Last year’s Missouri Valley Football co-champions appear to be on a collision course again in 2017. A single vote separates top pick North Dakota State from second-place South Dakota State in the MVFC pre-season poll. It’s the tightest vote for a pre-season favorite in league history.
North Dakota State has earned the league title for six-straight years, four times sharing it with another league school. This year, NDSU earned 21 of a possible 40 first-place votes and 380 total points in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors to edge SDSU, which had the remaining 19 first-place tallies and 379 total points.
Youngstown State, which reached last year’s FCS Championship game in Frisco, Texas, is the third choice in the poll. The Penguins, which tied NDSU last year with a league-best 12 victories, earned 290 points.
The league is coming off a season in which four teams represented the conference in the playoffs. The MVFC has had four or more playoff teams in three-straight seasons (earning five each in 2014 and 2015). Illinois State was one of the four playoff teams from the MVFC last year, and the Redbirds are tabbed fifth in this year’s poll with 246 points, narrowly behind the fourth choice in the poll — UNI (255 points).
A pre-season favorite has claimed the league crown 19 times (in 31 previous polls). North Dakota State was picked to win the league last season, and the Bison shared last year’s title with SDSU.
Valley Football is celebrating its 33rd season in 2017. In its first 32 seasons the league owns seven national crowns.
2017 Valley Football Preseason Poll
Team (first-place votes) Points
1. North Dakota State (21) 380
2. South Dakota State (19) 379
3. Youngstown State 290
4. UNI 255
5. Illinois State 246
6. Western Illinois 188
7. South Dakota 182
8. Southern Illinois 132
9. Missouri State 81
10. Indiana State 67
2017 Missouri Valley Football Preseason Team
QB- Taryn Christion, SDSU 6-2 220 Jr. Sioux Falls (S.D.) Roosevelt High
RB- Lance Dunn, NDSU 5-9 207 Jr. Waterloo (Iowa) Waterloo West High
Steve McShane, WIU 5-8 185 Jr. Freeport (Ill.) High
Brady Mengarelli, SDSU 5-10 195 Sr. Prescott (Ariz.) High
FB- Kane Louscher, SDSU 6-2 245 Sr. Mason City (Iowa) Newman Catholic
WR- Malik Earl, MSU 6-3 217 Sr. Oklahoma City (Okla.) Santa Fe High
Spencer Schnell, ILS 5-9 185 Jr. Elkhart (Ind.) High
Jake Wieneke, SDSU 6-4 215 Sr. Maple Grove (Minn.) High
TE- Dallas Goedert, SDSU 6-5 260 Sr. Britton (S.D.) Britton-Hecla High
OL- Jacob Judd, WIU 6-3 300 Sr. Clinton (Iowa) High
Charlie Harmon, SDSU 6-6 300 Sr. O’Fallon (Ill.) O’Fallon Township High
Vitas Hrynkiewicz, YSU 6-4 300 Jr. Somerset (N.J.) Immaculata High
Jacob Ohnesorge, SDSU 6-3 295 Sr. Waunakee (Wis.) High
Austin Olsen, SIU 6-5 320 Sr. Chicago (Ill.) Lincoln Way North
Justin Spencer, YSU 6-5 305 Sr. Indiana (Pa.) High
LS- James Fisher, NDSU 6-2 222 Sr. Bloomington (Minn.) Jefferson High
PK- Jerry Nunez, INS 5-11 185 So. Naples (Fla.) High
DL- Colby Isbell, MSU 6-3 239 Sr. Rogers (Ark.) Heritage High
Dalton Keene, ILS 6-4 280 Sr. Jacksonville (Ill.) High
Greg Menard, NDSU 6-2 238 Sr. Lakeville (Minn.) Lakeville North High
Kellen Soulek, SDSU 6-5 315 Sr. Yankton (S.D.) High
Nate Tanguay, NDSU 6-4 293 Sr. Mukwonago (Wis.) High
LB- Armand Dellovade, YSU 6-0 210 Jr. Imperial (Pa.) West Allegheny High
Nick DeLuca, NDSU 6-3 248 Sr. Omaha (Neb.) Millard North High
Jared Farley, UNI 5-11 221 Sr. Cedar Falls (Iowa) High
Christian Rozeboom, SDSU 6-2 225 So. Sioux Center (Iowa) High
Brett Taylor, WIU 6-2 230 Sr. Macomb (Ill.) High
DB- Tre Dempsey, NDSU 5-10 184 Sr. Lakeland (Fla.) High
Robbie Grimsley, NDSU 6-0 195 Jr. Hutchinson (Minn.) High
Davontae Harris, ILS 6-0 205 Sr. Wichita (Kan.) South
Alec Kocour, ILS 6-0 200 Sr. Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial
Malcolm Washington, UNI 6-2 172 Sr. Houston (Texas) Alief Elsik High
P- Mark Schuler, YSU 6-5 250 So. New Middletown (Ohio) Springfield High
RS- Deion Holliman, MSU 5-9 190 Sr. Camden (Ark.) Fairview High
Honorable Mention:
QB — Chris Streveler, USD; Sean McGuire, WIU;
RB — Trevor Allen, UNI; LeMonte Booker, INS;
FB — Hans Carmien, SIU;
WR — Connor Iwema, SIU; Darrius Shepherd, NDSU; RJ Urzendowski, NDSU;
LS — Brandon Godsey, USD;
OL — Coleman Clanton, MSU; Austin Kuhnert, NDSU; Cal Twait, UNI;
PK — Sean Slattery, ILS;
DL — Khalen Saunders, WIU;
LB — McNeece Egbim, MSU; Quentin Moon, WIU;
DB — Elijah Campbell, UNI; Jeremy Chinn, SIU; Craig James, SIU; Danny Rambo, USD;
P — Brady Hale, SDSU; Sam Kuhter, UNI;
RS — D.J. Davis, SIU; Jalen Rima, UNI
Total picks (First Team denoted in parentheses), includes honorable mentions, by school:
Illinois State – 5 (4); Indiana State – 2 (1); Missouri State – 5 (3); North Dakota State – 10 (7)
Northern Iowa – 7 (2); South Dakota – 3 (0); South Dakota State – 10 (9); Southern Illinois – 6 (1);
Western Illinois – 6 (3); Youngstown State – 4 (4).
