PHILADELPHIA – Despite not playing due to a bye week, the Illinois State football team moved up spots in both national Football Championship Subdivision Top-25 polls Monday.
The Redbirds moved up two spots to No. 22 in the FCS Coaches Poll and debuted in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 at the No. 23 spot. ISU first appeared at No. 24 in the FCS Coaches Poll last week and just missed out on being voted into The Sports Network FCS Top 25, falling just three spots outside the Top 25.Â
The Redbirds earned 101 points to nudge their way up a pair of positions in the FCS Coaches Poll at No. 22, thanks to a strong 34-15 win over then-No. 24 ranked Eastern Illinois (Sept. 13) in the 103rd meeting of the Mid-America Classic. The MVFC led all conferences with a league-record seven schools ranked in the coaches poll, with North Dakota State leading the way in the No. 1 spot. South Dakota State (No. 9), Northern Iowa (No. 10), Youngstown State (No. 12), Southern Illinois (No. 16), Illinois State (No. 22) and Missouri State (No. 24) comprised the record-breaking list of ranked teams.
ISU garnered 291 points in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 to rank No. 23 overall, and was followed by Albany (No. 24) and Delaware (No. 25) as new additions to this week's poll. No. 1 ranked North Dakota State, No. 9 South Dakota State, No. 10 Northern Iowa, No. 17 Southern Illinois, No. 18 Youngstown State and the No. 23 Redbirds comprise the MVFC representatives in TSN poll.
The Redbirds return to action on Saturday, Sept. 27, at home against Ohio Valley Conference foe Austin Peay State (0-3, 0-1 MVFC), with kickoff at Hancock Stadium scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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