Illinois State Football to Face โขSoutheastern Louisiana in First Round โขof โคPlayoffs
Hammond, Louisiana – Illinois Stateโ football has secured a โbidโข to the 24-team Football championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, marking the program’s first postseason appearance since 2019. The Redbirds willโ travel to face No. 16 โขseed southeastern Louisiana at noon on Saturday, November 29, in โฃhammond, Louisiana.
This playoff berthโ continues a period of success under head coach Brock โขspack, and represents a significant step for the Missouri Valley Football Conference program. The winner of the ISU-Southeastern Louisiana matchup will advance to โplay โtop-seeded and defendingโฃ national championโ North Dakota State in the second round. The Redbirds concluded thier regularโ season wiht โan 8-4 record, โฃfalling 37-7 to Southern Illinois in their final game.
despite the recent loss, Illinois State’sโข overall performance earned them an at-large bid. โคISU previously reached the secondโข round of the playoffs last season, defeating Southeast Missouri State before being eliminated by UC-Davis.
The university โฃrecently booked โHancock Stadium to host the Illinois highโ school Association football finals next weekend, a โdecision Spack supports for its potential recruiting benefits,โ even if it meant forfeiting a possible home playoff game.
Illinois State is one of six teams from the Missouri โValley football Conference to qualify for โคthe playoffs, a conference โฃthat has dominated the FCS landscape, winning 12 of the last 14 national championships.
