The Panthers are a members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, were coached by Mark Farley and played their home games in the UNI-Dome.
They earned an automatic berth in the FCS playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Lehigh, 14–7.
Northern Iowa was picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll.
Running back Carols Anderson and tight end Schuylar Oordt were each named to the preseason all-conference team.
Tight end Ryan Mahaffey and place kicker Billy Hallgren were each honorable mentions.