South Dakota State

2-1

MVFC · Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium · 19,340 · 19,102 avg in 2026

The nationunrankedAP / Coaches
The marketno line yetvs Youngstown State · our model 79% South Dakota State · a number, not a pick

LastW 57–14 vs New Haven · Sat Sep 12 · Chase Mason 255 pass yds, 3 TD, 14 rush yds

Nextvs Youngstown State · Sat Sep 19 · 7 pm ET · Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium · series 14-3, won the last 6 · Game preview

Updated Tue Sep 15 · through week 2

Program Prestige · South Dakota State

Mid-Major Contender

Mid-Major Contender — G5 force with occasional national attention.

T1Regional
T2Mid-Major
T3Power
T4National
T5Blue Blood
T6Dynasty
T7All-Time
The era · 2014 through 2025

The CFP Era

11 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.

Era record 116-36 11 seasons
Best season 15-0 2023
TRAJECTORY · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program Quality AP Rank (inverted) CFP Appearance
'14'16'18'22'24NOW
CHAPTERS · 11 seasons · tap to open the archive
'14 9-5 '15 8-4 '16 9-4 '17 11-3 '18 10-3 '19 8-5 '21 11-3 '22 14-1 '23 15-0 '24 12-3 '25 9-5

South Dakota State's 2014–2025 record is 116-36. The era is still being written; the CFP line is the one the program is arguing for.

Era win %
.763
Ranked seasons (AP)
0/11
Best AP finish
—

Program outlook

South Dakota State won back-to-back FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023, and now races against a closing window as rival North Dakota State exits to the FBS, almost certainly ending the Dakota Marker rivalry.

Read the full essay — 3 more paragraphs

South Dakota State's football program ascended from a quiet presence in the Missouri Valley Football Conference to a national power in a single generation. On January 8, 2023, head coach John Stiegelmeier delivered the school's first-ever FCS national championship, a 45–24 victory over rival North Dakota State in Frisco, Texas, following a season-opening loss to Iowa and a 14-consecutive-win streak to close the season.

Stiegelmeier, honored as Stats Perform FCS Coach of the Year, announced his retirement less than two weeks after the victory. The transition tested the dynasty's durability. Instead of fracturing, it proved systemic: Jimmy Rogers, named the 21st head coach on January 20, 2023, inherited a national champion and won immediately in his first season as a head coach at any level, leading SDSU to a perfect 15–0 record and a second consecutive national championship, defeating Montana 23–3 on January 7, 2024.

The 2025 season saw a third coach take over: Dan Jackson, an SDSU alumnus and former defensive back coach at Vanderbilt, inherited a program with championship equity but facing realignment uncertainty. NDSU's announcement in February 2026 that it would join the Mountain West Conference (FBS) almost certainly ended the Dakota Marker rivalry—the primary institutional identity anchor that had defined SDSU since 2004. SDSU finished 9–4 in the regular season and won a first-round playoff game 41–3 over New Hampshire before falling 50–29 to Montana in the second round on December 6, 2025—a rematch of the 2024 championship game.

On the field

System-first football: disciplined, scheme-based, quarterback-production football that develops NFL talent on a four-year pipeline. SDSU football prioritizes fundamentals, ball security, and playoff preparedness. The program is not recruitment-heavy; it is system-heavy. Stiegelmeier built it, Rogers proved it traveled, and Jackson now inherits it in a narrowing competitive landscape.

program outlook · as of 2026-07-03

All-time record · South Dakota State

South Dakota State has won 61% of its games since 1916 — 82% at home, 45% on the road.

184-118 all-time · 57 seasons · 1916–2026

Home 65-14
Away 71-86
Neutral 48-18
3 g 1910s
6 g 1920s
9 g 1930s
5 g 1940s
10% 1950s
5 g 1960s
1 g 1970s
2 g 1980s
57% 2000s
65% 2010s
81% 2020s

Program memory

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

2022 FCS National Championship

South Dakota State defeated NDSU 45–24 on January 8, 2023, winning the program's first FCS national championship

2023

John Stiegelmeier Retires

Less than two weeks after winning the national title, Stiegelmeier announced his retirement after 26 seasons

2023 FCS National Championship

Under Jimmy Rogers, SDSU went 15–0 and defeated Montana 23–3 on January 7, 2024, defending the national title

2025 Playoff Loss to Montana

SDSU defeated New Hampshire 41–3 in the first round but lost to Montana 50–29 in the second round on December 6, 2025

Wound

2026

NDSU Announces FBS Move

On February 11, 2026, NDSU announced it would join the Mountain West Conference (FBS) effective 2026, almost certainly ending the Dakota Marker rivalry

Wound

Moment of the season — so far · South Dakota State · 2026

Won 70-7 vs Stetson

Week 1 of 2026. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.

Decisive Margin

NFL Draft Pipeline

2022–2024

South Dakota State has sent 5 players to the NFL Draft since 2022 — none in the first round.

Developing. Pipeline emerging.

5 picks · 0 in round 1
#78 Tucker Kraft Tight End · 2023 · Green Bay
#119 Mason McCormick Offensive Guard · 2024 · Pittsburgh
#127 Pierre Strong Jr. Running Back · 2022 · New England
#127 all-time · 1 first-round picksthe talent factory →

More in this tab

Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

Rituals

The rituals that anchor a Saturday in this program's world.

Back-to-Back FCS Championships (2022-2023)

since 2022

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South Dakota State won consecutive FCS national championships—first in program history on January 8, 2023, defeating North Dakota State 45-24 in Frisco, Texas, then repeated the feat one year later on January 7, 2024, defeating Montana 23-3 with a perfect 15-0 season under new head coach Jimmy Rogers. The 2022 championship came after a 14-consecutive-win streak (following a 7-3 season-opening loss to Iowa) and capped John Stiegelmeier's 26-year tenure as head coach. The dynasty proved it was a system, not a man, when Rogers inherited and won immediately.

The Dakota Marker Rivalry

since 2004 · trophy game

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The Dakota Marker trophy—a quartzite monument replica marking the 1891-92 border between North and South Dakota—became the rivalry trophy between SDSU and North Dakota State in 2004 when both moved to FCS. The series stands 12-10 in NDSU's favor as of October 2025, with NDSU's February 2026 announcement of a move to the Mountain West Conference (FBS) almost certainly ending the protected conference date and the rivalry as a regular fixture. SDSU holds a 2024 playoff victory (45-24) as the most recent trophy memory.

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium

since 2016

more

The Jackrabbits play at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota—a 19,340-seat facility that opened in August 2016. Named for banker Dana Dykhouse and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford (who provided $12.5 million lead gifts), the stadium anchors SDSU's home field advantage and the 2022-2023 championship teams played to packed, championship-atmosphere crowds. SDSU has maintained a 29-game home winning streak and has completed five undefeated home campaigns at Dykhouse.

Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
BowlsEvery bowl this program's played, and how it did.

Bowl / Postseason Ledger

Recent postseason (2017-2024): 6-5

Most recent: 2024 — loss 28-21 (away). Last 5 postseason: 4-1.

20242023202320232023
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