NORMAL, Ill. – Coming off its second-straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship, the 2016 Illinois State football team, led by head coach Brock Spack, will look to put together another title run, when it officially opens the 11-game season that begins on Sept. 3 and features six home contests.
The Redbirds will open the season by hosting Valparaiso, a FCS foe from the Pioneer Football league, at 6 p.m. at Hancock Stadium. ISU will then hit the road Sept. 10 for a tough in-state clash with Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) foe Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois.