| Year: | 2018 |
| Team: | Northern Iowa Panthers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| Short Conf: | MVFC |
| Statsrank: | 23 |
| Record: | 7–6 |
| Conf Record: | 5–3 |
| Head Coach: | Mark Farley |
| Hc Year: | 18th |
| Off Coach: | John Bond |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Def Coach: | Jeremiah Johnson |
| Dc Year: | 6th |
| Stadium: | UNI-Dome |
| Bowl: | NCAA Division I Second Round |
| Bowl Result: | L 16–23 vs. UC Davis |
The 2018 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team was led by Mark Farley in his 18th season and played their home games in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 5–3 in MVFC play to finish in a tie for third place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they defeated Lamar in the first round before losing to UC Davis in the second round.
The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Panthers predicted to finish in third place.[1]
| 1 | North Dakota State | 390 (39) | |
| 2 | South Dakota State | 270 | |
| 3 | Northern Iowa | 258 | |
| 4 | Youngstown State | 248 | |
| 5 | Illinois State | 248 | |
| 6 | South Dakota | 206 | |
| 7 | Western Illinois | 163 | |
| 8 | Southern Illinois | 139 | |
| 9 | Missouri State | 90 | |
| 10 | Indiana State | 41 |
The Panthers placed six players on the preseason all-MVFC teams.[2]
Offense
1st team
Briley Moore – TE
2nd team
Marcus Weymiller – RB
Isaiah Weston – WR
Cal Twait – OLDefense
1st team
Rickey Neal Jr. – LB
2nd team
Xavior Williams – DB
See also: 2018 Montana Grizzlies football team.
See also: 2018 Iowa Hawkeyes football team.
See also: 2018 Hampton Pirates football team.
See also: 2018 Indiana State Sycamores football team.
See also: 2018 North Dakota State Bison football team.
See also: 2018 South Dakota Coyotes football team.
See also: 2018 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team.
See also: 2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team.
See also: 2018 Illinois State Redbirds football team.
See also: 2018 Youngstown State Penguins football team.
See also: 2018 Missouri State Bears football team.
See also: 2018 Lamar Cardinals football team.
See also: 2018 UC Davis Aggies football team.