AFCA FCS Coaches Poll ranks 2026 Penguins ninth
8/17/2026 11:24:00 AM | Football
The Youngstown State football team is ninth in the preseason American Football Coaches Association poll which was released on Monday.
YSU is coming off an 8-5 season under seventh-year head coach Doug Phillips. The Guins received 428 points in the voting.
Taking the first-place rank was last year's National Champion Montana State. Montana was ranked number two while South Dakota State is in the number three spot. Illinois State is ranked number four followed by Tarleton State, UC Davis, Villanova, Rhode Island and Youngstown State. Six Missouri Valley Football Conference schools are ranked in the top 16 of the poll. The Bobcats received 25 first-place votes while the Jackrabbits earned one.
YSU was ranked number 17 at the conclusion of the 2025 season.
In 2025, 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 contests.
The Guins are set to open the 2026 campaign against Mercyhurst on August 27 at Stambaugh Stadium.
