NDSU selected to win Missouri Valley Football Conference in pre-season poll

Defending FCS National Champ North Dakota State has been tabbed as the league preseason favorite in a poll conducted by league coaches, media, and sports information directors.

NDSU received 39 of a possible 41 first-place votes and 446 total points to edge South Dakota State, which earned 407 points and the remaining two first-place tallies.  Missouri State was picked third in this year’s preseason poll with 355 total points, while Southern Illinois (4^th, 306 points) and UNI (5^th, 304 points) were tightly bunched for the next two spots.  A returning playoff participant from last season, South Dakota was picked 6^th with 235 points.  North Dakota (190), Illinois State (178), Youngstown State (132), Indiana State (109) and Western Illinois (44) round out the voting.

In 2021, for the first time in Conference history, six Missouri Valley Football Conference teams earned bids into the 24-team FCS playoff field.  Only one other conference in NCAA history has received six bids in a single playoff (CAA in 2018).  The MVFC had received as many as five bids four times previously (2014, 2015, 2017, and in Spring 2021).

League schools combined for eight wins in the 2021 tournament, capped by North Dakota State’s championship game victory against Montana State.  NDSU extended the MVFC’s FCS-record to 11-straight title game appearances for the league.  The CAA (5 in a row), OVC (4-straight) and SoCon (4 appearances in a row) are next on the list.  Notably, the 2021 season marked the 16th title appearance for a league team. The league is 11-5 in title games, although Youngstown State (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) and Southern Illinois (1983) both played in the championship prior to joining the league.  All 16 of the league’s title-game appearances have occurred since 1997.

The MVFC is 81-38 (.681) since 2010 in the playoffs — which includes 15 intra-conference games (meaning the league is 66-23 against teams from other leagues for a phenomenal .776 winning percentage).  Last season, MVFC teams combined to go 25-5 against non-conference FCS teams.  All five losses were to ranked FCS teams, all of which made the 2021 playoff field.

The 2021 season was capped by an incredible presence in the April 2022 NFL Draft.  A total of nine MVFC players were drafted, setting an all-time high for the Conference (surpassing the previous-record total of five in 2021).  UNI’s Trevor Penning (19th overall pick) became the first Panther selected in the first round of the NFL draft as he joined North Dakota State QBs Carson Wentz (2016) and Trey Lance (2019) as the only MVFC student-athletes to do so.

The 2022 season will mark the eighth year in an agreement with ESPN to distribute all 61 league home games on ESPN3 (or ESPN+), while the league has implemented other initiatives to promote its institutions, student-athletes and coaches, including a weekly podcast series (“First and Goal”), and video segments that review (“Two-Minute Drill”) and preview (“The Extra Point”) each week’s contests throughout the season.  The MVFC and other FCS leagues have partnered in the production of a weekly “FCS ALL IN” special which will air throughout the season beginning later this month.

An MVFC preseason favorite has claimed the league crown 22 times (in 26 previous polls).

In addition to today’s team rankings, the Conference has announced its preseason team, voted on by coaches, sports information directors, and a media panel.  North Dakota State leads the way with 12 total selections.  Missouri State, UNI, and South Dakota State each have nine on either the first- or second-team unit.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference led all FCS leagues with 22 total selections on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Teams, announced Monday, Aug. 1.   North Dakota State and South Dakota State tied for the FCS high on those units, with six each.

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB Jason Shelley, Missouri State
RB Isaiah Davis, South Dakota State
RB Jaleel McLaughlin, Youngstown State
RB/AP Javon Williams, Southern Illinois
FB Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State
WR Avante Cox, Southern Illinois
WR Jaxon Janke, South Dakota State
WR Tyrone Scott, Missouri State
TE Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State
OL Landon Bebee, Missouri State
OL Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State
OL Cody Mauch, North Dakota State
OL Mason McCormick, South Dakota State
OL Alex Jensen, South Dakota

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL Kevin Ellis, Missouri State
DL Eli Mostaert, North Dakota State
DL Caleb Sanders, South Dakota State
DL Reece Winkelman, South Dakota State
LB Adam Bock, South Dakota State
LB Spencer Cuvelier, UNI
LB Brock Mogensen, South Dakota
LB Zeke Vandenburgh, Illinois State
DB Montrae Braswell, Missouri State
DB PJ Jules, Southern Illinois
DB Kyriq McDonald, Missouri State
DB Benny Saap III, UNI
DB Michael Tutsie, North Dakota State

FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
LS Dalton Godfrey, South Dakota
PK Matthew Cook, UNI
P Grant Burkett, Missouri State
RS Montrae Braswell, Missouri State
AP Carter Bell, South Dakota

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State
RB Kobe Johnson, North Dakota State
RB Cole Mueller, Illinois State
FB Jacob Garrett, Southern Illinois
WR Carter Bell, South Dakota
WR Bo Belquist, North Dakota
WR Dante Hendrix, Indiana State
TE Noah Gindorff, North Dakota State
OL Drew Bones, Illinois State
OL Nash Jensen, North Dakota State
OL Erik Sorensen, UNI
OL Donny Ventrelli, North Dakota
OL Jaison Williams, Youngstown State

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL Braydon Deming, Illinois State
DL Nick Gaes, South Dakota
DL Caden Houghtelling, UNI
DL Devin Rice, UNI
DL Spencer Waege, North Dakota State
LB Greg Benton Jr., Youngstown State
LB Bryce Flater, UNI
LB James Kaczor, North Dakota State
LB Devon Krzanowski, North Dakota
DB Clayton Bush, Southern Illinois
DB Korby Sander, UNI
DB C.J. Siegel, North Dakota
DB Destin Talbert, North Dakota State
DB Dawson Weber, North Dakota State

SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
LS Joey Malinowski, Illinois State
PK Jose Pizano, Missouri State
P Cade Peterson, North Dakota
RS Jayden Price, North Dakota State
AP/WR Quan Hampton, UNI

PRESEASON POLL