2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference Season

The 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 38th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 12 teams, as the conference added Murray State over the offseason. It was also the last season with 12 teams for now, as it was announced in May 2023 that Western Illinois would be leaving the MVFC after the 2023 season for the Ohio Valley Conference.

South Dakota State made it to the National Championship and won their 2nd FCS title in program history and became the third MVFC team to win back to back titles. North Dakota State made the playoffs unseeded, and won their way into the semifinals where they lost to 2nd seeded Montana. South Dakota made the playoffs as the 3rd seed, and made it to the quarterfinals, where they lost to North Dakota State. Youngstown State and Southern Illinois made the playoffs unseeded as well, and made it to the 2nd round, losing to 8th seeded Villanova and 4th seeded Idaho. North Dakota made the playoffs unseeded and lost to Sacramento State in the opening round.

Previous season

In 2022, South Dakota State won the conference and received the automatic bid to the 2022 playoffs. The Jacks would go on to win their first FCS Championship over rival North Dakota State.

Besides SDSU and NDSU; North Dakota made the playoffs as well. UND lost to Weber State in the first round to be eliminated from contention.

Offseason

Over the offseason, the conference officially welcomed in their 12th league member. Murray State will begin their tenure as a MVFC member after joining the sister conference ( Missouri Valley Conference) in the summer of 2022. The Racers arrive in the Valley from the Ohio Valley Conference.

Coaching changes

Missouri State

On December 19, 2022, Ryan Beard was named the new head coach at Missouri State. Beard was previously the Bears defensive coordinator for the last three years. He takes over for Bobby Petrino who left the program for an eventual job at Texas A&M.

South Dakota State

On January 20, 2023, Jimmy Rogers was named the new head coach at South Dakota State. Rogers was promoted from defensive coordinator for the Jacks. Former coach John Stiegelmeier retired after the end of last season, leading South Dakota State for 26 seasons.

Preseason

Preseason League Poll

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

Preseason Individual Awards

Source:

Rankings

Schedule

All times Central time.

† denotes Homecoming game

^ denotes AP Poll ranking for FBS teams

Regular season schedule

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

FCS Playoffs

In 2023, six teams made the FCS Playoffs. South Dakota State (No. 1) and South Dakota (No. 3) both received byes; while North Dakota, North Dakota State, Southern Illinois, and Youngstown State were unseeded and played in the opening round. Below are the games in which they played.

All times Central time. Tournament seedings in parentheses.

First round

Second round

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

National Championship

MVFC records vs other conferences

2023-24 records against non-conference foes:

Post Season

Awards and honors

Player of the week honors

Players of the Year

On November 27, 2023, the Missouri Valley Football Conference released their Players of the Year and All-Conference Honors.

Offensive Player of the Year

Two players were named as Offensive Player of the Year.
* Mark Gronowski, QB (Jr - South Dakota State)
* Isaiah Davis, RB (Sr - South Dakota State)

Defensive Player of the Year

* Brock Mogenson, LB (Sr - South Dakota)

Newcomer of the Year

* Mason Blakemore, RB (Jr - Illinois State)

Freshman of the Year

* Tye Niekamp, LB (RS-Fr - Illinois State)

Coach of the Year

* Bob Nielson ( South Dakota)

All-Conference Teams

National Awards

On November 21, 2023, STATS Perform released their list of finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Buck Buchanan Award, Jerry Rice Award, and the Eddie Robinson Award, respectively. Finalists are listed by order they appeared in the STATS Perform article.

Walter Payton Award

The Walter Payton Award is given to the best FCS offensive player. The MVFC's own Mark Gronowski won the award (QB - South Dakota State). Here were the other MVFC finalists:
* Cam Miller (QB - North Dakota State)
* Isaiah Davis (RB - South Dakota State)

Buck Buchanan Award

The Buck Buchanan Award is given to the best FCS defensive player. Here were the MVFC finalists:
* Amir Abdullah (LB - Illinois State)
* Logan Kopp (LB - North Dakota State)
* Brock Mogensen (LB - South Dakota)
* PJ Jules (DB - Southern Illinois)

Jerry Rice Award

The Jerry Rice Award is given to the best FCS freshman player. Here were the MVFC finalists:
* Tye Niekamp (LB - Illinois State)

Eddie Robinson Award

The Eddie Robinson Award is given to the best FCS head coach. The MVFC's own Jimmy Rogers won the award, and it was announced on December 7, 2023. Here were the MVFC finalists:
* Bob Nielson ( South Dakota)
* Jimmy Rogers ( South Dakota State)

All-Americans

Home attendance

Bold - Exceed or met capacity

†Season High

‡FCS Playoff Game

2024 NFL Draft

The following list includes all MVFC players who were drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Head coaches

''Through January 7, 2024''

All stats include 2023 season

References

{{Missouri Valley Football Conference