Illinois State Football to Face Southeastern Louisiana in First Round of Playoffs
Hammond, Louisiana – Illinois State football has secured a bid to the 24-team Football championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, marking the program’s first postseason appearance since 2019. The Redbirds will travel to face No. 16 seed southeastern Louisiana at noon on Saturday, November 29, in hammond, Louisiana.
This playoff berth continues a period of success under head coach Brock spack, and represents a significant step for the Missouri Valley Football Conference program. The winner of the ISU-Southeastern Louisiana matchup will advance to play top-seeded and defending national champion North Dakota State in the second round. The Redbirds concluded thier regular season wiht an 8-4 record, falling 37-7 to Southern Illinois in their final game.
despite the recent loss, Illinois State’s overall performance earned them an at-large bid. ISU previously reached the second round of the playoffs last season, defeating Southeast Missouri State before being eliminated by UC-Davis.
The university recently booked Hancock Stadium to host the Illinois high school Association football finals next weekend, a decision Spack supports for its potential recruiting benefits, even if it meant forfeiting a possible home playoff game.
Illinois State is one of six teams from the Missouri Valley football Conference to qualify for the playoffs, a conference that has dominated the FCS landscape, winning 12 of the last 14 national championships.