vs Market+0.00
Top-to-Middle Gap2.4
Combined Record0-0

`RR50`, `Upper Strength`, and `Median Power` are shown on the same public power scale as the rest of the site: points on a neutral field versus the average all-level NCAA team. Very small affiliations are gently regressed toward their subdivision baseline so a one-team outlier does not hijack the entire conference board.

MVFC Team Board

The league stack, sorted by predictive strength. Power is shown as neutral-field points versus the all-level average team, while resume is shown on a 0-100 season score.

Rank Team Record Power Resume ATS Wins vs Market Recent Form
#111 South Dakota State 0-0 +1.8 62 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#128 South Dakota 0-0 +1.0 56 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#129 North Dakota 0-0 +0.7 56 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#134 Illinois State 0-0 +0.4 54 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#147 Southern Illinois 0-0 -0.6 49 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#152 Youngstown State 0-0 -1.0 48 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#176 Northern Iowa 0-0 -2.3 39 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#222 Indiana State 0-0 -4.3 24 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.
#248 Murray State 0-0 -6.4 15 -- +0.00 Upcoming schedule still settling.