Missouri State leaving MVFC and moving to FBS, Conference USA

Missouri State announced Friday, May 10, that it has accepted an invitation to join Conference USA as a full-league member starting July 1, 2025.

“Their decision, I don’t think that impacts what’s best for NDSU," said NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen.

Missouri State is currently a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and the Missouri Valley Conference, its primary league. Conference USA is an FBS league for football. NDSU and the University of North Dakota play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, along with South Dakota State and the University of South Dakota.

"We are so excited for the opportunities that CUSA membership will bring to our university, our student-athletes, our coaches and our fans," said Missouri State Director of Athletics Kyle Moats in a release. "This move represents a transition to a national brand and a platform that will help raise the profile of Missouri State University and the city of Springfield. The steps we have taken over the past 15 years to invest in a successful broad-based athletics program have prepared us for this long-awaited moment."

The MVFC, an FCS conference, will have 11 members for the 2024 season and 10 members in 2025 after Missouri State exits the league. Western Illinois is slated to move into the Ohio Valley Conference starting in 2024.

"This move will absolutely open doors for us," Moats explained. "For our student-athletes, they will have less bus travel and more flights which will get them back to campus in a safer and more-timely manner. They will also have more financial resources at their disposal for cost of attendance, Alston funds, and a more strategic presence in the name, image and likeness (NIL) space."

NDSU joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008. Missouri State had been a league member since 1985. Some have clamored for the Bison to make a move to FBS.

“I do think there are seismic changes that could be coming," Larsen said. "This is the pivot point that in my mind is going to change.”

Larsen referenced the House vs. NCAA class-action lawsuit. The fallout from that could potentially lead to a third division of Division I football that could include top teams from the FCS joining with the Group of Five teams from the FBS, while the FBS power conferences break off into their own division.

“I think that’s the direction we’re headed," Larsen said. “I think it’s going to look really different.”

Larsen said that potential additional Division I subdibivison could be an attractive landing spot for NDSU.

“I would think so, but who knows? Is that football only? Is that all sports?” Larsen said. “Football is just different and it’s driving all of this change.”

The Bison are a member of the Summit League for most sports outside of football. Even with Missouri State leaving, Larsen added the MVFC is still one of the strongest leagues in the country.

“I would put the Missouri Valley up against any conference in the country," Larsen said.

Missouri State football has struggled for the better part of three decades. The Bears went thirty years between playoff apperances from 1990 to 2021. Longtime head coach Bobby Petrino was hired in the winter of 2020 and transformed the team with transfers and instant success. The Bears finished 5-1 in the league during the spring season and were co-champions with South Dakota State and North Dakota.

The Bears lost their playoff game 44-10 to UND. The following season, Missouri State reached the playoffs again, with an 8-4 record and hosted a game. MSU lost to UT Martin 32-31.

Missouri State struggled in 2022 after a preseason number five ranking to a 5-6 record. Petrino left after the season for jobs at UNLV and Texas A&M.

Petrino's son-in-law, Ryan Beard was hired as the new head coach in January of 2023. Missouri State was 4-7 this past fall, losing 38-10 to NDSU in October in Springfield.

As the conference and football landscape continues to change in college athletics, Larsen added the FCS is still a quality home for the Bison.

“I still think it’s a great brand of football," Larsen said. "There are a number of teams that are investing at a high level to compete for a national championship every season. ... I think we still have the best national championship playoff in the country.”

NDSU will play Missouri State for the final time as an FCS opponent November 16 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome, that will be the regular season home finale for the Bison.