Youngstown State8-5Youngstown State is a program that built four national championships under Jim Tressel (1991, 1993, 1994, 1997) and now runs a steady, well-managed FCS operation that makes the playoffs most years and competes in the MVFC without drama or pretense.
Youngstown State doesn't carry a visible chip. The program is at peace with its place in FCS history: the keeper of the Tressel legacy, a solid regional program, a place where Beau Brungard can win th…
Approaching
21 days
until kickoff · vs Mercyhurst · Thu Aug 27 · 22:00 UTC
Youngstown State football is the legacy program of the Jim Tressel dynasty—four FCS national championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1997) in the 1990s and a standard of institutional stability that has made the Penguins a consistent FCS playoff contender. The program embodies blue-collar discipline and winning without fanfare.
The team enters the season with a balanced portal churn and a 8-5 base projection, though key positions like CB face starter risk due to transfers.
Pete the Penguin stands ready, remembering four championships.
Youngstown State · Next-Season Outcome Band
Final-season-aware projection: floor / base / ceiling include conference title and CFP games where the model supports them, so a ceiling can exceed a 12-game regular season.
Recent Form · last 10 games
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Opens Aug 27
vs Mercyhurst · at home
No high-engagement r/cfb discussions tracked for this program in the last year.
What moved it — fall camp · last 14 days
~ our readNot enough Youngstown State chatter this week to read the room.
We read 2 Youngstown State posts this week — not enough to call the room. Check back during the season.
Fanbase Health Index · Youngstown State · medium confidence
No player stats logged for this program yet — stats appear once the season is underway.
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 28 | #215 | #260 | -24 | Mercyhurst | W 24–15 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 6 | #239 | #209 | -19.5 | Robert Morris | W 56–17 | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 13 | #227 | #81 | +23.5 | @Michigan State | L 24–41 123 | 2-1 | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sep 20 | #201 | #145 | -3 | @Towson | W 31–28 | 3-1 | 0-0 |
| 6 | Oct 4 | #178 | #96 | +15 | South Dakota State | L 30–35 | 3-2 | 0-1 |
| 7 | Oct 11 | #171 | #105 | +9 | @North Dakota | L 17–35 | 3-3 | 0-2 |
| 8 | Oct 18 | #178 | #155 | +2 | @Illinois State | W 40–35 | 4-3 | 1-2 |
| 9 | Oct 25 | #164 | #264 | -24.5 | Murray State | W 51–17 | 5-3 | 2-2 |
| 10 | Nov 1 | #160 | #42 | +26.5 | @North Dakota State | L 30–38 | 5-4 | 2-2 |
| 11 | Nov 8 | #150 | #140 | -5 | Southern Illinois | W 48–38 | 6-4 | 3-2 |
| 12 | Nov 15 | #146 | #229 | -20.5 | Indiana State | W 48–29 | 7-4 | 4-2 |
| 13 | Nov 22 | #147 | #224 | -14 | @Northern Iowa | W 35–32 | 8-4 | 5-2 |
| Conference Championship | ||||||||
| 14 | Nov 29 | #146 | #163 | -4.5 | Yale | L 42–43 | 8-5 | 5-2 |
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29 | Yale | L 42–43 | — | — | — | +0.532 | 54.2% | 136.5% | One-score loss |
| Nov 22 | @Northern Iowa | W 35–32 | — | — | — | +0.301 | 47.6% | 146.4% | One-score win |
| Nov 15 | Indiana State | W 48–29 | — | — | — | +0.324 | 52.8% | 109.9% | |
| Nov 8 | Southern Illinois | W 48–38 | — | — | — | +0.706 | 56.2% | 159.3% | Season-high EPA/play |
| Nov 1 | @North Dakota State | L 30–38 | — | — | — | +0.244 | 45.9% | 121.9% | One-score loss |
| Oct 25 | Murray State | W 51–17 | — | — | — | +0.548 | 58.3% | 115.2% | Best success rate |
| Oct 18 | @Illinois State | W 40–35 | — | — | — | +0.332 | 48.8% | 126.0% | One-score win |
| Oct 11 | @North Dakota | L 17–35 | — | — | — | +0.039 | 39.3% | 117.1% | Season-low EPA/play |
| Oct 4 | South Dakota State | L 30–35 | — | — | — | +0.230 | 47.9% | 112.1% | One-score loss |
| Sep 20 | @Towson | W 31–28 | — | — | — | +0.282 | 45.2% | 140.2% | One-score win |
| Sep 13 | @Michigan State | L 24–41 | 339 | 1 | 29:54 | +0.229 | 42.6% | 145.5% | |
| Aug 28 | Mercyhurst | W 24–15 | — | — | — | +0.158 | 47.5% | 93.3% | |
| Season average (12 games) | 339 | 1.0 | +0.327 | 48.9% | 127.0% | ||||
Schedule mirage
Raw EPA/play through week 21 is 0.33; 98th percentile once opponent strength is stripped out, it's 0.11. The widest gap came in week 21: 0.33 raw vs. 0.11 adjusted.
Most Similar Programs · Youngstown State
Static-attribute similarity across tier, archetype, conference, and voice. Not a prediction — a calibration.
Home-Field Advantage · Youngstown State · 2018-present
70% home win rate vs 21% on the road. margin runs +21.2 better at home. Stambaugh Stadium seats 20,630, averaging 41% full (8,495 attendance, 12 games reported).
59°F average kickoff temp; 13% of games had measurable precipitation; 8 mph average wind.
Based on 31 home games with weather data.
Program Prestige · Youngstown State
11 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.
Youngstown State's 2014–2025 record is 70-62. The era is still being written; the CFP line is the one the program is arguing for.
All-Time Record
since 1938 · 54 seasons · .522 win rate
Youngstown State won four FCS national championships in the 1990s under Jim Tressel and has spent the last three decades proving that institutional competence outlasts dynasty.
In the 1990s, Jim Tressel turned a regional Ohio program into a powerhouse. Between 1991 and 1997, Youngstown State won four FCS national championships, appearing in six title games and compiling a 135–57–2 record over 15 seasons (1986–2000). The Penguins defeated Marshall twice (1991, 1993), Boise State (1994), and McNeese State (1997). Tressel later went to Ohio State and won a national championship there, but he built Youngstown State permanently—a program that did not collapse when he left.
The other marker of Youngstown State's identity is the Steel Tire Trophy, a rivalry with Akron (1940–1995) rooted in the industrial identities of two Ohio cities. Youngstown State led 19–14–2 when Akron departed for the MAC in 1995, severing a cultural touchstone but not crippling the program. This is the pattern: Tressel left, a rival departed, and Youngstown State kept winning.
In 2025, the Penguins finished 8–5 with a 5–3 MVFC record, earning the No. 15 seed in the FCS playoffs before losing to Yale at home in the first round. Quarterback Beau Brungard won the Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year) after becoming just the third FCS QB to record 3,000+ passing yards and 1,000+ rushing yards in a single season. Head coach Doug Phillips, hired in 2020, maintains the program's institutional discipline and playoff competence.
The question for 2026 is whether Brungard returns or enters the NFL Draft, and whether the Penguins can reload without their star dual-threat QB. But the larger identity is already settled: Youngstown State is not chasing another national title. The program is content to be a reliable MVFC contender, a producer of playoff teams, and the keeper of four legitimate FCS national championships. That stability, paired with discipline and the memory of genuine greatness, is the Youngstown State brand.
Youngstown State plays Tressel-era football: disciplined, defense-first, grind-it-out winning. The Penguins are built for consistency and playoff contention, not flash.
Youngstown State 2015–2025. Holding the line. The 10-year slope (+0.05 rungs / yr) doesn't tilt either way — the program lives at roughly Tier 2.
11 seasons on file
down middle peak CFP year
Season Standing · 2025
Season standing settles in once games are played and rankings publish.
MVFC Standing · 2025
Youngstown State sits 4th of 9 in the MVFC at 5-2. Mid-conference — moves up or down depend on rivalry results and the late-season closing run.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 6-1 |
| 2 | Illinois State | 5-2 |
| 3 | North Dakota | 5-2 |
| 4 | Youngstown State | 5-2 |
| 5 | South Dakota State | 4-3 |
| 6 | Southern Illinois | 4-3 |
| 7 | Indiana State | 1-6 |
| 8 | Northern Iowa | 1-6 |
| 9 | Murray State | 1-7 |
The rituals that anchor a Saturday in this program's world.
since 1991
Fans gather outside Stambaugh Stadium to honor the Tressel era and the industrial heritage of Youngstown. The Penguins take the field to honor four national championships and 25 years of institutional commitment to winning football.
since 1940
The oldest rivalry in Youngstown State's history, spanning 56 years and rooted in the industrial identities of the Steel City (Youngstown) and the Rubber City (Akron). The Penguins won the all-time series 19–14–2 before Akron's departure for the MAC in 1995.
Program memory
Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.
YSU defeats Marshall in the title game, Tressel's first national championship
YSU defeats Marshall again (17–5) in the title game, the second Tressel championship
YSU goes 14–0–1 and defeats Boise State 28–14, the third Tressel championship
The rivalry with Akron ended in 1995 when Akron left for the MAC; YSU held a 19–14–2 all-time edge
Wound
YSU defeats McNeese State 10–9 in a tight defensive game, the fourth and final Tressel championship
Moment of the Year · Youngstown State · 2025
Week 2 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.
Bowl / Postseason Ledger
Most recent: 2023 — loss 45-28 (away). Last 5 postseason: 2-2.
NFL Draft Pipeline
2022–20221 picks last 5 cycles. Roster development still maturing.
Youngstown State · Next-Season Outcome Band
Fanbase Health Index · Youngstown State · medium confidence
Most Similar Programs · Youngstown State
Program Prestige · Youngstown State
Season Standing · 2025
Moment of the Year · Youngstown State · 2025
Bowl / Postseason Ledger
NFL Draft Pipeline