Illinois State Redbirds Football TV Schedule, Channels, Times
How to watch live stream Illinois State Redbirds football game today, tonight, or tomorrow? What channel & time?
The Illinois State Redbirds Football Games TV Schedule lists the date, time, TV channel, and opponent for every game. As a Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) FCS program, most Illinois State games stream via ESPN+. The Illinois State Redbirds 2026 schedule features a team coming off a runner-up finish in the 2025 FCS National Championship Game and picked second in the MVFC preseason poll.
| Illinois State Redbirds TV Schedule 2026 | |||
| Date | Game | Time ET |
TV |
| Sat, Sep 5 | @ Western Illinois | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Sep 12 | @ Northern Illinois | 7:00pm | MW+ / ESPN+ |
| Sat, Sep 19 | vs Eastern Illinois (Mid-America Classic) | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Sep 26 | @ Northern Iowa | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Oct 3 | vs South Dakota State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Oct 10 | BYE WEEK | ||
| Sat, Oct 17 | @ Southern Illinois | TBD | ESPN Network |
| Sat, Oct 24 | vs Indiana State | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Oct 31 | vs Murray State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Nov 7 | @ North Dakota | TBD | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Nov 14 | @ Youngstown State | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Sat, Nov 21 | vs South Dakota | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
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Which Illinois State Redbirds games are worth watching in 2026?
Illinois State enters the season coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to Montana State in the 2025 FCS National Championship Game, and the October 17 road trip to rival Southern Illinois carries a national ESPN Network broadcast slot as the biggest conference test on the schedule. Head coach Brock Spack's squad, picked second in the MVFC preseason poll, also hosts South Dakota State on October 3 in a matchup of two of the league's top programs.
The Redbirds close the season with a road trip to Youngstown State and a home finale against South Dakota, looking to build on last year's 12-5 campaign and push for a return trip to the national championship.
