2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference season

The 2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 36th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 2nd straight season with 11 teams.
North Dakota State made it to the National Championship and won their 9th FCS title in program history.^[1] South Dakota State made the playoffs unseeded, and won their way into the semifinals where they lost to 8th seeded Montana State.^[2] Southern Illinois also made it to the playoffs, and beat fellow MVFC member South Dakota in the first round, but would fall to eventual champion North Dakota State in the second round.^[3] Northern Iowa also made it to the playoffs, but lost to Eastern Washington in the first round.^[4]

2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference season
League	NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
Sport	Football
Duration	September 1, 2022 through January 8, 2023
Number of teams	11
2022 NFL Draft
Top draft pick	Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
Picked by	New Orleans Saints (round 1, pick 19)
Regular season
Champion Playoff Participants	North Dakota State Missouri State Southern Illinois South Dakota South Dakota State Northern Iowa

2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 North Dakota State $^		7	–	1					14	–	1
No. 14 Missouri State ^		6	–	2					8	–	4
No. 16 Southern Illinois ^		5	–	3					8	–	5
No. 18 South Dakota ^		5	–	3					7	–	5
No. 4 South Dakota State ^		5	–	3					11	–	4
No. 23 Northern Iowa ^		4	–	4					6	–	6
Indiana State		3	–	5					5	–	6
North Dakota		3	–	5					5	–	6
Western Illinois		2	–	6					2	–	9
Illinois State		2	–	6					4	–	7
Youngstown State		2	–	6					3	–	7
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Previous season

The 2020 season was a spread out season after the conference schedule and FCS playoffs were postponed to the spring due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In the modified Spring 2021 season, South Dakota State made it to the National Championship for the first time in program history, but fell to Sam Houston State. North Dakota State also made the playoffs and beat Eastern Washington in the first round, but fell to eventual champion Sam Houston State in the quarterfinals. Southern Illinois made the playoffs as well and beat Weber State in the first round before falling to South Dakota State in the quarterfinals. North Dakota made the playoffs as well and beat fellow MVFC member, Missouri State, in the first round but fell to James Madison in the quarterfinals.

Preseason

MVFC Media Day

Preseason Poll

The annual preseason poll; voted on by conference coaches, athletic directors, and media members.^[5]

Predicted finish	Team	Points (1st place votes)
1	South Dakota State	454 (24)
2	North Dakota State	435 (18)
3	North Dakota	357
4	Southern Illinois	345
5	Northern Iowa	311 (1)
6	Missouri State	256
7	Illinois State	196
8	South Dakota	163
9	Youngstown State	126
10	Indiana State	112
11	Western Illinois	83

Preseason Awards

Individual awards

Award Player School Position Year First Team Offense Tommy Schuster North Dakota QB RS So. Pierre Strong Jr. South Dakota State RB Jr. Otis Weah North Dakota RB RS Jr. Hunter Luepke North Dakota State FB Jr. Zach Heins South Dakota State TE So. Avante Cox Jr. Southern Illinois WR Jr. Dennis Houston Western Illinois WR Sr. Christian Watson North Dakota State WR Sr. ZeVeyon Furcron Southern Illinois OL Sr. Garret Greenfield South Dakota State OL So. Cody Mauch North Dakota State OL Sr. Cordell Volson North Dakota State OL Sr. Matt Waletzko North Dakota OL Sr. Javon Williams Jr. Southern Illinois AP So. First Team Defense Jordan Berner Southern Illinois DL Sr. Jared Brinkman Northern Iowa DL GS Caleb Sanders South Dakota State DL Jr. Spencer Waege North Dakota State DL Sr. Logan Backhaus South Dakota State LB Sr. Spencer Cuvelier Northern Iowa LB Sr. Grant Dixon Youngstown State LB Sr. James Kaczor North Dakota State LB Sr. Montrae Braswell Missouri State DB So. Qua Brown Southern Illinois DB Sr. James Caesar Southern Illinois DB Sr. Don Gardner South Dakota State DB Sr. Michael Tutsie North Dakota State DB Sr. First Team Special Teams Brady Schutt South Dakota P Sr. Matthew Cook Northern Iowa PK Jr. Dalton Godfrey South Dakota LS Jr. Christian Watson North Dakota State RS Sr.

Award Player School Position Year Second Team Offense Stone Labanowitz Southern Illinois QB Sr. Isaiah Davis South Dakota State RB Fr. Jaleel McLaughlin Youngstown State RB Sr. Jacob Garrett Southern Illinois FB Jr. Noah Gindorff North Dakota State TE Sr. Jaxon Janke South Dakota State WR So. Tony Tate Western Illinois WR Sr. Caleb Vander Esch South Dakota WR Sr. Landon Bebee Missouri State OL Jr. Dan Becker Youngstown State OL Sr. Wes Genant South Dakota State OL Sr. Mason McCormick South Dakota State OL So. Trevor Penning Northern Iowa OL Sr. Deion McShane Northern Iowa AP Sr. Second Team Defense Kevin Ellis Missouri State DL Sr. Eric Johnson Missouri State DL Sr. Anthony Knighton Southern Illinois DL Sr. Eli Mostaert North Dakota State DL So. Devon Krzanowski North Dakota LB Sr. Brock Mogensen South Dakota LB So. Bryson Strong Jr. Southern Illinois LB Jr. Tylar Wiltz Missouri State LB Sr. Omar Brown Northern Iowa DB Jr. Austin Evans Northern Iowa DB GS Evan Holm North Dakota DB Sr. Zaire Jones Youngstown State DB Sr. Kyriq McDonald Missouri State DB Sr. Second Team Special Teams Jack Colquhoun Southern Illinois P Sr. Jose Pizano Missouri State PK Jr. Bradey Sorenson South Dakota State LS Sr. Tony Tate Western Illinois RS Sr.

Award	Player	School	Position	Year
Honorable Mention Offense	Will McElvain	Northern Iowa	QB	Jr.
	Connor Sampson	Western Illinois	QB	Sr.
	Tyler Hoosman	Northern Iowa	RB	Sr.
	Tim McCloyn	Illinois State	FB	Sr.
	Josh Babicz	North Dakota State	TE	Sr.
	Dante Hendrix	Indiana State	WR	RS Jr.
	Isaiah Weston	Northern Iowa	WR	Sr.
	Isaiah Edwards	Indiana State	OL	RS Sr.
	Mason Scheidegger	South Dakota	OL	Sr.
	William Waddell	Western Illinois	OL	Sr.
	Christian Turner	Youngstown State	AP	Sr.
Honorable Mention Defense	James Jackson	Youngstown State	DL	Sr.
	Jacob Matthew	South Dakota	DL	Sr.
	Inoke Moala	Indiana State	DL	RS Sr.
	Reece Winkelman	South Dakota State	DL	Jr.
	Jack Cochrane	South Dakota	LB	Sr.
	Jaxson Turner	North Dakota	LB	Sr.
	Jordan Canady	North Dakota	DB	Sr.
	Myles Harden	South Dakota	DB	Fr.
	Benny Sapp III	Northern Iowa	DB	Sr.
Honorable Mention Special Teams	Adam Fellner	Western Illinois	P	Sr.
	Nico Gualdoni	Southern Illinois	PK	Sr.
	Dan Heilbron	Southern Illinois	LS	Jr.
	Luke Skokna	North Dakota	RS	Jr.

^[6]

Rankings

Main article: 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

Legend

		Improvement in ranking
		Drop in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
		No change in ranking from previous week
RV		Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т		Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

		Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Final
Illinois State	STATS Perform	RV	RV
	AFCA Coaches		RV		RV	RV
Indiana State	STATS Perform
	AFCA Coaches
Missouri State	STATS Perform	24	23	17	18	16	15	20	17	17	17	16	14	12	14
	AFCA Coaches	RV	25	19	18	16	16	23	18	20	20	14	14	10	14
North Dakota	STATS Perform	8	9	11	10	10	13	22	RV	RV			RV
	AFCA Coaches	7	7	14	13	11	15	24	RV	RV
North Dakota State	STATS Perform	4	5	5	5	5	5	3	3	2	2	5	4	3	1
	AFCA Coaches	3	4	4	5	5	5	3	3	2	2	6	4	3	1
Northern Iowa	STATS Perform	21	21	18	17	15	16	16	20	16	13	20	RV	RV	23
	AFCA Coaches	16	15	15	14	13	12	17	24	17	15	24	RV	25	25
South Dakota	STATS Perform				RV	RV	RV	21	15	21	23	19	16	17	18
	AFCA Coaches		RV	RV	RV		RV
South Dakota State	STATS Perform	3	2	2	2	2	2	7	6	10	9	4	12	11	4
	AFCA Coaches	4	3	3	3	3	3	8	7	13	12	7	13	11	5
Southern Illinois	STATS Perform	7	8	8	7	7	8	4	4	3	7	15	17	21	16
	AFCA Coaches	10	9	9т	8	7	7	4	4	3	9	16	15	23	17
Western Illinois	STATS Perform
	AFCA Coaches
Youngstown State	STATS Perform							RV	RV
	AFCA Coaches	RV	RV

Schedule

Index to colors and formatting
MVFC member won
MVFC member lost
MVFC teams in bold

All times Central time.

† denotes Homecoming game
^ denotes AP Poll ranking for FBS teams

Regular season schedule

Week 0

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
August 28	6:00 PM	Eastern Illinois	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	W 26–21	5,540
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 1

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 2	6:30 PM	No. 7 Southern Illinois	Southeast Missouri State	Houck Stadium • Cape Girardeau, MO	ESPN+	W 47–21	4,075
September 2	7:00 PM	Western Illinois	Ball State	Scheumann Stadium • Muncie, IN	ESPN+	L 21–31	13,149
September 2	7:00 PM	Incarnate Word	Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	W 44–41OT	8,637
September 3	7:00 PM	South Dakota	Kansas	David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, KS	ESPN+	L 14–17	26,103
September 3	8:00 PM	No. 3 South Dakota State	Colorado State	Canvas Stadium • Fort Collins, CO	FS1	W 42–23	32,327
September 4	2:00 PM	No. 8 North Dakota	Idaho State	Holt Arena • Pocatello, ID	ESPN+	W 35–14	4,667
September 4	2:30 PM	Albany	No. 4 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	W 28–6	15,156
September 4	3:30 PM	No. 21 Northern Iowa	No. 7^ Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA	ESPN+	L 10–16	61,500
September 4	6:00 PM	No. 24 Missouri State	Oklahoma State	Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK	ESPN+	L 16–23	50,807
September 4	6:30 PM	Butler	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN3	W 49–7	8,148
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
September 4	Indiana State

Week 2

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 10	8:00 PM	No. 9 North Dakota	Utah State	Maverik Stadium • Logan, UT	CBSSN	L 24–48	18,124
September 11	12:00 PM	Indiana State	Northwestern	Ryan Field • Evanston, IL	BTN	L 6–24	26,181
September 11	11:00 AM	Youngstown State	Michigan State	Spartan Stadium • East Lancing, MI	BTN	L 14–42	70,103
September 11	1:00 PM	Northern Arizona	South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD		W 34–7	5,247
September 11	2:30 PM	Valparaiso	No. 5 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	W 64–0	15,118
September 11	4:00 PM	Illinois State	Western Michigan	Waldo Stadium • Kalamazoo, MI	ESPN3	L 0–28	18,122
September 11	6:00 PM	No. 8 Southern Illinois	Kansas State	Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium • Manhattan, KS	ESPN+	L 23–31	47,628
September 11	6:00 PM	Lindenwood	No. 2 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN3	W 52–7	15,162
September 11	7:00 PM	No. 19 Central Arkansas	No. 23 Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN+	W 43–34	11,247
September 11	7:00 PM	Western Illinois	No. 4 Montana	Washington-Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT	ESPN+	L 7–42	25,238
September 11	8:00 PM	No. 21 Northern Iowa	Sacramento State	Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA	ESPN+	W 34–16	8,067
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 3

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 18	3:00 PM	No. 7 Eastern Washington	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	L 56–62	5,385
September 18	4:00 PM	St. Thomas	No. 18 Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN3	W 44–3	5,124
September 18	4:00 PM	Drake	No. 11 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	W 38–0	10,143
September 18	5:00 PM	No. 5 North Dakota State	Towson	Johnny Unitas Stadium • Towson, MD	FloSports	W 35–7	9,109
September 18	6:00 PM	Dayton	No. 8 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	W 55–3	7,338
September 18	6:00 PM	Illinois State	Eastern Illinois	O'Brien Field • Charleston, IL (Mid-America Classic)	ESPN+	W 31–24	6,424
September 18	7:00 PM	South Dakota	Cal Poly	Alex G. Spanos Stadium • San Luis Obispo, CA		W 48–14	11,075
September 18	7:00 PM	Indiana State	Eastern Kentucky	Roy Kidd Stadium • Richmond, KY	ESPN+	W 23–21	4,550
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
September 18	No. 17 Missouri State	No. 2 South Dakota State

Week 4

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
September 25	12:00 PM	No. 2 South Dakota State	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	SDSU 44–0	6,652
September 25	2:00 PM	Illinois State	No. 7 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	SIU 35–17	8,618
September 25	6:00 PM	Western Illinois	Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN3	YSU 38–35	13,751
September 25	7:00 PM	South Dakota	No. 18 Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN3	MOST 31–23	12,738
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
September 25	No. 5 North Dakota State	No. 17 Northern Iowa	No. 10 North Dakota

Week 5

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 2	1:00 PM	No. 16 Missouri State	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	MOST 41–20	-
October 2	2:00 PM	No. 5 North Dakota State	No. 10 North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 16–10	12,846
October 2	2:00 PM	Indiana State	South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD		USD 38–10	6,267
October 2	3:00 PM	No. 7 Southern Illinois	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	SIU 31–30OT	4,107
October 2	4:00 PM	Youngstown State	No. 15 Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA		UNI 34–7	8,771
October 2	6:00 PM	Dixie State	No. 2 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 55–7	14,427
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Week 6

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 9	1:00 PM	No. 16 Northern Iowa	No. 5 North Dakota State†	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 34–20	18,536
October 9	1:00 PM	No. 16 Missouri State	Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	YSU 41–33	12,444
October 9	2:00 PM	No. 8 Southern Illinois	No. 2 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	SIU 42–41OT	12,216
October 9	2:00 PM	No. 13 North Dakota	South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD (Sitting Bull Trophy)	ESPN+	USD 20–13	5,304
October 9	1:00 PM	Western Illinois	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	INST 37–27	3,943
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
October 9	Illinois State

Week 7

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 16	12:00 PM	No. 7 South Dakota State	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	SDSU 41–17	2,827
October 16	2:00 PM	No. 3 North Dakota State	Illinois State†	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL	ESPN+	NDSU 20–0	12,416
October 16	2:00 PM	Indiana State	No. 20 Missouri State†	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN+	MOST 37–7	14,336
October 16	2:00 PM	No. 22 North Dakota	No. 4 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN3	SIU 31–28	10,644
October 16	4:00 PM	No. 21 South Dakota	No. 16 Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA		USD 34–21	7,202
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
October 16	Youngstown State

Week 8

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 23	2:30 PM	No. 17 Missouri State	No. 3 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 27–20	15,559
October 23	1:00 PM	Illinois State	No. 15 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	ILST 20–14	5,415
October 23	2:00 PM	No. 20 Northern Iowa	No. 6 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN3	UNI 26–17	16,889
October 23	1:00 PM	Youngstown State	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN+	INST 28–17	5,479
October 23	2:00 PM	Western Illinois	No. RV North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 34–10	8,807
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
October 23	No. 4 Southern Illinois

Week 9

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
October 30	1:00 PM	No. 10 South Dakota State	Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	SDSU 47–16	9,423
October 30	2:30 PM	Indiana State	No. 2 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 44–2	14,383
October 30	2:00 PM	No. RV North Dakota	No. 17 Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN+	MOST 32–28	8,372
October 30	4:00 PM	No. 3 Southern Illinois	No. 16 Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN+	UNI 23–16	5,902
October 30	3:00 PM	Illinois State	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN3	WIU 38–31	2,118
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
October 30	No. 21 South Dakota

Week 10

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 6	2:00 PM	No. 2 North Dakota State	No. 9 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker)	ESPN+	SDSU 27–19	18,122
November 6	12:00 PM	No. 17 Missouri State	No. 7 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN3	MOST 38–28	7,176
November 6	12:00 PM	No. 23 South Dakota	Western Illinois	Hanson Field • Macomb, IL	ESPN+	USD 42–21	1,972
November 6	12:00 PM	No. 13 Northern Iowa	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL		ILST 17–10OT	6,000
November 6	12:00 PM	Youngstown State	North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 24–21	8,441
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
November 6	Indiana State

Week 11

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 13	11:00 AM	No. 5 North Dakota State	Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	NDSU 49–17	8,307
November 13	2:00 PM	No. 20 Northern Iowa	No. 16 Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, IL	ESPN+	MOST 34–27	9,173
November 13	12:00 PM	No. 15 Southern Illinois	Indiana State	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	ESPN3	SIU 47–21	3,265
November 13	1:00 PM	No. 4 South Dakota State	No. 19 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD		USD 23–20	9,068
November 13	2:00 PM	Illinois State	North Dakota	Alerus Center • Grand Forks, ND	ESPN+	UND 14–7	6,141
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Date	Bye Week
November 13	Western Illinois

Week 12

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 20	12:00 PM	Youngstown State	No. 17 Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	ESPN+	YSU 35–18	4,935
November 20	1:00 PM	Indiana State	Illinois State	Hancock Stadium • Normal, IL		INST 15–10	2,890
November 20	1:00 PM	Western Illinois	No. RV Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome • Cedar Falls, IA	ESPN3	UNI 41–3	6,785
November 20	2:00 PM	North Dakota	No. 12 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	SDSU 24–21	8,132
November 20	2:30 PM	No. 16 South Dakota	No. 4 North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 52–24	16,252
November 20	8:00 PM	No. 14 Missouri State	Dixie State	Greater Zion Stadium • St. George, UT	ESPN+	W 55–24	2,794
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Postseason

See also: 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season § NCAA Division I playoff bracket

In 2021, six teams made the FCS playoffs. North Dakota State (No. 2) received a first bye. Missouri State, Southern Illinois, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and Northern Iowa were all unseeded and played in the first round. Below are the games in which they played.

Index to colors and formatting
MVFC member won
MVFC member lost
MVFC teams in bold

All times Central time. Tournament seedings in parentheses

First round

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
November 27	2:00 PM	No. 14 UC Davis (Big Sky)	No. 11 South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium • Brookings, SD	ESPN+	W 56–24	3,681
November 27	3:00 PM	No. 16 UT Martin (OVC)	No. 12 Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO	ESPN+	L 31–32	5,072
November 27	3:00 PM	No. RV Northern Iowa	No. 4 Eastern Washington (Big Sky)	Roos Field • Cheney, WA	ESPN+	L 9–19	3,845
November 27	5:00 PM	No. 21 Southern Illinois	No. 17 South Dakota	DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	SIU 22–10	3,597
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Second round

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 4	2:30 PM	No. 21 Southern Illinois	No. 3 (2) North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN+	NDSU 38–7	12,557
December 4	8:00 PM	No. 11 South Dakota State	No. 8 (4) Sacramento State	Hornet Stadium • Sacramento, CA	ESPN+	W 24–19	10,031
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Quarterfinals

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 11	11:00 AM	No. 7 (7) East Tennessee State (SoCon)	No. 3 (2) North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN	W 27–3	11,794
December 11	1:00 PM	No. 11 South Dakota State	No. 6 (5) Villanova (CAA)	Villanova Stadium • Villanova, PA	ESPN+	W 35–21	3,401
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

Semifinals

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
December 17	8:15 PM	No. 2 (3) James Madison (CAA)	No. 3 (2) North Dakota State	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	ESPN2	W 20–14	16,550
December 18	1:00 PM	No. 11 South Dakota State	No. 7 (8) Montana State (Big Sky)	Bobcat Stadium • Bozeman, MT	ESPN2	L 17–31	20,457
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

National Championship

See also: 2022 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

Date	Time	Visiting team	Home team	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Ref.
January 8	11:00 AM	No. 7 (8) Montana State (Big Sky)	No. 3 (2) North Dakota State	Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX	ESPN2	W 38–10	18,942
#Rankings from Stats Perform. All times are in Central Time.

MVFC records vs other conferences

2021-22 records against non-conference foes (through January 8, 2022):

FCS Power Conferences Record Big Sky 4–2 CAA 2–0 FCS Power Total 6–2 Other FCS Conferences Record ASUN 2–0 Big South None Ivy League None MEAC None Northeast None OVC 3–0 Patriot None PFL 5–0 SoCon None Southland 1–0 SWAC None WAC 2–0 Other FCS Total 13–0 FCS Total 19–2 FBS Opponents Record Football Bowl Subdivision 1–9 Other NCAA Divisions Record Division II 1–0 Total Non-Conference Record 21–11

Post Season FCS Power Conferences Record Big Sky 3–2 CAA 2–0 FCS Power Total 5–2 Other FCS Conferences Record ASUN None Big South None Ivy League None MEAC None Northeast None OVC 0–1 Patriot None PFL None SoCon 1–0 Southland None SWAC None WAC None Other FCS Total 1–1 Total Postseason Record 6–3

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

Week	Offensive			Defensive			Special Teams			Freshman
	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team	Player	Position	Team
Week 1 (Sept. 5) [7]	Jaleel McLaughlin	RB	YSU	Michael Thomas	DB	INST	Colt McFadden	PK	YSU	Jason Shelley	QB	MOST
	Nic Baker	QB	SIU							Chris Oladokun	QB	SDSU
Week 2 (Sept. 12)[8]	Xavier Lane	WR	MOST	Spencer Cuvelier	MLB	UNI	Montrae Braswell	CB	MOST	Xavier Lane	WR	MOST
Week 3 (Sept. 19)[9]	Connor Sampson	QB	WIU	Braydon Deming	DE	ILST	Hunter Lunsford	DB	INST	Phazione McClurge	WR	INST
Week 4 (Sept. 26)[10]	Pierre Strong Jr.	RB	SDSU	Darius Joiner	DB	WIU	Izaiah Hartrup	WR	SIU	Jason Shelley	QB	MOST
Week 5 (Oct. 3)[11]	Tobias Little	RB	MOST	Spencer Cuvelier	LB	UNI	Jake Reinholz	K	NDSU	Nate Thomas	RB	USD
Week 6 (Oct. 10)	Nic Baker	QB	SIU	Inoke Moala	DE	INST	Jack Colquhoun	P	SIU	Demeatric Crenshaw	QB	YSU
Week 7 (Oct. 17)[12]	Isaiah Smith	RB	UND	Jack Cochrane	LB	USD	Steven Ward	LB	MOST	Quincy Patterson	QB	NDSU
Week 8 (Oct. 24)[13]	Cole Mueller	RB	ILST	JJ Henderson	DB	INST	Matthew Cook	PK	UNI	Cole Mueller	RB	ILST
Week 9 (Oct. 31)[14]	Jason Shelley	QB	MOST	Ferrin Manuleleua	LB	MOST	Nate Murphy	P	UNI	Jason Shelley	QB	MOST
Week 10 (Nov. 7)[15]	Pierre Strong Jr	RB	SDSU	Zeke Vandenburg	LB	ILST	JT Bohlken	P	ILST	Nate Thomas	RB	USD
Week 11 (Nov. 14)[16]	Jason Shelley	QB	MOST	David Miller	CB	SIU	Cade Peterson	P	UND	Jeremiah Webb	WR	USD
Week 12 (Nov. 21)[17]	Jaleel McLaughlin	RB	YSU	Riley Van Wyhe	LB	UNI	Jose Pizano	PK	MOST	Kevon Latulas	RB	MOST

Players of the Year

On November 29, 2021, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released their Players of the Year and All-Conference Honors.^[18]

Offensive Player of the Year

• Jason Shelley, QB (RS-Jr, Missouri State)

Defensive Player of the Year

• Jared Brinkman, DL (RS-Sr, Northern Iowa)

Newcomer of the Year

• Jason Shelley, QB (RS-Jr, Missouri State)

Freshman of the Year

• Demeatric Crenshaw, QB (RS-Fr, Youngstown State)

Coach of the Year

• Matt Entz (North Dakota State)

All-Conference Teams

Award Player School Position Year First Team Offense Jason Shelley Missouri State QB RS-Jr. Jaleel McLaughlin Youngstown State RB Sr. Pierre Strong Jr. South Dakota State RB Sr. Hunter Luepke North Dakota State FB Jr. Tucker Kraft South Dakota State TE So. Dennis Houston Western Illinois WR Sr. Tyrone Scott Missouri State WR RS-So. Christian Watson North Dakota State WR Sr. Zeveyon Furcron Southern Illinois OL Sr. Cody Mauch North Dakota State OL Sr. Trevor Penning Northern Iowa OL RS-Jr. Cordell Volson North Dakota State OL Sr. Matt Waletzko North Dakota OL Sr. Christian Watson North Dakota State AP Sr. First Team Defense Jared Brinkman Northern Iowa DL RS-Sr. Kevin Ellis Missouri State DL Jr. Inoke Moala Indiana State DL RS-Sr. Brayden Thomas North Dakota State DL Sr. Logan Backhaus South Dakota State LB Sr. Adam Bock South Dakota State LB So. Jack Cochrane South Dakota LB Sr. Spencer Cuvelier Northern Iowa LB RS-Jr. Montrae Braswell Missouri State DB So. Qua Brown Southern Illinois DB Sr. Darius Joiner Western Illinois DB Sr. Benny Sapp III Northern Iowa DB Jr. Michael Tutsie North Dakota State DB Sr. First Team Special Teams Grant Burkett Missouri State P RS-Fr. Matthew Cook Northern Iowa PK So. Montrae Braswell Missouri State RS So. Dalton Godfrey South Dakota DS Jr.

Award Player School Position Year Second Team Offense Connor Sampson Western Illinois QB Sr. Otis Weah North Dakota RB Jr. Javon Williams Jr. Southern Illinois RB So. Tim McCloyn Illinois State FB Sr. Josh Babicz North Dakota State TE Sr. Jaxon Janke South Dakota State WR Jr. Landon Lenoir Southern Illinois WR Sr. Isaiah Weston Northern Iowa WR RS-Jr. Landon Bebee Missouri State OL So. Wes Genant South Dakota State OL Sr. Alex Jensen South Dakota OL Jr. Aron Johnson South Dakota State OL Sr. Mason McCormick South Dakota State OL Jr. Isaiah Weston Northern Iowa AP RS-Jr. Second Team Defense Eric Johnson Missouri State DL Sr. Anthony Knighton Southern Illinois DL Sr. Caleb Sanders South Dakota State DL Sr. Reece Winkelman South Dakota State DL Sr. Jasir Cox North Dakota State LB Sr. Jackson Hankey North Dakota State LB Sr. Bryce Notree Southern Illinois LB Sr. Tylar Wiltz Missouri State LB Jr. Don Gardner South Dakota State DB Sr. Evan Holm North Dakota DB Sr. Clayton Isbell Illinois State DB So. Michael Lawson Western Illinois DB Sr. Elijah Reed South Dakota DB Sr. Second Team Special Teams Brady Schutt South Dakota P Sr. Jose Pizano Missouri State PK So. Jayden Price North Dakota State RS Jr. Bradey Sorenson South Dakota State DS Sr.

All-Newcomer Team

Award	Player	School	Position	Year
All-Newcomer Team Offense	Demeatric Crenshaw	Youngstown State	QB	RS-Fr.
	Theo Day	Northern Iowa	QB	RS-So.
	Bryson Deming	Illinois State	TE	Jr.
	Xavier Lane	Missouri State	WR	RS-Sr.
	Cole Mueller	Illinois State	RB	RS-Fr.
	Chris Oladokun	South Dakota State	QB	GS
	Quincy Patterson	North Dakota State	QB	Jr.
	Tyrone Scott	Missouri State	WR	RS-So.
	Jason Shelley	Missouri State	QB	RS-Jr.
	Isaiah Smith	North Dakota	RB	RS-Fr.
	Nate Thomas	South Dakota	RB	Fr.
	Tamerik Williams	North Dakota State	RB	Jr.
All-Newcomer Team Defense
	Geoffrey Brown	Indiana State	LB	Fr.
	Braydon Deming	Illinois State	DL	Jr.
	Nick Gaes	South Dakota	DT	RS-Fr.
	Josiah Ganues	South Dakota	DB	Fr.
	JJ Henderson	Indiana State	DB	GS
	Darius Joiner	Western Illinois	DB	Sr.
	Allen Love	Missouri State	DL	RS-So.
	Ben McNaboe	North Dakota	DL	So.
	David Miller	Southern Illinois	CB	Fr.
	Loshiaka Roques	North Dakota State	DE	RS-Fr.
	Marques Sigle	North Dakota State	CB	RS-Fr.
	Siale Suliafu	Missouri State	DL	Fr.

Source:^[19]

National Awards

On December 7, 2021, STATS Perform released their list of finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, and the Jerry Rice Award, respectively.

Walter Payton Award

The Walter Payton Award is given to the best FCS offensive player. Here are the MVFC finalists:^[20]

• Pierre Strong Jr. (RB - South Dakota State)
• Trevor Penning (OT - Northern Iowa)
• Jason Shelley (QB - Missouri State)

Buck Buchanan Award

The Buck Buchanan Award is given to the best FCS defensive player. Here are the MVFC finalists:^[21]

• Darius Joiner (S - Western Illinois)
• Adam Bock (LB - South Dakota State)

Jerry Rice Award

The Jerry Rice Award is given to the best FCS freshman player. Here are the MVFC finalists:^[22]

• Demeatric Crenshaw (QB - Youngstown State)

All-Americans

	AP[23] 1st Team	AP 2nd Team	AP 3rd Team	AFCA[24] 1st Team	AFCA 2nd Team	STATS[25] 1st Team	STATS 2nd Team	STATS 3rd Team	ADA [26]	HERO [27] 1st Team	HERO 2nd Team	HERO 3rd Team
Adam Bock, LB, South Dakota State							Y			Y
Brayden Thomas, DL, North Dakota State			Y					Y				Y
Cordell Volson, OL, North Dakota State	Y			Y		Y				Y
Cody Mauch, OL, North Dakota State		Y										Y
Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State		Y					Y			Y
Darius Joiner, DB, Western Illinois	Y										Y
Dennis Houston, WR, Western Illinois			Y					Y				Y
Grant Burkett, P, Missouri State			Y		Y			Y
Hunter Luepke, FB, North Dakota State						Y				Y
Jack Cochrane, LB, South Dakota							Y					Y
Jared Brinkman, DL, Northern Iowa	Y			Y		Y				Y
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Youngstown State			Y					Y				Y
Jayden Price, PR, North Dakota State								Y
Mason McCormick, OL, South Dakota State										Y
Matt Waletzko, OL, North Dakota		Y			Y		Y				Y
Matthew Cook, PK, Northern Iowa					Y		Y				Y
Michael Tutsie, DB, North Dakota State								Y		Y
Montrae Braswell, DB, Missouri State		Y					Y
Noah Gindorff, TE, North Dakota State												Y
Pierre Strong Jr., RB, South Dakota State	Y			Y		Y				Y
Qua Brown, DB, Missouri State							Y				Y
Trevor Penning, OL, Northern Iowa	Y			Y		Y			Y	Y
Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State		Y				Y				Y
ZeVeyon Furcron, OL, Southern Illinois		Y						Y				Y

Home attendance

Team	Stadium	Capacity	Game 1	Game 2	Game 3	Game 4	Game 5	Game 6	Game 7	Game 8	Game 9	Total	Average	% of Capacity
Illinois State	Hancock Stadium	13,391	8,148	N/A	12,416†	6,000	2,890					29,454	7,363	55.0%
Indiana State	Memorial Stadium	12,764	5,540	6,652†	3,943	5,479	3,265					24,879	4,975	38.9%
Missouri State	Robert W. Plaster Stadium	17,500	11,247	12,738	14,336†	8,372	9,173	5,072‡				60,938	10,156	58.0%
North Dakota	Alerus Center	12,283	10,143	12,846†	8,807	8,441	8,068					48,305	9,661	78.7%
North Dakota State	Fargodome	18,700	15,156	15,118	18,536†	15,559	14,383	16,252	12,557‡	11,794‡	16,550‡	135,905	15,100	80.8%
Northern Iowa	UNI-Dome	16,324	5,124	8,771†	7,202	5,902	6,785					33,784	6,756	41.4%
South Dakota	DakotaDome	9,100	5,247	6,267	5,304	5,415	9,068†	3,597‡				34,898	5,816	63.9%
South Dakota State	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium	19,340	15,162	14,473	12,216	16,889	18,122†	8,135	3,681‡			88,678	12,668	65.5%
Southern Illinois	Saluki Stadium	15,000	7,338	8,618	10,644†	7,176	4,935					38,711	7,742	51.6%
Western Illinois	Hanson Field	17,128	5,385†	4,107	2,827	2,118	1,972					16,409	3,281	19.2%
Youngstown State	Stambaugh Stadium	20,630	8,637	13,751†	12,444	9,423	8,307					52,562	10,512	51.0%

Bold - Exceed capacity
†Season High
‡FCS Playoff Game

2022 NFL Draft

Main article: 2022 NFL draft

The following list includes all MVFC players who were drafted in the 2022 NFL draft.

Player	Position	School	Draft Round	Round Pick	Overall Pick	Team	Notes
Trevor Penning	OT	Northern Iowa	1	19	19	New Orleans Saints	from Philadelphia
Christian Watson	WR	North Dakota State	2	2	34	Green Bay Packers	from Detroit via Minnesota
Pierre Strong Jr.	RB	South Dakota State	4	22	127	New England Patriots
Cordell Volson	OT	North Dakota State	4	31	136	Cincinnati Bengals
Matt Waletzko	OT	North Dakota	5	12	155	Dallas Cowboys	from Cleveland
Eric Johnson	DT	Missouri State	5	16	159	Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Ogletree	TE	Youngstown State	6	13	192	Indianapolis Colts	from Minnesota
Chris Oladokun	QB	South Dakota State	7	20	241	Pittsburgh Steelers

Undrafted Free Agents

Player	Position	School	Team
Aron Johnson	OT	South Dakota State	Baltimore Ravens
Don Gardner	CB	South Dakota State	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Michael Griffin	S	South Dakota State	Tennessee Titans
Josh Babicz	TE	North Dakota State	Carolina Panthers
Brayden Thomas	OLB	North Dakota State	Los Angeles Rams
Isaiah Weston	WR	Northern Iowa	Cleveland Browns
Jack Cochrane	LB	South Dakota	Kansas City Chiefs

Source:^[28]

Head coaches

Through January 8, 2022

Team	Head coach	Years at school	Overall record	Record at school	MVFC record	MVFC titles	FCS Playoff appearances	FCS Playoff record	National Titles
Illinois State	Brock Spack	13	89–60 (.597)	89–60 (.597)	56–44 (.560)	2	5	7–5 (.583)	0
Indiana State	Curt Mallory	4	17–28 (.378)	17–28 (.378)	11–21 (.344)	0	0	0–0 (–)	0
Missouri State	Bobby Petrino[a]	2	132–65 (.670)	13–9 (.591)	11–3 (.786)	1	2	0–2 (.000)	0
North Dakota	Bubba Schweigert[b]	8	69–61 (.531)	47–40 (.540)	7–6 (.538)	0	3	1–3 (.250)	0
North Dakota State	Matt Entz	3	35–4 (.897)	35–4 (.897)	20–3 (.870)	2	3	6–1 (.857)	2
Northern Iowa	Mark Farley	21	168–93 (.644)	168–93 (.644)	106–53 (.667)	7	13	16–13 (.552)	0
South Dakota	Bob Nielson[c]	6	215–114–1 (.653)	29–34 (.460)	20–24 (.455)	0	2	1–2 (.333)	2
South Dakota State	John Stiegelmeier[d]	25	185–111 (.625)	185–111 (.625)	76–34 (.691)	2	11	14–11 (.560)	0
Southern Illinois	Nick Hill	6	31–37 (.456)	31–37 (.456)	18–28 (.391)	0	2	2–2 (.500)	0
Western Illinois	Jared Elliott	4	9–31 (.225)	9–31 (.225)	8–22 (.267)	0	0	0–0 (–)	0
Youngstown State	Doug Phillips	2	4–13 (.235)	4–13 (.235)	3–12 (.200)	0	0	0–0 (–)	0

1. Bobby Petrino coached in the FBS from 2003-06 and 2015-18 for Louisville, 2008-11 for Arkansas, as well as in 2013 for Western Kentucky.
2. Bubba Schweigert coached Minnesota Duluth of NCAA Division II from 2004-07. He also coached North Dakota while they were a part of the Big Sky Conference from 2014-17 and were independents in 2018 and 2019.
3. Bob Nielson coached Western Illinois from 2013-15, which included a run in the playoffs that ended in the second round. Nielson also coached Minnesota-Duluth from 1999-2003 and 2008-12, that second stint included five consecutive NCAA Division II playoff appearances highlighted by 2 National Titles. In the first stint at MN-Duluth included his first Division II playoff appearance. Nielson also coached Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1996-98 that included one NCAA Division III playoff run that ended in the semifinals. Before that, he coached Wartburg from 1991-95, which included two Division III playoff runs as well. His first head coaching job was at Ripon from 1989-90.
4. John Stiegelmeier has coached South Dakota State since 1997, when the school was still part of NCAA Division II. While in Division II, the school did not achieve any playoff appearances.

References

1. "North Dakota State football continues dominant FCS run, wins ninth championship in 11 seasons". espn.com. ESPN. January 8, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
2. "South Dakota State University's football playoff run ends at Montana State". argusleader.com. Sioux Falls Argus Leader. December 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
3. "North Dakota State beats Southern Illinois to advance to quarterfinals". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. December 4, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
4. "EWU's defense leads playoff victory over Northern Iowa, sets up rematch with Montana in round of 16". spokesman.com. The Spokesman-Review. November 27, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
5. "Missouri Valley Football Announces Preseason Team Poll". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
6. "Preseason Poll 2021" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
7. "Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 5)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
8. "Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 12)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
9. "Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 19)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
10. "Valley Football Players of the Week (Sept. 26)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
11. "Valley Football Players of the Week (Oct. 3)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
12. "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 17)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
13. "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Oct. 24)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
14. "Valley Football -- Players of the Week (Oct. 31)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
15. "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Nov. 7)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
16. "Valley Football - Players of the Week (Nov. 14)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
17. "Missouri Valley Football Players of the Week (N21)". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
18. "2021 Missouri Valley Football All-Conference team". valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
19. "2021 All-Newcomer Team" (PDF). valley-football.org. Missouri Valley Football Conference. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
20. "Breaking down 2021 FCS Walter Payton Award finalists". ncaa.com. NCAA. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
21. "Breaking down the 2021 Buck Buchanan Award finalists". ncaa.com. NCAA. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
22. "Breaking down the 2021 Jerry Rice Award finalists". ncaa.com. NCAA. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
23. "2021 AP FCS All-America team". apnews.com. Associated Press. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
24. "South Dakota State's Pierre Strong Jr and Florida A&M's Isaiah Land highlight the 2021 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision coaches All-America teams". afca.com. AFCA. December 22, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
25. "Widespread Talent Fills 2021 Stats Perform FCS All-America Team". theanalyst.com. STATS Perform. December 20, 2021. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
26. "FCS ADA Announces 2021 All-America Team". fcsinsider.com. FCS ADA. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
27. "2021 HERO Sports All-FCS All-American Team". herosports.com. HERO Sports. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
28. "Undrafted rookie free agents: Team signings after 2022 NFL Draft". nfl.com. NFL. April 30, 2022. Retrieved June 2, 2023.