2016 Youngstown State Penguins football team

2016 Youngstown State Penguins football
ConferenceMissouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATSNo. 2
FCS CoachesNo. 2
Record12–4 (6–2 MVFC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorShane Montgomery (7th season)
Defensive coordinatorCarl Pelini (2nd season)
Home stadiumStambaugh Stadium
2016 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
No. 3 North Dakota State +^  7 1   12 2  
No. 6 South Dakota State +^  7 1   9 4  
No. 2 Youngstown State ^  6 2   12 4  
Illinois State ^  4 4   6 6  
Northern Iowa  4 4   5 6  
Western Illinois  3 5   6 5  
South Dakota  3 5   4 7  
Indiana State  2 6   4 7  
Missouri State  2 6   4 7  
Southern Illinois  2 6   4 7  
  • + Conference co-champions
  • ^ FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll

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.