1978 NCAA Division II football season
Regular seasonAugust – November 1978
PlayoffsDecember 1978
National ChampionshipLobo Stadium
Longview, TX
ChampionEastern Illinois

The 1978 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began in August 1978, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship in December 1978 at Lobo Stadium in Longview, Texas. The Eastern Illinois Panthers defeated the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens, 10–9, to win their first Division II national title.[1]

Conference realignment

Conference changes

Membership changes

School1977 Conference1978 Conference
AkronD-II IndependentMid-Continent
BucknellD-II IndependentI-AA Independent
Cal State Los AngelesD-II IndependentDropped program
Eastern IllinoisD-II IndependentMid-Continent
Florida A&MSIAC (Division II)I-AA Independent
LafayetteD-II IndependentI-AA Independent
LehighD-II IndependentI-AA Independent
NevadaD-II IndependentI-AA Independent
NortheasternD-II IndependentI-AA Independent
Northern ColoradoGPAC (NAIA)North Central
Northern IowaNorth CentralMid-Continent
Northern MichiganD-II IndependentMid-Continent
Portland StateD-II IndependentI-AA Independent
UNLVD-II IndependentI-A Independent
Western IllinoisD-II IndependentMid-Continent
Youngstown StateD-II IndependentMid-Continent

Conference standings

1978 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Youngstown State $^ 5 –0 –010 –2 –0
Akron 4 –1 –06 –5 –0
Eastern Illinois ^ 3 –2 –012 –2 –0
Northern Michigan 1 –3 –15 –4 –1
Western Illinois 1 –3 –13 –6 –1
Northern Iowa 0 –5 –02 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
1978 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 8 Cal Poly $^ 2 –0 –07 –3 –0
Cal Poly Pomona 1 –1 –03 –7 –0
Cal State Northridge 0 –2 –05 –5 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from Associated Press poll
1978 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Winston-Salem State $^ 8 –0 –011 –1 –0
Virginia Union 5 –2 –17 –4 –1
Fayetteville State 5 –2 –16 –4 –1
Norfolk State 5 –3 –06 –4 –0
Virginia State 5 –3 –05 –6 –0
Elizabeth City State 4 –3 –15 –4 –1
Livingstone 4 –3 –15 –4 –1
Hampton 4 –4 –05 –6 –0
Johnson C. Smith 1 –7 –01 –10 –0
Saint Paul's (VA) 1 –7 –01 –10 –0
Shaw 0 –8 –00 –11 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division II AP Poll
1978 Far Western Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 UC Davis $^ 5 –0 –08 –3 –0
Cal State Hayward 4 –1 –08 –2 –0
Humboldt State 3 –2 –05 –6 –0
Chico State 2 –3 –05 –5 –0
Sacramento State 1 –4 –01 –9 –0
San Francisco State 0 –5 –01 –9 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from Associated Press poll
1978 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Grand Valley State $^ 5 –0 –09 –3 –0
Wayne State (MI) 4 –1 –05 –4 –0
Northwood 2 –3 –05 –4 –0
Saginaw Valley State 1 –3 –14 –5 –1
Ferris State 1 –3 –13 –5 –2
Hillsdale 1 –4 –05 –6 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1978 Gulf South Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Jacksonville State $ 6 –1 –07 –3 –0
Southeastern Louisiana 5 –1 –17 –3 –1
Troy State 5 –2 –08 –2 –0
Nicholls State 5 –2 –05 –6 –0
North Alabama 4 –2 –17 –2 –1
Mississippi College 3 –4 –05 –5 –0
Delta State 2 –6 –03 –7 –0
Livingston 1 –6 –03 –7 –0
Tennessee–Martin 0 –7 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll
1978 Heartland Collegiate Conference standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Indiana Central $ 4 –2 –06 –3 –0
Valparaiso 3 –2 –05 –4 –0
Saint Joseph's (IN) 3 –2 –05 –4 –1
Butler 3 –2 –05 –5 –0
Evansville 2 –3 –02 –9 –0
Franklin (IN) 1 –6 –01 –9 –0
Georgetown (KY) * 1 –1 –05 –4 –0
Ashland * 1 –0 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • * – ineligible for conference title
1978 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
SW Missouri State $ 6 –0 –08 –3 –0
NE Missouri State 5 –1 –06 –4 –1
Missouri-Rolla 4 –2 –08 –3 –0
SE Missouri State 2 –4 –06 –5 –0
Lincoln (MO) 2 –4 –03 –8 –0
Central Missouri State 2 –4 –02 –8 –0
NW Missouri State 0 –6 –00 –11 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
1978 North Central Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
South Dakota * $ 5 –0 –17 –4 –0
No. 6 Nebraska–Omaha * ^ 4 –1 –18 –3 –0
North Dakota State 3 –3 –06 –4 –0
North Dakota 3 –3 –05 –5 –0
South Dakota State 3 –3 –05 –6 –0
Augustana (SD) 2 –4 –04 –5 –0
Morningside 0 –6 –02 –8 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
  • * – Nebraska–Omaha and South Dakota split two head-to-head games, which counted as a tie for each team in the conference standings.
Rankings from AP Poll
1978 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Concordia–Moorhead * + 7 –1 –011 –1 –0
St. Olaf +^ 7 –1 –09 –2 –0
No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus 6 –2 –08 –2 –0
No. T–20 Saint John's (MN) 5 –3 –06 –3 –0
St. Thomas (MN) 4 –4 –05 –4 –0
Hamline 3 –4 –15 –4 –1
Augsburg 2 –5 –13 –6 –1
Bethel (MN) 1 –7 –02 –8 –0
Macalester 0 –8 –00 –9 –0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant
  • * – NAIA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from NAIA Division II poll
1978 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
East Division
East Stroudsburg xy$ 5 –0 –010 –1 –0
Cheyney 4 –1 –06 –3 –0
Bloomsburg 3 –2 –06 –4 –0
Millersville 2 –3 –06 –3 –0
Kutztown 1 –4 –02 –7 –0
Mansfield 0 –5 –02 –8 –0
West Division
No. 17 Clarion xy 5 –1 –08 –3 –0
Shippensburg x 5 –1 –07 –3 –0
Slippery Rock 4 –2 –06 –3 –0
Edinboro 3 –3 –03 –6 –1
Indiana (PA) 2 –4 –04 –5 –1
California (PA) 1 –4 –12 –7 –1
Lock Haven 0 –5 –11 –8 –1
Championship: East Stroudsburg 49, Clarion 4
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Shippensburg was ineligible for conference title game.
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1978 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
Northern Division
Shepherd xy 6 –3 –07 –4 –0
West Virginia Wesleyan 6 –3 –06 –3 –0
Fairmont State 5 –4 –05 –4 –1
Salem 4 –5 –04 –6 –0
West Liberty State 2 –7 –02 –8 –0
Southern Division
No. 6 Concord xy$^ 8 –1 –010 –2 –0
West Virginia Tech 6 –3 –06 –3 –0
West Virginia State 6 –3 –06 –4 –0
Glenville State 1 –7 –02 –7 –0
Bluefield State 0 –9 –00 –10 –0
Championship: Concord 35, Shepherd 14
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • ^ – NAIA Division I playoff participant
    Conference standings based on power ratings
Rankings from NAIA Division I poll
1978 NCAA Division II independents football records
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 American International   –  6 –2 –1
No. 3 Delaware ^   –  10 –4 –0
Kentucky State   –  7 –2 –1
Santa Clara   –  5 –6 –0
Arkansas–Pine Bluff   –  4 –6 –0
Northern Colorado   –  4 –6 –0
Central Connecticut   –  3 –7 –0
Southern Connecticut State   –  3 –7 –0
Central State (OH)   –  2 –9 –0
West Chester   –  2 –9 –0
  • ^ – NCAA Division II playoff participant
Rankings from Associated Press poll

Conference summaries

ConferenceChampion
Association of Mid-Continent UniversitiesYoungstown State
California Collegiate Athletic AssociationCal Poly
Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationWinston-Salem State
Far Western Football ConferenceUC Davis
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceGrand Valley State
Gulf South ConferenceJacksonville State
Heartland Collegiate ConferenceIndiana Central
Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationSouthwest Missouri State
North Central ConferenceSouth Dakota
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceFlorida A&M†

† While the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) was a Division II conference, Florida A&M (FAMU) had successfully petitioned the NCAA for Division I classification (Division I-AA in football), which took effect on September 1, 1978.[2] FAMU subsequently competed in the 1978 Division I-AA postseason, winning the Division I-AA championship.

Postseason

1978 NCAA Division II Football Championship
Teams8
Finals Site
Champion
Runner-up
Semifinalists
Winning coach

The 1978 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the sixth single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Lobo Stadium in Longview, Texas for the first time.

Playoff bracket

First round
Campus sites 		Semifinals
Campus sites 		Championship
Lobo Stadium
Longview, TX
         
Winston–Salem State 17
Cal Poly 10
Winston–Salem State 0
Delaware 41
Delaware 42
Jacksonville State 21
Delaware 9
Eastern Illinois 10
Youngstown State 21
Nebraska–Omaha 14
Youngstown State 22
Eastern Illinois 26
Eastern Illinois 35
UC Davis 31

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1978 NCAA Division II National Football Championship Bracket" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. p. 13. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ Cooper, Barry (August 31, 1978). "Florida A&M granted Division 1 status". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 1B. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
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