NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State football maintained its position at No. 14 in the nation according to The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 Poll released Monday, but moved up two spots into a tie at No. 14 in the FCS Coaches Poll.
ISU (7-3, 5-2 Missouri Valley Football Conference) has now been ranked in The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll for four-consecutive weeks and has its highest ranking since 2007, when it was also ranked No. 14 on Sept. 17. ISU moved up two spots in the FCS Coaches Poll with 291 points, tying the Redbirds with Harvard at No. 14.
MVFC leader North Dakota State dropped from No. 1 to No. 5 in both polls after suffering a 27-24 defeat at home to Youngstown State Saturday at the Fargodome. Northern Iowa improved a spot in each poll to No. 4, after a convincing 34-21 win at home against non-conference opponent Southern Utah, which sets up a big against the Redbirds this weekend.
Indiana State remained just outside of The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll this week, but remained ranked in the FCS Coaches Poll at No. 23 to give the Missouri Valley Football Conference four representatives in the top-25. South Dakota, which will join the MVFC in 2012, remains in The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll at No. 22 and is holding on in the FCS Coaches Poll at No. 24. Illinois State previously knocked off South Dakota and Indiana State in back-to-back games at home earlier this season.
No. 14 Illinois State will host No. 4 Northern Iowa Saturday, Nov. 19, in a game with potential conference championship and playoff implications in play. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m., at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Ill., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com, with Scott Warmann and Danan Hughes on the call.
To order tickets for the for the final regular-season football game of 2011, call the Illinois State Athletics ticket office at 309-438-8000 or visit GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
