Illinois State
3-0MVFC · Hancock Stadium · 15,000
LastW 28–24 at Northern Illinois · Sat Sep 12 · Tye Niekamp 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 11 tackles
Nextvs Eastern Illinois · Sat Sep 19 · 3 pm ET · Hancock Stadium · series 22-12, won the last 2 · Game preview
Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 29 | #126 | — | — | St. Francis (IL) | W 76–0 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 1 | Sep 6 | #126 | #228 | -20.5✓ | @Western Illinois | W 41–10 | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 12 | #114 | #94 | -2.5✓ | @Northern Illinois | W 28–24 129 | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 19 | #92 | #237 | Eastern Illinois | ||||
| 4 | Sep 26 | #89 | #168 | @Northern Iowa | ||||
| 5 | Oct 3 | South Dakota State | ||||||
| 7 | Oct 17 | @Southern Illinois | ||||||
| 8 | Oct 24 | Indiana State | ||||||
| 9 | Oct 31 | Murray State | ||||||
| 10 | Nov 7 | @North Dakota | ||||||
| 11 | Nov 14 | @Youngstown State | ||||||
| 12 | Nov 21 | South Dakota |
Advanced box score (EPA, success rate, explosiveness)▼
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | @Northern Illinois | W 28–24 | 254 | 2 | 31:16 | -0.018 | 40.6% | 103.0% | Season-low EPA/play |
| Sep 6 | @Western Illinois | W 41–10 | — | — | — | +0.341 | 47.0% | 137.2% | Most explosive |
| Aug 29 | St. Francis (IL) | W 76–0 | — | — | — | +0.751 | 70.7% | 124.6% | Season-high EPA/play |
| Season average (3 games) | 254 | 2.0 | +0.358 | 52.8% | 121.6% | ||||
Illinois State is the program that lost the 2014 championship to NDSU, returned to the title game 11 years later, beat NDSU on the road 29-28 with late TDs, and fell one point short in overtime — a restoration story that almost became a crown.
The Bison beat Illinois State in 2014. In 2025, the Redbirds traveled to Fargo as a 23-point underdog, broke a 14-game losing streak with two late TDs, and ended NDSU's FCS dynasty era 29-28. The fanb…
The season in chapters
What fans said
Real posts from the day of the game, chosen by community score · usernames not shown
What it is like to watch them2025 · 12-5 · last season
✓ measured from 17 games · ranks are among MVFC teams the same season
Recent form · last 10 games · incl. 2025
Illinois State has won four of its last five.
Warming. 8-2 over the last 10, and won the last three.
Next Sep 19
vs Eastern Illinois · at home
Outcome band · Illinois State · 2026
Outcome band · Illinois State · 2026Illinois State's most likely season is 9-4 — a bowl game. The floor is 5-7; the ceiling is 12-1.
Floor, base and ceiling come from the season-path projection, which plays out conference title games and the CFP — so a ceiling can run past 12 games.
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Game day
Illinois State is the unseeded Redbird that became the first FCS team to win four consecutive road playoff games, beat the #1 seed at home, and reached the national championship in 2026—a miracle run that fell one point short of the title.
Roster
Roster Reload - Illinois State
2026 snapshot - 2026-09-15Who's moved
Transfer portal snapshot
Recruiting buzz
Community pulse
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.