Six FCS home games should be the scheduling goal for Saluki Football in 2027 and beyond
- Tom Weber
- Mar 21
- 4 min read
CARBONDALE, Ill. — It's too late for 2026, but going forward, Southern Illinois should take a hard look at scheduling six, FCS home games.
The FCS Oversight Committee recently approved a key change to its criteria for making the playoffs, telling the selection committee “to give more consideration to teams that have played all Division I opponents and/or a greater number of Division I games.”
The decree puts added pressure on schools to avoid playing Division II games, and at the same time, try to reach the 12-game maximum.
None of the Missouri Valley Football Conference schools have scheduled a DII opponent in 2026. Six of the nine teams have full, 12-game schedules versus Division I opponents.
The only Valley teams with 11 games are Southern Illinois, Illinois State and Northern Iowa. Southern has two open dates on its schedule (August 27 and October 31), and director of athletics Tim Leonard said there aren’t any available opponents “that make any sense” for the Salukis to add a 12th game in 2026.
Just a month ago, SIU was on the verge of signing a deal to play at Sacramento State for its 12th game. A tentative agreement was in place for a guarantee game in California on Aug. 27 for a $350,000 payout. The contest fell through when the Hornets announced their move to the FBS level, so Southern will play 11 games — five home and six road contests.
How might an 11-game schedule affect a team’s playoff path in 2026?
Recent history shows the bar for an at-large playoff berth is at least eight wins. In the last two seasons, 27 teams finished the regular season with seven wins, but only one of the them (North Dakota in 2025) received an at-large bid.
With the 2026 schedule set at 11 games, here’s how SIU’s administration should address future schedules to give the program its best chance for post-season success.
Beginning in 2027, the scheduling standard for Saluki Football should be a full, 12-game, Division I schedule that is balanced between six-home and six-road games.
This fall, six Valley teams (Indiana State, Murray State, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Youngstown State) will play six FCS home games. Anything less than a “6-and-6 schedule” puts a program at a disadvantage within the league.
“My preference would be to be 6-and-6, or even 7-and-5,” Leonard said. “I don't know if we'll have a year where we have seven home games, but we might.”
The key to building a six-game home schedule is to “buy” at least one “guarantee game” against a lower-level FCS team. Here’s a list of FCS home games that Valley schools have bought this year.
Indiana State: Valparaiso
Murray State: Valparaiso
North Dakota: Saint Thomas
Northern Iowa: Drake
South Dakota: Central Connecticut State
South Dakota State: New Haven and Eastern Illinois
Youngstown State: Mercyhurst and Duquesne
In the era of rev-share, Leonard implied SIU might not have the financial resources to buy an opponent.
"Where do you want to put your money?" he asked. "(Rev-share) is probably more important to us than it is to buy a home game.”
Traditionally, SIU has been reluctant to invest money in buying FCS home games. The only recent purchases have been Dayton in 2021, Mississippi Valley State in 2017 and Liberty in 2015. All three games were bought just so the Salukis could play five home games.
Although guarantee games versus FCS teams cost roughly $100,000, a large chunk of that money can be made up through additional ticket sales. When SIU bought Dayton in 2021, it generated nearly $75,000 in single-game, season-ticket and suite revenue alone. When you add in concessions and the marketing value of a college football home game, not to mention the competitive advantage, the up-front expense is easily justifiable.
Most of the top programs in the FCS are scheduling six home dates, and Southern Illinois should commit to following suit in 2027.
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