Bradley last played football 55 years ago (1970), but the Missouri Valley Football Conference has been very successful in recent years at the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) level.
An MVFC team has won the FCS National Championship the last 4 years, and 12 of the last 14 years.
en.wikipedia.org
This year, Illinois State will be playing in the FCS National Championship game on January 5, 2026 against Montana State of the Big Sky Conference.
www.ncaa.com
ISU finished their regular season 8-4 overall, and 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They were selected to play in the 24-team FCS Playoffs as an unseeded team (only the top 16 teams were seeded).
Bracket- https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/...football-championship-bracket-schedule-scores
They are the only unseeded team to make it past the 2nd round, and they have now won 4 straight games, beating #16 ranked Southeastern Louisiana, #1 North Dakota State, #8 UC-Davis, and #12 Villanova to reach the championship game against #2 Montana State.
The game is Jan. 5, at the FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and will be on ESPN at 6:30 pm Central.
https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/...hampionship-game-date-time-tv-channel-history
This might be the only time I say this, but Go ISU (football)!
An MVFC team has won the FCS National Championship the last 4 years, and 12 of the last 14 years.
NCAA Division I Football Championship - Wikipedia
This year, Illinois State will be playing in the FCS National Championship game on January 5, 2026 against Montana State of the Big Sky Conference.
Illinois State defeats Villanova in the 2025 FCS playoff semifinals, advances to national title
Here's everything you need to know about the FCS semifinal game between Villanova and Illinois State.
www.ncaa.com
ISU finished their regular season 8-4 overall, and 5-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They were selected to play in the 24-team FCS Playoffs as an unseeded team (only the top 16 teams were seeded).
Bracket- https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/...football-championship-bracket-schedule-scores
They are the only unseeded team to make it past the 2nd round, and they have now won 4 straight games, beating #16 ranked Southeastern Louisiana, #1 North Dakota State, #8 UC-Davis, and #12 Villanova to reach the championship game against #2 Montana State.
The game is Jan. 5, at the FirstBank Stadium on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and will be on ESPN at 6:30 pm Central.
https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/...hampionship-game-date-time-tv-channel-history
This might be the only time I say this, but Go ISU (football)!