NORMAL — It's the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for Illinois State on Saturday at Hancock Stadium.
And when the No. 6-ranked Redbirds and No. 1 North Dakota State renew acquaintances in a 6 p.m. kickoff, it's also the top game in all of FCS football this week.
"It's fun to be in big games in October," ISU coach Brock Spack said. "I think our community is excited. We'll measure ourselves and see where we're at and go from there."
The Redbirds are 3-1 with their only loss coming to nationally ranked FBS program Oklahoma.
The defending national champion Bison are 4-0 and 1-0 in the MVFC after a 51-13 pounding of then-No.