| 2020 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football | |
|---|---|
 | |
MVFC co-champion | |
NCAA Division I Championship Game, L 21–23 vs. Sam Houston State | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 2 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 2 |
| Record | 8–2 (5–1 MVFC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Jason Eck (2nd season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Brian Bergstrom (2nd season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Jimmy Rogers (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium |
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
| |
|
|
Conf | Overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 South Dakota State +^ | 5 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No.12Missouri State +^ | 5 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No.7North Dakota ^ | 4 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 North Dakota State ^ | 5 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No.14Southern Illinois ^ | 3 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Iowa | 3 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Dakota | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois State† | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Illinois† | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 1 | – | 6 | 1 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† – Illinois State and Western Illinois opted out of the remainder of the spring season on March 21 and April 5, 2021, respectively. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2020 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 24th-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 8–2 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, sharing the MVFC title with Missouri State. South Dakota State received the MVFC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Jackrabbits defeated Holy Cross in the first round, fellow MVFC member Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals, and Delaware in the semifinals before losing to Sam Houston State in the NCAA Division I Championship Game. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse StadiuminBrookings, South Dakota.
On May 27, 2020 HERO Sports ranked the Jackrabbits 2nd in their Top 25 poll for the 2020 season. This is SDSU's highest ranking in a preseason poll.
South Dakota State had games scheduled against Butler, Nebraska, and Tarleton State, which were later canceled before the start of the 2020 season.[1][2][3]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 3Northern Iowa | No. 5 |
| ESPN+ | W 24–20 | 2,137 | ||
| February 27 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 14North Dakota | No. 3 |
| ESPN+ | L 17–28 | 3,638 | ||
| March 6 | 2:00 p.m. | Western Illinois | No. 8 |
| ESPN+ | W 45–10 | 2,347 | ||
| March 13 | 2:00 p.m. | Youngstown State | No. 8 |
| ESPN+ | W 19–17 | 2,653 | ||
| March 20 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 5Southern Illinois | No. 6 |
| ESPN+ | W 44–3 | 2,400 | ||
| March 27 | 2:00 p.m. | Illinois State | No. 4 |
| ESPN+ | Canceled[a] | |||
| April 10 | 2:00 p.m. | South Dakota | No. 4 |
| ESPN+ | Canceled | |||
| April 17 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 2North Dakota State | No. 4 |
| ESPN+ | W 27–17 | 8,762 | ||
| April 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Holy Cross | No. 2 |
| ESPN3 | W 31–3 | 2,996 | ||
| May 2 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 14 Southern Illinois | No. 2 |
| ESPN2 | W 31–26 | 2,998 | ||
| May 8 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 5Delaware | No. 2 |
| ESPN | W 33–3 | 3,547 | ||
| May 16 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 4Sam Houston State | No. 2 |
| ABC | L 21–23 | 7,840 | ||
| |||||||||
|
| |
|---|---|
| Venues |
|
| Bowls & rivalries |
|
| Culture & lore |
|
| People |
|
| Seasons |
|
National championship seasons in bold | |
|
| |
|---|---|
| |
Champion – Sam Houston State |
