FARGO — Illinois State reached the 2014 Division I FCS national championship game. Since that day when the Redbirds dropped a heartbreaker to North Dakota State on a final-minute Carson Wentz-led drive, ISU has done a lot of things within its program.

It renovated Hancock Stadium to one of the better facilities in the FCS. It built an indoor practice bubble that opened last year. About the only remaining notch is to get back into the national title discussion.

The Redbirds appear to be on the doorstep. They won 10 games a year ago, won a first round FCS playoff game and return their starting quarterback plus some quality players on defense.

“We’ve had some pretty good recruiting classes the last couple of years,” said Brock Spack, now the dean of the head coaches in the league going int

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