NCAA FCS Missouri Valley

Illinois State football predictions & picks

Missouri Valley

2026 record: 7-3
Missouri Valley: 3rd
PPG: 33.7
Streak: L1
Last 5: Lost 14–31 vs South Dakota State · Sat, Oct 3 Won 35–14 at Southern Illinois · Sat, Oct 17 Won 17–10 vs Indiana State · Sat, Oct 24 Won 35–14 vs Murray State · Sat, Oct 31 Lost 21–49 at North Dakota · Sat, Nov 7

Illinois State next game

Wk 11

Illinois St @12:00 PM ET Saturday, November 14 Youngstown St

Picks

The model publishes its moneyline, spread and over/under picks in the days before kickoff. They will be here, and on the game’s own page.

Illinois State 2026 schedule & results

Every pick graded once the game ends

WeekOpponentResult Our best pickGame page

Wk 1Sat, Aug 29Aug 29 vsSt. Francis (IL) St Francis IL W76–0 —

Wk 1Sat, Sep 5Sep 5 @Western Illinois W Illinois W41–10 —

Wk 2Sat, Sep 12Sep 12 @Northern Illinois N Illinois W28–24 —

Wk 3Sat, Sep 19Sep 19 vs Eastern Illinois E Illinois W49–13 —

Wk 4Sat, Sep 26Sep 26 @Northern Iowa Northern Iowa L21–28 —

Wk 5Sat, Oct 3Oct 3 vs South Dakota State S Dakota St L14–31 —

Wk 7Sat, Oct 17Oct 17 @Southern Illinois S Illinois W35–14 —

Wk 8Sat, Oct 24Oct 24 vs Indiana State Indiana St W17–10 —

Wk 9Sat, Oct 31Oct 31 vs Murray State Murray St W35–14 —

Wk 10Sat, Nov 7Nov 7 @North Dakota North Dakota L21–49 —

Wk 11Sat, Nov 14Nov 14 @Youngstown State Youngstown St 12:00 PM ET Pick coming soon

Wk 12Sat, Nov 21Nov 21 vs South Dakota South Dakota 12:00 PM ET Pick coming soon

Illinois State team stats

2026 regular season · 9 games · rank among 127 FCS teams

Offense

Points 29.0/ game 39th

Total yards 374.2/ game 50th

Passing yards 223.1/ game 49th

Rushing yards 151.1/ game 63rd

Third-down conversions 50.0% 3rd

Giveaways 1.6/ game 85th

Time of possession 32:22 14th

Defense

Points allowed 21.4/ game 21st

Yards allowed 331.8/ game 25th

Passing yards allowed 213.9/ game 61st

Rushing yards allowed 117.9/ game 20th

Takeaways 1.3/ game 64th

Penalties 6.6/ game 79th

Illinois State leaders

2026 regular season

Passing Beckham Pellant 1,181yds 8 TD · 5 INT · 54.3% comp. · 9 games

Rushing Victor Dawson 479yds 8 TD · 3.7 per carry · 8 games

Receiving Dylan Lord 498yds 47 catches · 5 TD · 8 games

Tackles Tye Niekamp 71 9 games

Sacks Tye Niekamp 3.5 9 games

Interceptions Tye Niekamp 1 2 passes defended · 9 games

Missouri Valley standings

All college standings

#Team WLT W-L PCTPFPA DIFFSTRKSTK

1 South Dakota State S Dakota St 820 8-2 .800 369162 +207 W3

2 Youngstown State Youngstown St 820 8-2 .800 406248 +158 W6

3 Illinois State Illinois St 730 7-3 .700 337193 +144 L1

4 South Dakota South Dakota 730 7-3 .700 360249 +111 L1

5 North Dakota North Dakota 740 7-4 .636 393279 +114 W1

6 Southern Illinois S Illinois 550 5-5 .500 240257 −17 W2

7 Northern Iowa Northern Iowa 450 4-5 .444 231260 −29 L1

8 Indiana State Indiana St 280 2-8 .200 247360 −113 L6

9 Murray State Murray St 190 1-9 .100 167431 −264 L7

Illinois State FAQ

Who does Illinois State play next?

Next up for Illinois State: on the road at Youngstown State, Saturday, November 14, 12:00 PM ET. Our picks for it go up in the days before kickoff.

What is Illinois State’s record this season?

Illinois State is 7-3, 3rd in the Missouri Valley.

Who leads Illinois State in passing yards?

Beckham Pellant, with 1,181 passing yards in the 2026 regular season (8 TD · 5 INT · 54.3% comp. · 9 games).

Missouri Valley rivals

All teams

Indiana State Murray State North Dakota Northern Iowa South Dakota South Dakota State Southern Illinois Youngstown State

Illinois State this week

Illinois State is 7-3, 3-3 in Missouri Valley play. Its last game was a 49–21 loss to North Dakota on November 7, ending a three-game winning streak. Its offense averages 29.0 points a game (39th in FCS), and its defense allows 21.4 (21st).

Next up, Illinois State visits Youngstown State on Saturday, November 14 at 12:00 PM ET. The rest of the week’s games are on the college football picks board.