The 2017 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 17th-year head coach Mark Farley, the Panthers compiled an overall record of 8âÂÂ5 with a mark of 6âÂÂ2 in conference play, tying for second place in the MVFC. Northern Iowa received an at-large bid to NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Panthers defeated Monmouth in the first round before losing to South Dakota State in the second round. The team played home games at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.