← Matchups

South Dakota

· 3-0 · power +9.5 · #88
Our numberILST -6.4 no book has priced this game

Illinois State

· 3-0 · power +13.0 · #67
Our side
MoneylineILST to win ours 65%
Projected score 27–34 SDAK – ILST
2026-11-21 · 1:00 PM Hancock Stadium · Normal, IL Conference game Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Illinois State lead 9–2 · 11 meetings since 2011
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge South Dakota Coyotes 82 ranks
South Dakota Coyotes #60 rush offense Illinois State Redbirds #142 run defense
Pass game edge South Dakota Coyotes 107 ranks
South Dakota Coyotes #27 pass offense Illinois State Redbirds #134 pass defense
Run game even 20 ranks apart
Illinois State Redbirds #123 rush offense South Dakota Coyotes #143 run defense
Pass game edge Illinois State Redbirds 155 ranks
Illinois State Redbirds #79 pass offense South Dakota Coyotes #234 pass defense
South Dakota Coyotes Run-heavy · 62% run Ball-control Illinois State Redbirds Balanced · 55% run Avg pace

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
South Dakota Coyotes
P Brook Honore Jr. 9 punts · 47.1 yd avg #5 P
RB Charles Pierre Jr. 261 rush yds · 4 TD · 2 rec #27 RB
WR Brayden White 13 rec · 164 yds · 4 TD #61 WR
K Bohdie Ing 4 FG · 18 XP · 30 pts #15 K
Illinois State Redbirds
DB Jack Oliver 6 tkl · 2 PD · 1 INT #47 DB
LB Tye Niekamp 14 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 4.0 TFL #64 LB
TE Alex Herrera 4 rec · 49 yds · 2 TD #43 TE
WR Dylan Lord 13 rec · 134 yds · 1 TD #134 WR

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
South Dakota Coyotes +9.5 +8.1 +1.4 #88
Illinois State Redbirds +13.0 +7.6 +5.4 #67

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
South Dakota offense vs Illinois State defense+2.7 pts
Illinois State offense vs South Dakota defense+6.1 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 438 mi

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.