Illinois State is seeking its sixth playoff appearance under head coach Brock Spack. The Redbirds last qualified for the postseason in 2019. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
National analyst Craig Haley has Illinois State as a “lock” to make the 2024 FCS playoff field, which will be announced at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on ESPNU.
Veteran head coach Brock Spack’s Redbirds are 8-3 overall and 5-2 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. ISU concludes its regular season by hosting North Dakota (5-6, 2-5) at noon Saturday at Hancock Stadium in Normal.
Haley, Stats Perform/The Analyst FCS Senior Editor, projects ISU to get a No. 12 seed when the playoff bracket is announced.
Haley has the Redbirds facing unseeded Drake (7-2) in Des Moines for a first-round matchup. Drake plays in the non-scholarship Pioneer League. The winner, according to Haley’s projection, would then play at No. 5 seed UC Davis (9-2).
Sam Herder of HERO Sports projects the Redbirds as the No. 15 seed and traveling to UT Martin (7-4) of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association. The winner would then play at No. 2 seed Montana State.
Illinois State is not able to host a first-round game because of the IHSA state championships at Hancock Stadium, which are held the weekend after Thanksgiving. ISU was awarded a five-year state final hosting contract last year.
Redbird reaction
While nearly all coaches hold off on publicly declaring their teams “locks” for the playoffs until the bracket is officially revealed, Spack feels good about the ISU’s status.
“I’ve never seen an 8-win Valley team not get in, but that’s on Sunday. Right now, we’re focused on North Dakota,” Spack said. “We’re obviously trying to get to nine (wins).”
The top eight seeds get first-round byes, something Spack isn’t ruling out.
“If we could win Saturday, there’s a very strong possibility we could get a bye,” he said.
Illinois State has gone to the playoffs five times during Spack’s tenure in Normal (2012, ‘14, ‘15, ‘16, ‘19). Spack, a Rockford native, took over the ISU program in 2009.
Loyd fills a void
Redbird receiver Xavier Loyd, a transfer from FBS Kansas State, was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week, league officials announced Monday.
Loyd caught 13 passes, one shy of the ISU single-game record. He ended the day with 94 receiving yards and scored the first Redbird touchdown in a 31-19 win at Indiana State.
“Coach Petersen (offensive coordinator Tony Petersen) has been harping on me all week to run the route really well,” Loyd said of his 8-yard touchdown catch. “I saw the look. I got open and (quarterback) Tommy (Rittenhouse) threw a really good ball.”
Loyd is the second-leading Redbird receiver with 52 catches for 732 yards and four touchdowns.
Loyd ranks seventh in both receptions and receiving yards among MVFC leaders.
Revving up in the rankings
When the two national FCS polls were announced Monday, Illinois State moved up three spots in each.
The Redbirds landed at No. 13 in the American Football Coaches Association rankings.
ISU is ranked No. 14 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
Updated MVFC standings
North Dakota State 7-0 (10-1)
South Dakota State 6-1 (9-2)
South Dakota 6-1 (8-2)
Missouri State 6-1 (8-3)*
ILLINOIS STATE 5-2 (8-3)
Indiana State 3-4 (4-7)
Youngstown State 3-5 (4-7)
North Dakota 2-5 (5-6)
Southern Illinois 1-6 (3-8)
Northern Iowa 0-7 (2-9)
Murray State 0-7 (1-10)
* Ineligible for playoffs as a result of moving to FBS next season
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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