McLean County Times

Illinois State University's football team has been selected to compete in the 24-team FCS Playoff field as the No. 12 overall seed. The Redbirds will face Southeast Missouri State in a first-round match on November 30 at 11 a.m. CT.

The Redbirds, who have a record of 9-3 and are part of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), are making their ninth appearance in the FCS playoffs. This is their sixth playoff appearance under head coach Brock Spack. Illinois State, ranked No. 13 in the final regular-season poll by Stats Perform, holds a playoff record of 10-8 and last participated in the FCS playoffs in 2019.

Illinois State concluded its regular season with a five-game winning streak and has won six out of its last seven games. After an initial loss to Iowa, they secured five consecutive FCS road victories, joining Montana State, Richmond, UC-Davis, and Drake as one of five teams with five or more road wins this year. This season marks Illinois State's fifth nine-win season under Coach Spack and the seventh in school history. Spack's playoff record stands at 7-5, including leading the team to the FCS National Championship game against North Dakota State in 2014.

Tickets for the game are available through SEMO's ticket office website. Redbird fans can purchase tickets for sections 108 and 109 online for $25 for adults and $16 for youth aged between two to fourteen years old. In-person or phone purchases cost $30 for adults.

GoRedbirds.com provides additional resources such as tickets, merchandise, multimedia content, and more related to Illinois State University sports.