← Matchups

South Dakota State

· 2-1 · power +5.6 · #114
Our numberILST -10.4 no book has priced this game

Illinois State

· 3-0 · power +13.0 · #67
Our side
MoneylineILST to win ours 74%
Projected score 25–35 SDST – ILST
2026-10-03 · 7:00 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 South Dakota State lead 7–6 · 13 meetings since 2008
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 35 ranks apart
South Dakota State Jackrabbits #107 rush offense Illinois State Redbirds #142 run defense
Pass game even 23 ranks apart
South Dakota State Jackrabbits #111 pass offense Illinois State Redbirds #134 pass defense
Run game edge South Dakota State Jackrabbits 93 ranks
Illinois State Redbirds #123 rush offense South Dakota State Jackrabbits #30 run defense
Pass game even 14 ranks apart
Illinois State Redbirds #79 pass offense South Dakota State Jackrabbits #93 pass defense
South Dakota State Jackrabbits Run-heavy · 60% run Avg pace 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 State Jackrabbits
K Tristan Alvano 6 FG · 17 XP · 35 pts #4 K
P Max Pelham 10 punts · 47.9 yd avg #3 P
TE Greyton Gannon 5 rec · 81 yds · 2 TD #36 TE
WR Grahm Goering 13 rec · 254 yds #127 WR
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 State Jackrabbits +5.6 +5.7 -0.1 #114
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 State offense vs Illinois State defense+0.3 pts
Illinois State offense vs South Dakota State defense+7.6 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 476 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.