SETTING THE SCENE
Coming off a heartbreaking, final minute loss to then-No. 22 Augustana on Senior Day last Saturday, the No. 10 Minnesota State football team looks to bounce back in the 2026 regular season finale versus MSU Moorhead Saturday at 12 p.m. at the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D.  The Mavericks enter with a 9-1 record overall and an 8-1 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and, with a win Saturday, would win the outright NSIC Championship for 2026.  MSUM enters at 6-4 overall and 5-4 in NSIC play.    
 
CALLING THE GAME / HOW TO WATCH
Aaron Worm and John Harrington return to the broadcast booth this season and will have the call of Maverick Football on The Fan KFSP 1230 AM and 103.1 FM, the official radio home of Minnesota State football.  Fans can also listen online through Radio Mankato. Saturday's game will be streamed live on Midco Sports Plus, the exclusive streaming home of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Every Minnesota State football game during the 2026 season will be available through Midco Sports Plus.
 
THE NEW MIDCO SPORTS PLUS NETWORK
The NSIC enters a new era of digital coverage this season with the launch of Midco Sports Plus. The platform serves as the centralized streaming home for all NSIC athletic events, providing live and on-demand coverage from each of the conference's 16 member institutions. Fans can purchase annual access for less than $7 per month, which includes NSIC and Summit League content. Monthly subscriptions are also available for $15.  The upgraded platform features improved navigation, expanded content access and enhanced viewing capabilities for fans throughout the conference footprint.
 
NPI RANKINGS
Newly instituted for 2026, the NCAA Power Index (NPI) will determine this year's NCAA Championship tournament field, replacing ranking committees and previously used selection criteria. The NCAA will release NPI rankings each Sunday throughout the remainder of the regular season leading up to the NCAA Selection Show Sunday, Nov. 15. In the latest NCAA NPI rankings, Minnesota State fell to fourth in Super Region Three following the loss on Saturday. Ferris State is both at the top of the national rankings and top in Super Region Three.  Slippery Rock is second in the national rankings, followed by Harding, Northwood and CSU Pueblo rounds out the top five.  MSU fell from sixth to 14th in the national NPI rankings this week.  In Super Region Three, Ferris State leads the way followed by Northwood, Michigan Tech, MSU, Findlay, Augustana, Davenport, Minnesota Duluth, Wayne State (Neb.) and Northern State rounds out the top ten.  If the postseason began today, MSU would likely host Findlay in the first round on Nov. 21.  
 
SELECTION SHOW SET FOR SUNDAY EVENING
The 2026 NCAA Division II Football Championship Selection Show is scheduled to be unveiled on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. CT and broadcast live on NCAA.com.  The Mavericks are 20-16 all-time in the NCAA postseason and are seeking their 17th trip to the postseason in program history in 2026.  MSU has advanced to the national championship game twice, in 2014 and 2019.  The 20 playoff victories are tied for seventh among active NCAA Division II programs and ninth all-time in Division II history.
 
IN THE POLLS
Minnesota State sits tenth in the AFCA Top 25 this week, while it is seventh in the D2Football.com Top 25.  Ferris State, Harding, CSU Pueblo and Western Colorado lead the way in each poll, respectively.  Augustana is 16th in the AFCA Poll, while it is 15th in D2Football.  Wayne State is 24th in the AFCA poll and not ranked in the D2Football.com poll among other teams from the NSIC. 
 
RECAPPING LAST WEEK
Prior to Saturday's Senior Day, the Mavericks honored 15 seniors who played in their final regular season home game for the purple and gold.  In a game that lived up to the billing in recent series history, the Mavericks held a 3-0 lead through 15 minutes, but the Vikings took the lead early in the second quarter marking the first time MSU had trailed since Sept. 19 versus Northern State.  MSU took a 20-14 lead into halftime and extended the lead to 27-14 with a 66-yard touchdown pass from Maximus Sims to Ishmael Emmanuel-Holloway on the second play from scrimmage in the third quarter.  The Mavericks stretched the lead back to 13 at 30-17 with a 30-yard field goal from Matt Maldonado with 12:43 to play in the game, but the Vikings scored with nine minutes to go, trimming the deficit to six and then Breylon Blount scored from one-yard out with 31 seconds remaining for a 31-30 lead.  MSU moved the ball into AU territory, but penalties plagued the Mavericks all game and missed a 55-yard field goal at the horn.  The Mavericks held a 531-429 advantage in total offense and threw for a season-high 331 yards, outgaining the high-powered passing offense of the Vikings. Despite this, 11 penalties for a season-high 109 yards proved costly.  
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH MSU MOORHEAD
The Mavericks lead the all-time series with the Dragons 26-15, but MSUM snapped a eight-game skid with a 31-23 win over the Mavericks in Mankato in the regular season finale in 2025.  The Mavericks had not lost in Mankato since a 45-0 setback on Oct. 10, 1981.  MSU won 24-19 in Moorhead on Oct. 12, 2024.  Though counted as a MSUM home game Saturday, this will be the first time the teams have played on a neutral city in series history.   The Mavericks are 11-8 all-time at MSUM and have won the last four away from home.
 
OVER 300
Saturday marked the first time this season the Mavericks have thrown for over 300 yards this season with 331 yards against Augustana.  MSU had one, 300-yard passing game last season with 310 yards versus Sioux Falls on Sept. 27, 2025.  MSU had 531 yards of offense in the game and it was the second time this season the Mavericks had over 500 yards of offense, while it marked the seventh game of 200 or more yards on the ground.   
 
GOING FOR DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS
The Mavericks are looking for their 13th season in program history of double-figure wins on Saturday and the third season in a row of double figure victories.  From a regular season standpoint, it would be the tenth time in program history of registering double-digit wins.    
 
TOP TEN NATIONALLY FOR THE MAVERICKS
Minnesota State continues to rank among the national leaders in several statistical categories.  The Mavericks rank:

 
A WIN OVER MSU MOORHEAD WOULD . . .

 
THIS WEEK IN THE NSIC
Closing out the regular season on Saturday, these are the matchups around the conference:

   
LOOKING AHEAD
Saturday marks the conclusion of the regular season and teams will await berths in the NCAA postseason when the bracket is scheduled to be unveiled at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, on NCAA.com.