The Machine entered trying to continue their success from 2016 when they finished with an 8-6 record, good enough for the top postseason seed following tiebreaker procedures.
However, the top seed did not guarantee them a championship win, as they lost in the 2016 Steinfeld Cup 19-18 to the Denver Outlaws.
After defeating the Florida Launch in the semifinal game on August 12, the Machine captured their first title in franchise history with a 17-12 victory over the same Denver Outlaws.
[1] On November 17, 2016, the Machine announced they were moving into a brand new 6,500-seat stadium Fortress Obetz in time for their 2017 home opener.
[2] The new stadium would be in the village of Obetz on the former site of the Columbus Motor Speedway and become the third home venue in team history.