Inside the Missouri Valley: Power ranking the MVFC ahead of conference play
Sep. 20—With Missouri Valley Football Conference play slated to start for most teams on Saturday, Sept. 24, some semblance of where each team stands is starting to come to light.
Every Missouri Valley Football Conference team has taken on a Football Bowl Subdivision team, with only one win — Southern Illinois over Northwestern.
With conference play about to kick into full swing, here's a look at the Mitchell Republic's power rankings of the MVFC.
1. North Dakota State
The Bison are No. 1 until proven otherwise.
Despite losing to Arizona as favorites and breaking a six-game winning streak against FBS teams that dated back to 2010, NDSU is still the team to beat in the MVFC.
As detailed in an earlier version of Inside the Missouri Valley
, games against FBS schools don't typically hold much weight as to how the season will shake out for a Football Championship Subdivision team.
NDSU is still chock full of talent. Fullback Hunter Luepke ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns and caught a touchdown against Arizona (He also had a leg dab, which may have been his biggest highlight of the game).
Luepke was one of three preseason first-team Stats Perform All-Americans on an NDSU roster that tied for the national lead with seven preseason All-Americans.
Cam Miller isn't as much of a threat passing the ball as some former Bison may have been, but he's shown he can be good enough to win some games. And for the Bison, winning nine of the last 11 FCS titles gives them the benefit of the doubt, even with the loss to Arizona.
2. South Dakota State
The team that tied the Bison with seven preseason Stats Perform All-Americans sits as the No. 2 team in the power rankings.
South Dakota State nearly beat Iowa in a 7-3 game at Kinnick Stadium that featured a grand total of zero touchdowns. The defense for the Jackrabbits has been solid all season, surrendering only seven points to Iowa, 22 points to UC Davis and then 17 to Butler.
The question was the offense after the first two games, but it seems Mark Gronowski and company may have figured it out after a 45-point outburst in the most recent game against Butler. Gronowski threw for 279 yards and three scores without an interception, and Isaiah Davis ran for 74 yards on 11 carries in the win. If SDSU can keep a consistent offense, it could challenge for a national championship
3. Missouri State
The third team in the upper echelon of the MVFC is Missouri State.
Quarterback Jason Selley was a second-team preseason Stats Perform All-American, and he's proven why early on. Through three games, he's thrown for seven touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception, and he's also crossed the goal line twice on the ground.
The Bears also hung with the AP No. 10 team in the country, Arkansas, and even had a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter before surrendering 21 straight points and ultimately falling to the Razorbacks.
4. North Dakota
The only team with a win so far in MVFC play is North Dakota.
Junior quarterback Tommy Schuster is back for the Fighting Hawks and has gotten off to a solid start, completing nearly 71% of his passes through the first three games for 634 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception. Tyler Hoosman is also averaging 6.3 yards per carry with two scores for UND so far.
The Fighting Hawks held tough against Nebraska, too, and even had the game tied in the third quarter before the Huskers ultimately pulled away.
5. Youngstown State
Jaleel McLaughlin is the real deal for Youngstown State.
The preseason second-team Stats Perform All-American is averaging 8.6 yards per carry through the first three games for the Penguins, gathering 368 yards with four touchdowns.
Quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw is completing less than 50% of his passes, but he has five touchdowns and one interception this season.
The knock on Youngstown State right now is the level of competition it's played so far. The Penguins have beaten Duquesne and Dayton, two teams that traditionally aren't contenders at the FCS level, but they've beaten them handedly.
When the Penguins went up against Kentucky, they got blown out 31-0. However, Kentucky is the AP No. 8 team in the country right now, and there were glimpses of promise in the loss. The Penguins kept the Wildcats off the board in the first quarter and intercepted Will Levis — a projected first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft — twice.
Youngstown State will be put to the test quickly on whether it can hang with the top teams of the MVFC, as its next contest comes in the FargoDome on Oct. 1, but for right now, the Penguins have given some indications they can be near the top of the conference this season.
6. South Dakota
South Dakota may be one of the biggest question marks in the MVFC.
The Coyotes got blown out by Kansas State 38-0 and followed that up with a 24-7 loss at now-No. 2 Montana.
However, Carson Camp led a 38-21 win over Cal Poly and the Coyotes flashed their weapons. Travis Theis ran for 90 yards and a score, adding 46 receiving yards, and Shomari Lawrence ran for 56 yards on 10 carries and found the end zone on one of his three catches for 56 yards.
USD has potential, but a tough schedule that features NDSU before a bye and then a trip to Brookings to take on SDSU will give USD the chance to prove itself right at the start of conference play.
7. Southern Illinois
If it weren't for the lone FBS win in the conference, Southern Illinois would likely be a bit lower.
The Salukis knocked off Northwestern 31-24 in Evanston for their first win of the season. But with a 35-point loss to now-No. 4 Incarnate Word, as well as a loss to unranked Southeast Missouri State, it's hard to jump Southern Illinois too far up.
However, the win over the Wildcats shows potential. Nic Baker went 23-for-34 for 241 yards and three touchdowns in the win, but the Salukis only ran for 96 yards on 35 tries. Defensively, they're giving up over 40 points per game.
8. Illinois State
Illinois State went just 4-7 a year ago, and despite a 2-1 start, the Redbirds' wins haven't come against quality opponents.
Valparaiso went 4-7 last year and is off to a 1-2 start and Eastern Illinois — who Illinois State did beat handedly — hasn't won more than one game since 2018 and is 0-3 to start this campaign. On top of that, Wisconsin rolled over the Redbirds 38-0 in a consistent drubbing that saw the Badgers score at least one touchdown in every quarter.
Quarterback Zack Annexstad, who transferred from Minnesota, has five interceptions compared to four touchdowns through the first three games.
9. Indiana State
Against two tough opponents, Indiana State got torched, falling to Purdue 56-0 and Montana 49-14 in back-to-back weeks.
The Sycamores beat North Alabama in overtime in their first game of the season, but the Lions haven't been above .500 since 2018. The only thing keeping Indiana State from the bottom is its win, given the two teams lower are both winless.
10. Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa has been tasked with a tough schedule to start the season, going to FBS opponent Air Force before going to now-No. 19 UND and then hosting now-No. 7 Sacramento State.
However, the Panthers were not up to the challenge, dropping all three games. And while the contest with UND was close — a 29-27 loss — they got blown out by Air Force and lost to Sacramento State by two scores.
As a team, the Panthers have three rushing touchdowns as opposed to the 10 they've surrendered. Quarterback Theo Day hasn't been bad for UNI, throwing for five touchdowns and completing over 63% of his passes but he does have three interceptions.
11. Western Illinois
Western Illinois hasn't gone above .500 since 2017 and an 0-3 start to the season has the Leathernecks in danger of failing to reach the .500 mark again.
No. 18 UT-Martin beat Western Illinois by 17 and Minnesota blew out the Leathernecks by 52. Western Illinois is only scoring 15 points a game and giving up over 40, and the Leathernecks only have 52 first downs all season compared to the 80 their opponents have.
Saturday, Sept. 17
South Dakota State 45, Butler 17
South Dakota 38, Cal Poly 21
Arizona 31, North Dakota State 28
North Dakota 27, Northern Arizona 24
Southern Illinois 31, Northwestern 24
Kentucky 31, Youngstown State 0
Montana 49, Indiana State 14
Southern Utah 17, Western Illinois 10
Sacramento State 37, Northern Iowa 21
Arkansas 38, Missouri State 27
Illinois State 35, Eastern Illinois 7
One top performance from the conference for the week:
USD's Carson Camp had a career day for the Coyotes in a 38-21 home win over Cal Poly for USD's first win of the season. Camp threw for a career-best 355 yards on 18-for-21 with three touchdowns. He also added six carries for 59 yards and a score.
One top play from this past week's games:
UND trailed with just over a minute left against Northern Arizona until the Fighting Hawks connected on a 24-yard touchdown off a reverse flea flicker to take the lead and win the game.
Rankings are from Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
Saturday, Sept. 24
No. 1 North Dakota State at South Dakota, 1 p.m.
No. 2 South Dakota State at No. 6 Missouri State, 2 p.m.
No. 19 North Dakota at No. 24 Southern Illinois, 2 p.m.
Northern Iowa at Western Illinois, 3 p.m.
One Missouri Valley game we're eager to watch this week:
When the No. 2 and No. 6 teams in the country get together, it typically makes for an exciting matchup.
No. 2 South Dakota State is headed to Springfield, Missouri, to take on No. 6 Missouri State on Saturday.
Missouri State is led by quarterback Jason Shelley, who's tossed seven touchdowns and no interceptions. He'll go up against a stout SDSU defense that's only given up 159 rushing yards. The Jackrabbits have surrendered 593 yards through the air, but have intercepted three passes through the first three games.
The contest should be an early-season barometer for each team to see how they stack up against some of the best in the country.
* San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance's season is over, according to a release by the team. After injuring his ankle against the Seahawks, the former NDSU Bison underwent surgery "to repair two injuries to Lance's ankle, a fibula fracture and ligament disruption," the team said. Trey Lance was 2-for-3 passing for 30 yards with 13 rushing yards on three carries before the injury Sunday. He ended the season with 194 passing yards on a 48.4% completion rate with no touchdowns and an interception as well as 67 rushing yards on 16 attempts.
* Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz went 30-for-46 through the air, compiling 337 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in a 36-27 loss to the Lions. According to NFL Research, Wentz is the first player since quarterback starts were first tracked in 1950 to record 300 or more passing yards and three or more passing touchdowns in each of his first two starts with a new team.
* Former Illinois State running back James Robinson carried the ball 23 times for 64 yards and a touchdown for the Jaguars in a 24-0 win over the Colts. Robinson found the end zone on a 37-yard run and caught both of his targets for 14 yards as well.
* A 2022 fourth-round pick out of SDSU, Pierre Strong Jr. made his NFL debut for the Patriots on Sunday and despite not recording a carry or target, the running back logged three offensive snaps and returned two kicks for 48 yards.
* Former NDSU wideout and 2022 second-round pick Christian Watson caught all three of his targets for nine yards in the Packers' 27-10 win on Sunday night.
* Former Jackrabbit Dallas Goedert snagged five passes for 82 yards in a 24-7 win for the Eagles on Monday night over the Vikings.
