FCS conference belt

The MVFC Belt

A companion lineage restricted to MVFC: the belt passes to whoever beats the holder, exactly like the real belt, but only games between two MVFC members COUNT — and only for the seasons both sides were actually in MVFC at the time. Caught it by beating Northern Iowa on October 17, 2026. The conference has also been recorded as Gateway Collegiate Athletic, Gateway Football; those seasons count here too.

Next MVFC gameYoungstown State vs. North Dakota · October 31, 2026 · ESPN+ — North Dakota takes it with a win.

56Reigns

183Belt Games

11Programs

Longest Reign

North Dakota State — 3 yrs, 38 days

September 29, 2018 – November 6, 2021

Most Defenses, One Reign

North Dakota State — 22

starting September 29, 2018

Most Reigns, All-Time

North Dakota State — 10 separate reigns

11 MVFC programs have held it

#	Team	Reign	Length	Def.	Won it	Lost it
1	Missouri State	September 7, 1985 – September 7, 1985	0 days	0	Established it (first game on record)	— belt retired —
2	Southern Illinois	September 28, 1985 – November 16, 1985	49 days	0	Re-established it (no MVFC games on record between 1985 and 1985)	lost to Western Illinois
3	Western Illinois	November 16, 1985 – November 16, 1985	0 days	0	beat Southern Illinois 14–7	— belt retired —
4	Southern Illinois	October 4, 2003 – November 15, 2003	42 days	5	Re-established it (no MVFC games on record between 1985 and 2003)	lost to Northern Iowa
5	Northern Iowa	November 15, 2003 – October 2, 2004	322 days	0	beat Southern Illinois 43–40	lost to Southern Illinois
6	Southern Illinois	October 2, 2004 – October 15, 2005	1 yr, 13 days	8	beat Northern Iowa 40–36	lost to Illinois State
7	Illinois State	October 15, 2005 – October 29, 2005	14 days	1	beat Southern Illinois 61–35	lost to Western Illinois
8	Western Illinois	October 29, 2005 – September 30, 2006	336 days	2	beat Illinois State 31–17	lost to Western Kentucky
9	Western Kentucky	September 30, 2006 – October 7, 2006	7 days	0	beat Western Illinois 38–35	lost to Illinois State
10	Illinois State	October 7, 2006 – October 28, 2006	21 days	2	beat Western Kentucky 28–27	lost to Youngstown State
11	Youngstown State	October 28, 2006 – October 6, 2007	343 days	4	beat Illinois State 27–13	lost to Southern Illinois
12	Southern Illinois	October 6, 2007 – October 13, 2007	7 days	0	beat Youngstown State 24–17	lost to Northern Iowa
13	Northern Iowa	October 13, 2007 – September 27, 2008	350 days	5	beat Southern Illinois 30–24	lost to Southern Illinois
14	Southern Illinois	September 27, 2008 – October 4, 2008	7 days	0	beat Northern Iowa 27–24	lost to North Dakota State
15	North Dakota State	October 4, 2008 – October 11, 2008	7 days	0	beat Southern Illinois 35–27	lost to Western Illinois
16	Western Illinois	October 11, 2008 – November 1, 2008	21 days	1	beat North Dakota State 27–22	lost to Northern Iowa
17	Northern Iowa	November 1, 2008 – October 17, 2009	350 days	5	beat Western Illinois 30–6	lost to Southern Illinois
18	Southern Illinois	October 17, 2009 – September 25, 2010	343 days	4	beat Northern Iowa 27–20	lost to Youngstown State
19	Youngstown State	September 25, 2010 – October 2, 2010	7 days	0	beat Southern Illinois 31–28	lost to Missouri State
20	Missouri State	October 2, 2010 – October 16, 2010	14 days	0	beat Youngstown State 35–25	lost to Indiana State
21	Indiana State	October 16, 2010 – October 23, 2010	7 days	0	beat Missouri State 38–35	lost to North Dakota State
22	North Dakota State	October 23, 2010 – November 20, 2010	28 days	2	beat Indiana State 27–15	lost to Missouri State
23	Missouri State	November 20, 2010 – September 24, 2011	308 days	0	beat North Dakota State 3–0	lost to Southern Illinois
24	Southern Illinois	September 24, 2011 – October 1, 2011	7 days	0	beat Missouri State 20–18	lost to Western Illinois
25	Western Illinois	October 1, 2011 – October 15, 2011	14 days	0	beat Southern Illinois 27–21	lost to Indiana State
26	Indiana State	October 15, 2011 – October 22, 2011	7 days	0	beat Western Illinois 46–24	lost to Illinois State
27	Illinois State	October 22, 2011 – November 19, 2011	28 days	2	beat Indiana State 17–14	lost to Northern Iowa
28	Northern Iowa	November 19, 2011 – September 22, 2012	308 days	0	beat Illinois State 23–20	lost to Youngstown State
29	Youngstown State	September 22, 2012 – October 6, 2012	14 days	0	beat Northern Iowa 42–35	lost to North Dakota State
30	North Dakota State	October 6, 2012 – October 13, 2012	7 days	0	beat Youngstown State 48–7	lost to Indiana State
31	Indiana State	October 13, 2012 – November 3, 2012	21 days	2	beat North Dakota State 17–14	lost to Illinois State
32	Illinois State	November 3, 2012 – November 17, 2012	14 days	0	beat Indiana State 17–10	lost to North Dakota State
33	North Dakota State	November 17, 2012 – November 8, 2014	1 yr, 356 days	14	beat Illinois State 38–20	lost to Northern Iowa
34	Northern Iowa	November 8, 2014 – December 6, 2014	28 days	2	beat North Dakota State 23–3	lost to Illinois State
35	Illinois State	December 6, 2014 – January 10, 2015	35 days	0	beat Northern Iowa 41–21	lost to North Dakota State
36	North Dakota State	January 10, 2015 – October 17, 2015	280 days	2	beat Illinois State 29–27	lost to South Dakota
37	South Dakota	October 17, 2015 – October 31, 2015	14 days	1	beat North Dakota State 24–21	lost to Northern Iowa
38	Northern Iowa	October 31, 2015 – December 12, 2015	42 days	3	beat South Dakota 20–7	lost to North Dakota State
39	North Dakota State	December 12, 2015 – October 15, 2016	308 days	2	beat Northern Iowa 23–13	lost to South Dakota State
40	South Dakota State	October 15, 2016 – October 29, 2016	14 days	1	beat North Dakota State 19–17	lost to Illinois State
41	Illinois State	October 29, 2016 – October 14, 2017	350 days	4	beat South Dakota State 38–21	lost to Southern Illinois
42	Southern Illinois	October 14, 2017 – October 28, 2017	14 days	1	beat Illinois State 42–7	lost to South Dakota
43	South Dakota	October 28, 2017 – November 4, 2017	7 days	0	beat Southern Illinois 42–0	lost to Northern Iowa
44	Northern Iowa	November 4, 2017 – December 2, 2017	28 days	2	beat South Dakota 34–29	lost to South Dakota State
45	South Dakota State	December 2, 2017 – September 29, 2018	301 days	0	beat Northern Iowa 37–22	lost to North Dakota State
46	North Dakota State	September 29, 2018 – November 6, 2021	3 yrs, 38 days	22	beat South Dakota State 21–17	lost to South Dakota State
47	South Dakota State	November 6, 2021 – November 13, 2021	7 days	0	beat North Dakota State 27–19	lost to South Dakota
48	South Dakota	November 13, 2021 – November 20, 2021	7 days	0	beat South Dakota State 23–20	lost to North Dakota State
49	North Dakota State	November 20, 2021 – October 15, 2022	329 days	4	beat South Dakota 52–24	lost to South Dakota State
50	South Dakota State	October 15, 2022 – October 19, 2024	2 yrs, 4 days	15	beat North Dakota State 23–21	lost to North Dakota State
51	North Dakota State	October 19, 2024 – November 23, 2024	35 days	3	beat South Dakota State 13–9	lost to South Dakota
52	South Dakota	November 23, 2024 – September 27, 2025	308 days	0	beat North Dakota State 29–28	lost to North Dakota State
53	North Dakota State	September 27, 2025 – December 6, 2025	70 days	7	beat South Dakota 51–13	lost to Illinois State
54	Illinois State	December 6, 2025 – September 26, 2026	294 days	0	beat North Dakota State 29–28	lost to Northern Iowa
55	Northern Iowa	September 26, 2026 – October 17, 2026	21 days	1	beat Illinois State 28–21	lost to Youngstown State
56	Youngstown State	October 17, 2026 – Present	14 days	0	beat Northern Iowa 35–22	— present —

No reigns match “.”

Membership is judged season by season from every game a team played, so realignment moves a team’s games with it. A holder that stays in MVFC keeps the belt through any stretch without a game against another member; a holder that leaves vacates the belt on its last game as a member, and it reverts to the most recent earlier holder that is a member of the season it left for. If no one is left to inherit it, the belt retires with its last holder. Days count the offseason; switch to games to measure a reign by belt games only.

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