Youngstown State Penguins
MVFCYoungstown, OHStambaugh Stadium
2026: 6–2 (4–1 MVFC). Last: beat Northern Iowa 35–22 at home. Next: North Dakota, Saturday, Oct 31, noon ET.
- W 43–10Mercyhurst
- L 13–45at Kentucky
- W 70–13Duquesne
- L 20–27at South Dakota State
- W 47–28South Dakota
- W 28–16at Southern Illinois
- W 57–24at Indiana State
- W 35–22Northern Iowa
- Oct 31North Dakota
- Nov 7at Murray State
- Nov 14Illinois State
Youngstown State has played football since 1938 and is officially 517–367–17; 328 of its 901 games are in our file. They have won two Missouri Valley Football Conference titles (the last in 2006), plus two Summit League titles, one Ohio Valley Conference title, counting shared titles. Since 1967, the NFL Draft has taken 11 players from here in its first seven rounds, 0 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 coach from Youngstown State. The most-played rival is Southern Illinois: 24 meetings, Youngstown State leads 13–11. This season, they’re 6–2.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 517–367–17 official; 171–156–1 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 2–2 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 0 ranked
- Elo now
- 1458
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 4 · Composite No. 2 in FCS, Oct 17; down 1 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 5 last in 2006
- Seasons
- 56 since 1938, 328 games
2026 season 6–2
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27 | vs Mercyhurst | W 43–10 | 76% |
| Sep 5 | at Kentucky | L 13–45 | 26% |
| Sep 12 | vs Duquesne | W 70–13 | 66% |
| Sep 19 | at South Dakota State | L 20–27 | 37% |
| Sep 26 | vs South Dakota | W 47–28 | 44% |
| Oct 3 | at Southern Illinois | W 28–16 | 45% |
| Oct 10 | at Indiana State | W 57–24 | 71% |
| Oct 17 | vs Northern Iowa | W 35–22 | 74% |
| Oct 31 | vs North Dakota | Preview | 60% |
| Nov 7 | at Murray State | Preview | 85% |
| Nov 14 | vs Illinois State | Preview | 57% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Players
The 2026 rosterThe moneyOn the 2026 team
- Beau Brungard2,061 passing yards, 19 TD (leads Youngstown State in passing yards)
- Lynn Wyche-El50 catches, 644 yards, 7 TD (leads Youngstown State in receiving yards)
- Jaden Gilbert448 rushing yards, 6 TD
- Cam Smith51 tackles, 1 INT (leads Youngstown State in tackles)
- Graydon Rollins50 tackles, 1 sack
- Roderick Owens Jr.45 tackles, 1 INT
Program strength since 1938
Best seasons everMost-played series
All rivalries- Southern Illinois
13–11 in 24
- 2017 W 28–20
- 2018 W 17–14
- 2019 L 10–35
- 2020 L 22–30
- 2021 W 35–18
- 2022 W 28–21
- 2023 W 31–3
- 2024 L 33–37
- 2025 W 48–38
- 2026 W 28–16
Won the last two.
- Indiana State
16–7 in 23
- 2016 W 13–10
- 2017 W 66–24
- 2018 L 17–43
- 2019 L 17–24
- 2021 L 17–28
- 2022 W 48–42
- 2023 W 19–7
- 2024 W 21–14
- 2025 W 48–29
- 2026 W 57–24
Won the last five.
- Illinois State
12–11 in 23
- 2014 L 21–35
- 2015 L 29–31
- 2016 W 20–6
- 2017 L 0–35
- 2018 L 28–35
- 2019 W 21–3
- 2022 W 19–17
- 2023 W 41–38
- 2024 L 16–23
- 2025 W 40–35
Won the last one.
Next: Nov 14
| Opponent | Games | YSU record |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Illinois | 24 | 13–11 |
| Indiana State | 23 | 16–7 |
| Illinois State | 23 | 12–11 |
| Northern Iowa | 21 | 6–15 |
| South Dakota State | 19 | 3–16 |
| Missouri State | 18 | 10–8 |
| Western Illinois | 18 | 12–6 |
| North Dakota State | 16 | 3–13 |
Every opponent (67)
Every program Youngstown State has played, A to Z, with Youngstown State’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Akron 6–3–1
- Austin Peay 1–0
- Bowling Green 1–1
- Buffalo 0–1
- Butler 2–1
- Central Connecticut 2–0
- Central Michigan 1–1
- Central State 1–0
- Cincinnati 2–2
- Dayton 2–4
- Duquesne 7–1
- Eastern Michigan 3–5
- Eastern Washington 1–0
- Edinboro 1–0
- Florida Atlantic 0–1
- Florida International 0–0 †
- Howard 1–0
- Illinois 0–1
- Illinois State 12–11
- Incarnate Word 1–0
- Indiana State 16–7
- Jacksonville State 1–0
- James Madison 1–1
- Kent State 4–4
- Kentucky 0–2
- Liberty 3–1
- Lock Haven 1–0
- Maine 1–0
- Marshall 0–1
- McNeese 0–1
- Mercyhurst 2–0
- Michigan State 0–4
- Missouri State 10–8
- Morehead State 1–0
- Murray State 2–0
- North Dakota 1–3
- North Dakota State 3–13
- North Texas 0–2
- Northeastern 2–0
- Northern Iowa 6–15
- Ohio 2–0
- Ohio State 0–3
- Penn State 0–2
- Pittsburgh 1–5
- Robert Morris 6–0
- Saint Francis 3–0
- Samford 2–0
- Slippery Rock 4–0
- South Dakota 9–4
- South Dakota State 3–16
- Southern Illinois 13–11
- Southern Utah 1–1
- Stony Brook 1–0
- Tampa 0–1
- Towson 1–0
- UAlbany 1–0
- UC Davis 1–0
- UCF 0–1
- Valparaiso 5–0
- Villanova 3–4
- West Virginia 0–3
- Western Illinois 12–6
- Western Kentucky 2–2
- Western Michigan 1–1
- Wofford 1–0
- Xavier 1–0
- Yale 0–1
Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.
Conference titles
5, counting shared titles- Ohio Valley Conference 1
- 1987 (shared)
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1938–1977
- Mid-Continent Conference 1978–1980
- OVC 1981–1987
- Independent 1988–1996
- Gateway Football Conference 1997–2007
- MVFC since 2008
- 1997Joined the Gateway Football Conference from independence in football. Source
Youngstown State’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 0
- Coaches
- 1
| 2015 | Jim Tressel coach, career 1986–2010 |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 11 since 1967
- First-round picks
- 0
The school
Youngstown State University- Enrollment
- 12,204 9,400 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Youngstown, Ohio
- Public or private
- Public
- Founded
- 1908
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $41,544 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Films
Films: Wikidata (CC0) and Wikipedia’s lists and categories (CC BY-SA), about the program, its seasons, games and rivalries.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6–2 | 4–1 | 1458 | ||||
| 2025 | 8–5 | 5–3 | 1378 | ||||
| 2024 | 4–8 | 3–5 | 1287 | ||||
| 2023 | 8–5 | 5–3 | 1414 | ||||
| 2022 | 7–4 | 5–3 | 1363 | ||||
| 2021 | 3–7 | 2–6 | 1263 | ||||
| 2020 | 1–6 | 1250 | |||||
| 2019 | 6–6 | 2–6 | 1324 | ||||
| 2018 | 4–7 | 3–5 | 1339 | ||||
| 2017 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1435 | ||||
| 2016 | 12–4 | 6–2 | 1514 | ||||
| 2015 | 5–6 | 3–5 | 1348 | ||||
| 2014 | 7–5 | 4–4 | 1385 | ||||
| 2013 | 8–4 | 5–3 | 1394 | ||||
| 2012 | 7–4 | 4–4 | 1379 | ||||
| 2011 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1329 | ||||
| 2010 | 3–8 | 1–7 | 1260 | ||||
| 2009 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1328 | ||||
| 2008 | 4–8 | 3–5 | 1297 | ||||
| 2007 | 7–4 | 2–3 | 1459 | ||||
| 2006 | 11–2 | 4–1 | 1532 | ||||
| 2005 | 8–3 | 3–2 | 1397 | ||||
| 2004 | 4–7 | 2–3 | 1273 | ||||
| 2003 | 5–7 | 1–4 | 1256 | ||||
| 2001 | 0–1 | 1319 |
Every season back to 1938 (31 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1–0 | 1336 | |||||
| 1999 | 0–1 | 1319 | |||||
| 1998 | 1–1 | 1347 | |||||
| 1997 | 1–0 | 1332 | |||||
| 1996 | 0–1 | 1310 | |||||
| 1995 | 1–2 | 1360 | |||||
| 1994 | 2–0 | 1404 | |||||
| 1993 | 2–0 | 1410 | |||||
| 1992 | 1–0–1 | 1359 | |||||
| 1991 | 0–1 | 1349 | |||||
| 1990 | 3–0 | 1408 | |||||
| 1989 | 2–1 | 1350 | |||||
| 1988 | 0–4 | 1254 | |||||
| 1987 | 2–1 | 1330 | |||||
| 1986 | 0–1 | 1297 | |||||
| 1985 | 0–2 | 1304 | |||||
| 1984 | 2–0 | 1341 | |||||
| 1982 | 0–1 | 1287 | |||||
| 1981 | 1–0 | 1302 | |||||
| 1979 | 2–0 | 1256 | |||||
| 1978 | 0–1 | 1154 | |||||
| 1977 | 1–0 | 1168 | |||||
| 1976 | 0–2 | 1132 | |||||
| 1975 | 2–1 | 1173 | |||||
| 1973 | 0–1 | 1119 | |||||
| 1972 | 1–1 | 1148 | |||||
| 1971 | 0–2 | 1065 | |||||
| 1966 | 0–1 | 1080 | |||||
| 1957 | 0–1 | 1076 | |||||
| 1956 | 0–1 | 1087 | |||||
| 1938 | 0–1 | 1097 |
Officially 517–367–17 since 1938 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 171–156–1 (328 of its 901 games are on file). Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1939–55, 1958–65, 1967–70, 1974, 1980, 1983, 2002: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.