Redbirds picked 5th in preseason MVFC poll

Posted on July 25, 2017

Illinois State will open the 2017 season against Butler at Hancock Stadium on Sept. 2. (WJBC file photo)

By WJBC Staff

ST. LOUIS – The Illinois State football team was picked in the top half of the ultra-competitive Missouri Valley Football Conference, as the Redbirds were picked fifth Tuesday in the annual preseason poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors.

PODCAST: Listen to WJBC’s interview with Illinois State football coach Brock Spack.

Last year’s Missouri Valley Football co-champions appear to be on a collision course again once again in 2017, with just a single vote separating top pick North Dakota State from second-place South Dakota State in the MVFC pre-season poll. North Dakota State, which has earned the league title for six-straight years, earned 21 of a possible 40 first-place votes and 380 total points to edge SDSU, which had the remaining 19 first-place tallies and 379 total points.

Youngstown State, which reached last year’s FCS Championship game in Frisco, Texas, was the third choice in the poll. The Penguins, which tied NDSU last year with a league-best 12 victories, earned 290 points. Illinois State was one of four playoff teams from the MVFC last year, and the Redbirds were tabbed fifth in this year’s poll with 246 points, narrowly behind the fourth choice in the poll UNI (255 points). Western Illinois (188) and South Dakota (182) were separated by just six points in sixth and seventh places, respectively, with Southern Illinois (132), Missouri State (81) and Indiana State (67) rounding out the vote.

The Redbirds return 46 letterwinners and 14 starters from last year’s playoff squad, which finished 6-6 overall after dropping a tough road playoff game at Central Arkansas. ISU returns five players selected to the 2017 preseason MVFC Team, including 2016 MVFC First-Team selection Davontae Harris and 2016 second-team picks Dalton Keene and Alec Kocour.

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