The 2016 Youngstown State Penguins football team represented Youngstown State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Bo Pelini and played their home games at Stambaugh Stadium. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Youngstown State finished the season 12–4 overall with a 6–2 mark in MVFC play to finish in third place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, where they defeated Samford, Jacksonville State, Wofford, and Eastern Washington to advance to the National Championship Game, where they lost to James Madison.
Schedule
Roster
Game summaries
Duquesne
At West Virginia
Robert Morris
South Dakota
At Illinois State
Northern Iowa
At South Dakota State
Indiana State
At North Dakota State
Southern Illinois
At Missouri State
FCS Playoffs
First Round–Samford
Second Round–Jacksonville State
Quarterfinals–Wofford
Semifinals–Eastern Washington
Championship–James Madison
Ranking movements
References