FCS CONFERENCE · 2026 SEASON
VERDICT BEGINS · 2026
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 Standings · MVFC · 2026
| # | Team | Conf |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota State | 1–0 |
| 2 | Illinois State | 0–0 |
| 3 | South Dakota | 0–0 |
| 4 | North Dakota | 0–0 |
| 5 | Southern Illinois | 0–0 |
| 6 | Indiana State | 0–0 |
| 7 | Northern Iowa | 0–0 |
| 8 | Murray State | 0–0 |
| 9 | Youngstown State | 0–1 |
Conference record determines standing. Power = neutral-field pts vs. all-level average. Last 5 = most recent game results.
Projected Standings · MVFC · 2026
Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.
| # | Team | W–L | PWR | AVG | ≥8 | ≥7 | ≥6 | ≥5 | ≥4 | ≥3 | ≥2 | ≥1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorites | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Illinois State | 5–3 | +4.3 | 4.9 | 2 | 11 | 33 | 61 | 84 | 96 | 99 | ✓ |
| 2 | South Dakota State | 5–3 | +2.9 | 4.6 | 1 | 8 | 25 | 53 | 79 | 94 | 99 | ✓ |
| Challengers | ||||||||||||
| 3 | South Dakota | 5–3 | +2.5 | 4.5 | 1 | 7 | 24 | 51 | 77 | 93 | 99 | ✓ |
| 4 | North Dakota | 5–3 | +2.3 | 4.5 | 1 | 7 | 23 | 50 | 76 | 92 | 99 | ✓ |
| The Field | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Youngstown State | 4–4 | +0.2 | 4.0 | 4 | 15 | 37 | 65 | 87 | 97 | ✓ | |
| 6 | Southern Illinois | 4–4 | -0.9 | 3.8 | 2 | 11 | 31 | 59 | 83 | 96 | 99 | |
| 7 | Northern Iowa | 4–4 | -1.2 | 3.8 | 2 | 10 | 30 | 57 | 81 | 95 | 99 | |
| Rebuilding | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Indiana State | 3–5 | -3.1 | 3.4 | 1 | 6 | 20 | 45 | 73 | 92 | 99 | |
| 9 | Murray State | 2–6 | -7.1 | 2.6 | 2 | 7 | 24 | 51 | 79 | 96 | ||
Conference Power · FCS
| # | Conference | Avg Power |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MVFCYou are here | |
| 2 | Big Sky | |
| 3 | UAC | |
| 4 | Southland | |
| 5 | MEAC | |
| 6 | SWAC | |
| 7 | OVC | |
| 8 | Southern | |
| 9 | Coastal Athletic | |
| 10 | Patriot | |
| 11 | Pioneer | |
| 12 | NEC | |
| 13 | Ivy |
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #88 | Illinois State | 4-0 | +17.0 | 95 | 3-0 | +0.48 | 3-0 over the last 3 (W1 W2 W3) |
| #103 | South Dakota State | 3-1 | +15.6 | 79 | 2-2 | +0.09 | 3-1 over the last 4 (W1 L1 W2 W3) |
| #105 | South Dakota | 3-1 | +15.2 | 79 | 3-1 | +0.19 | 3-1 over the last 4 (W1 W1 W2 L3) |
| #113 | North Dakota | 3-1 | +15.0 | 75 | 2-2 | +0.03 | 3-1 over the last 4 (W1 W1 W2 L3) |
| #143 | Youngstown State | 2-2 | +12.9 | 62 | 3-1 | -0.21 | 2-2 over the last 4 (W1 L1 W2 L3) |
| #155 | Southern Illinois | 2-2 | +11.8 | 28 | 1-3 | -0.62 | 2-2 over the last 4 (L1 W1 W2 L3) |
| #161 | Northern Iowa | 1-2 | +11.5 | 65 | 1-2 | -0.11 | 1-2 over the last 3 (L1 W2 L3) |
| #205 | Indiana State | 2-2 | +9.5 | 55 | 3-1 | -0.14 | 2-2 over the last 4 (L1 L1 W2 W3) |
| #261 | Murray State | 1-3 | +5.5 | 14 | 0-4 | -0.62 | 1-3 over the last 4 (L1 L1 W2 L3) |