Southern Illinois · Next-Season Outcome Band
Fanbase Health Index · Southern Illinois · medium confidence
FCS Program Prestige · Southern Illinois1983 National Championship
Southern Illinois wins the I-AA national championship under coach Rey Dempsey, the program's only national title and defining moment
Southern Illinois7-5Hope-Doping·Offseason
Southern Illinois is the 1983 national champion whose football program fell into irrelevance, and whose fanbase will not let the glory fade.
Title DroughtSince 1983 · 42 yrs
College football forgot about Southern Illinois the year after 1983, and the fanbase believes the Salukis have been trying to remind the sport of their existence ever since.
offseason · quiet
Approaching
21 days
until kickoff · at West Florida · Thu Aug 27 · 23:00 UTC
The experience
Southern Illinois is the 1983 national champion whose football program fell into irrelevance, and whose fanbase will not let the glory fade.
The Salukis are patient.
Southern Illinois · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Floor 5-7
Base 7-5
Ceiling 10-2
floor5-7Sub-.500 season. Playoff bid out of reach.
base7-5Mid-table finish. Conference title a stretch.
ceiling10-2Conference title + deep playoff run.
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Recent Form · last 10 games
Mixed
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Streak W1Last 5 · 3-2Last 10 · 6-4
The forecast
Opens Aug 27
vs West Florida · away
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
The Pulse on Southern Illinois
—
The Salukis are patient.
What moved it — fall camp · last 14 days
Camp
Fall camp open — install + scrimmage cycle
ongoing
Kickoff
Season opener in 16 days
kickoff
"Go Salukis."
— Southern Illinois fanbase · recurring line
8 mentions · awaiting signal
Fanbase Health Index · Southern Illinois · medium confidence
Growing (55)
DecliningStableGrowingSurging
On-Field — 7-5 (58% win rate)62
Volume — 7 effective signal-N48
Player stats — 2025 season
No player stats logged for this program yet — stats appear once the season is underway.
Southern Illinois · 2025 schedule & results7-5Soft slateAverage opponent win rate 42% · 0 AP top-25 opponents on the schedule.
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 30 | #197 | #305 | — | Thomas More College | W 49–3 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 6 | #236 | #220 | +22.5 | @Purdue | L 17–34 135 | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 13 | #207 | #131 | -3 | @UT Martin | W 37–10 | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 20 | #149 | #188 | -5.5 | @Southeast Missouri State | W 59–31 | 3-1 | 0-0 |
| 6 | Oct 4 | #132 | #220 | — | Indiana State | W 55–27 | 4-1 | 1-0 |
| 7 | Oct 11 | #119 | #79 | +20 | @North Dakota State | L 17–45 | 4-2 | 1-0 |
| 8 | Oct 18 | #134 | #96 | +3 | North Dakota | L 19–38 | 4-3 | 1-1 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #146 | #218 | -15 | Northern Iowa | W 31–17 | 5-3 | 2-1 |
| 10 | Nov 1 | #143 | #268 | -24.5 | @Murray State | W 27–7 | 6-3 | 3-1 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #140 | #150 | +5 | @Youngstown State | L 38–48 | 6-4 | 3-2 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #158 | #142 | -4.5 | South Dakota | L 51–53 | 6-5 | 3-3 |
| 13 | Nov 22 | #157 | #117 | +4.5 | @Illinois State | W 37–7 | 7-5 | 4-3 |
Advanced box score (EPA, success rate, explosiveness)▼
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22 | @Illinois State | W 37–7 | — | — | — | +0.279 | 52.6% | 104.1% | Blowout win |
| Nov 15 | South Dakota | L 51–53 | — | — | — | +0.369 | 42.4% | 163.8% | One-score loss |
| Nov 8 | @Youngstown State | L 38–48 | — | — | — | +0.463 | 51.4% | 150.0% | Defense's roughest night |
| Nov 1 | @Murray State | W 27–7 | — | — | — | +0.086 | 50.7% | 99.1% | Season-low EPA/play |
| Oct 25 | Northern Iowa | W 31–17 | — | — | — | +0.206 | 43.3% | 118.7% | |
| Oct 18 | North Dakota | L 19–38 | — | — | — | +0.183 | 41.7% | 114.1% | |
| Oct 11 | @North Dakota State | L 17–45 | — | — | — | +0.198 | 49.2% | 117.5% | Blowout loss |
| Oct 4 | Indiana State | W 55–27 | — | — | — | +0.570 | 52.1% | 150.9% | Blowout win |
| Sep 20 | @Southeast Missouri State | W 59–31 | — | — | — | +0.744 | 50.0% | 196.9% | Season-high EPA/play |
| Sep 13 | @UT Martin | W 37–10 | — | — | — | +0.435 | 50.9% | 126.2% | |
| Sep 6 | @Purdue | L 17–34 | 283 | 0 | 23:14 | +0.197 | 47.5% | 122.9% | |
| Aug 30 | Thomas More College | W 49–3 | — | — | — | +0.269 | 53.1% | 108.6% | Best success rate |
| Season average (12 games) | 283 | 0.0 | +0.333 | 48.7% | 131.1% | ||||
Schedule mirage
How much of Southern Illinois's number is the schedule?
Raw EPA/play through week 21 is 0.33; 93rd percentile once opponent strength is stripped out, it's 0.09. The widest gap came in week 6: 0.44 raw vs. 0.14 adjusted.
Home-Field Advantage · Southern Illinois · 2018-present
Above-Average
50% home win rate vs 48% on the road. margin runs +7.6 better at home. Saluki Stadium seats 15,000, averaging 51% full (7,626 attendance, 11 games reported).
Home19-19Away23-24
Venue texture
68°F average kickoff temp; 7% of games had measurable precipitation; 6 mph average wind.
Based on 28 home games with weather data.
FCS Program Prestige · Southern Illinois
Mid-Major Contender
All-Time Record
230-241-3
since 1914 · 61 seasons · .485 win rate
HOME
89-85-2
AWAY
91-148-1
NEUTRAL
50-8
1910s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
MVFC Standing · 2025
6th in the MVFC
Southern Illinois sits 6th of 9 in the MVFC at 4-3. Mid-conference — moves up or down depend on rivalry results and the late-season closing run.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 6-1 |
| 2 | Illinois State | 5-2 |
| 3 | North Dakota | 5-2 |
| 4 | Youngstown State | 5-2 |
| 5 | South Dakota State | 4-3 |
| 6 | Southern Illinois | 4-3 |
| 7 | Indiana State | 1-6 |
| 8 | Northern Iowa | 1-6 |
| 9 | Murray State | 1-7 |
Program memory
What this program never forgets
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
1989
Valley dominance in the 1980s
Multiple Valley conference titles during the height of Dempsey's reign
Moment of the Year · Southern Illinois · 2025
Moment of the Year · Southern Illinois · 2025Won 49-3 vs Thomas More College
Week 1 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.
Playoff History
Playoff HistoryRecent postseason (2023): 1-1
Most recent: 2023 — loss 20-17 (away). Last 5 postseason: 1-1.
20232023
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