The 1998 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. It was Marshall's second season competing at the NCAA Division I-A level. The team won their second consecutive Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship and was invited to the Motor City Bowl.
In the 1998 season Marshall was quarterbacked by future National Football League (NFL) starter Chad Pennington and featured future NFL player Doug Chapman as the starting running back. The team finished the season with an overall record of 12âÂÂ1 repeated as champions of the MAC East Division with a 7âÂÂ1 conference mark.
Marshall met and defeated Toledo in the MAC Championship Game for the second year in a row. By virtue of the win they were invited to the Motor City Bowl where they played the Louisville Cardinals. Marshall won the game 48âÂÂ29, marking the first bowl game victory in the history of Marshall football.