Illinois State was an at-large selection into the playoff field and were unseeded; however, they defeated #17 (tie) ranked Southeastern Louisiana, #1 North Dakota State, #11 UC Davis and #9 Villanova, all away from home, to become the first FCS team to reach the championship game by defeating four consecutive road opponents. The Redbirds appeared in their second FCS National Championship Game (first since 2015); they faced #2 Montana State in the title game, falling 34–35 in overtime.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference released its preseason poll on July 21, 2025, voted on by league athletic directors, coaches, and media members. The Redbirds were predicted to in finish fourth place within the ten-team conference.
Date
Time
Opponent
Rank
Site
TV
Result
Attendance
August 30
5:00 p.m.
at No. 18 (FBS) Oklahoma*
No. 6
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK
SECN+/ESPN+
L 3–35
83,218
September 6
6:00 p.m.
Morehead State*
No. 7
Hancock StadiumNormal, IL
ESPN+
W 41–13
9,671
September 13
2:00 p.m.
at Eastern Illinois*
No. 7
O'Brien FieldCharleston, IL (Mid-America Classic)
ESPN+
W 42–30
6,720
September 20
12:00 p.m.
North Alabama*
No. 6
Hancock StadiumNormal, IL
ESPN+
W 38–36 2OT
11,287
October 4
6:00 p.m.
No. 1 North Dakota State
No. 6
Hancock StadiumNormal, IL
ESPN+
L 16–33
9,829
October 11
6:00 p.m.
at Murray State
No. 9
Roy Stewart StadiumMurray, KY
ESPN+
W 46–32
5,647
October 18
2:00 p.m.
Youngstown State
No. 10
Hancock StadiumNormal, IL (Homecoming)
Marquee/ESPN+
L 35–40
9,834
October 25
1:00 p.m.
at No. 21 South Dakota
No. 18
DakotaDomeVermillion, SD
MidCo Sports/ESPN+
W 21–13
6,333
November 1
2:00 p.m.
Northern Iowa
No. 17
Hancock StadiumNormal, IL
Marquee/ESPN+
W 31–16
7,756
November 8
12:00 p.m.
at Indiana State
No. 16
Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN
ESPN+
W 52–20
3,522
November 15
2:00 p.m.
at No. 16 South Dakota State
No. 14
Dana J. Dykhouse StadiumBrookings, SD
MidCo Sports/ESPN+
W 35–21
11,407
November 22
12:00 p.m.
No. 24 Southern Illinois
No. 11
Hancock StadiumNormal, IL (Senior Day)
Marquee/ESPN+
L 7–37
6,895
November 29
12:00 p.m.
at No. 17т (16) Southeastern Louisiana*
No. 17т
Strawberry StadiumHammond, LA (NCAA Division I First Round)
ESPN+
W 21–3
6,117
December 6
12:00 p.m.
at No. 1 (1) North Dakota State*
No. 17т
FargodomeFargo, ND (NCAA Division I Second Round)
ESPN+
W 29–28
10,464
December 13
4:00 p.m.
at No. 11 (8) UC Davis*
No. 17т
UC Davis Health StadiumDavis, CA (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)
ESPN+
W 42–31
9,216
December 20
6:30 p.m.
at No. 9 (12) Villanova*
No. 17т
Villanova StadiumVillanova, PA (NCAA Division I Semifinal)
ESPN2
W 30–14
4,133
January 5, 2026
6:30 p.m.
vs. No. 2 (2) Montana State*
No. 17т
FirstBank StadiumNashville, TN (NCAA Division I Championship)
ESPN
L 34–35 OT
24,105
*Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time
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