ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The new 2026 Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) has been announced for this fall, the conference office announced Friday morning. The conference slate will feature four home games and four road games for the Coyotes.
 
The schedule was redone due to the departure of North Dakota State from the MVFC to the Mountain West, effective this fall. Now each Valley school will play all eight conference opponents each season.
 
South Dakota will begin their MVFC campaign on Saturday, September 26 as the Yotes will head east to face the Penguins of Youngstown State. It'll be the first meeting with the Penguins since the Yotes picked up their first win in Youngstown back in 2024.
 
The Coyotes will then return to Vermillion for two-straight weeks in the only back-to-back home games of the season. Indiana State will make the trek to the DakotaDome for the Dakota Days clash on October 3, followed by Southern Illinois the week after on October 10.
 
For the second time in series history, the Coyotes will head down to Murray, Kentucky on October 17. The Racers were held scoreless in the first meeting between the two schools at Roy Stewart Stadium in 2024.
 
The battle of the Dakota flagship institutions will be on Saturday, October 24 in Vermillion. With the new schedule, the Fighting Hawks will make the travel south for the second consecutive season that was a top-25 clash last season.
 
The 2026 Interstate Series game is set for Halloween on October 31 in Brookings. In the 120^th meeting between the two in-state rivals, the Yotes look to snap a seven-game skid in Brookings.
 
The month of November begins after the bye week (November 7) with the regular season home finale for South Dakota. The Yotes will welcome the Northern Iowa Panthers back to Vermillion on November 14.
 
The final game of the regular season will be a trip to Normal, Illinois when the Coyotes look to get revenge on Illinois State, who snapped the home win streak last season. The Redbirds are coming off their run to the national championship game in 2024 and have won the last three meetings in the series.
 
South Dakota's non-conference slate was announced last week and will feature two games at home (Central Connecticut State and Eastern Washington) and two games on the road (Northern Colorado and Boise State).
 
 
2026 SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2026 season are now on sale, both for renewals and first-time purchasers. Purchase your season tickets today to support the Yotes and first-year head coach Matt Vitzthum. Visit GoYotes.com/Tickets today!
 
Coyote fans can contact the Ticket Office at tickets@usd.edu or by calling (605) 677-5959.