The Youngstown State football team finished the 2025 season ranked in the top 20 of both major polls which were announced on Tuesday, the day following the conclusion of thrilling FCS National Championship Game.

In the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll the Penguins finished 17th while YSU was 18th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll.

YSU reached the FCS playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons and finished the campaign 8-5, including a 5-3 record in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. Overall, Youngstown State played six teams that placed in the final Top 25.

Montana State won the National Championship in a thrilling 35-34 overtime win over Illinois State last night in Nashville, Tenn. The Bobcats placed first while the Redbirds finished second.

During the season, YSU picked up key road wins over Towson, Illinois State and UNI. All three were memorable victories.

At Towson, YSU rallied from down 28-17 in the final seven minutes to win on a final-play field goal. At Illinois State, the Guins trailed by nine in the fourth quarter before stunning the eventual FCS finalist Redbirds, 40-35. In the regular-season finale, YSU held on for a 35-32 win at UNI, its first win at the UNI-Dome since 1999.

At home, the Penguins won five of six regular-season contests, including November victories over Indiana State and Southern Illinois.

Three of the five defeats came by five points or less while four of the five losses came to teams that finished ranked in the top 15.