Wikipedia

1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, commenced in August 1985, and concluded with the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 21, 1985, at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington. The Georgia Southern Eagles won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Furman Paladins by a score of 44–42.[2]

1985 NCAA Division I-AA season
Regular season
Number of teams87[1]
DurationAugust–November
Playoff
DurationNovember 30–December 21
Championship dateDecember 21, 1985
Championship siteTacoma Dome
Tacoma, Washington
ChampionGeorgia Southern
NCAA Division I-AA football seasons

Conference changes and new programs

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(+ Illinois State and Southern Illinois competed in both the Missouri Valley and the Gateway during the 1985 season).

School1984 Conference1985 Conference
Eastern IllinoisMid-ContinentGateway
Illinois StateMissouri ValleyGateway+
Northern IowaMid-ContinentGateway
Southern IllinoisMissouri ValleyGateway+
Southwest Missouri StateMid-ContinentGateway
Western IllinoisMid-ContinentGateway

Conference standings

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1985 Big Sky Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Idaho $^6–1–09–3–0
No. T–2 Nevada ^6–1–011–2–0
Boise State5–2–07–4–0
Weber State4–3–06–5–0
Idaho State3–4–05–6–0
Montana2–5–03–8–0
Northern Arizona1–6–03–8–0
Montana State1–6–02–9–0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll
1985 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 4 Northern Iowa $^5–0–011–2–0
Southwest Missouri State2–2–16–4–1
Western Illinois2–3–05–5–0
Southern Illinois2–3–04–7–0
Eastern Illinois2–3–06–5–0
Illinois State1–3–16–3–2
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1985 Gulf Star Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Stephen F. Austin +4–1–09–2–0
Sam Houston State +4–1–08–3–0
Nicholls State2–3–06–5–0
Northwestern State2–3–03–8–0
Southwest Texas State2–3–03–8–0
Southeastern Louisiana1–4–02–9–0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • This conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division II and Division I-AA Programs. Sam Houston State was classified as Division II.[3] Stephen F. Austin was also classified as NCAA Division II.[4] All the other teams were I-AA.
1985 Ivy League football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Penn $6–1–07–2–1
Harvard5–2–07–3–0
Princeton5–2–05–5–0
Brown4–3–05–4–1
Yale3–3–14–4–1
Dartmouth2–4–12–7–1
Cornell2–5–03–7–0
Columbia0–7–00–10–0
  • $ – Conference champion
1985 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. T–12 Delaware State $4–0–09–2–0
Bethune–Cookman3–1–06–4–0
South Carolina State2–2–05–6–0
North Carolina A&T1–3–06–5–0
Howard0–4–04–7–0
Morgan State0–0–00–9–0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • Morgan State games did not count as conference games. Morgan State was classified as NCAA Division II.[5] All the other teams were I-AA.
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1985 Missouri Valley Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
Tulsa $5–0–06–5–0
West Texas State3–1–16–3–1
Illinois State3–1–16–3–2
Indiana State3–2–04–6–0
Wichita State2–3–03–8–0
Southern Illinois1–3–04–7–0
Drake1–5–04–7–0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • The conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs. Tulsa and Wichita State were I-A and the other teams were I-AA.
1985 Ohio Valley Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 1 Middle Tennessee $^7–0–011–1–0
No. 10 Akron ^5–2–08–4–0
No. 17 Murray State5–2–07–3–1
No. 19 Eastern Kentucky5–2–08–3–0
Youngstown State4–3–05–6–0
Austin Peay2–5–05–6–0
Tennessee Tech1–6–01–10–0
Morehead State0–7–01–10–0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1985 Southern Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. T–2 Furman $^6–0–012–2–0
No. T–12 Appalachian State6–1–08–3–0
Chattanooga5–2–06–5–0
Marshall3–3–17–3–1
The Citadel2–4–15–5–1
Western Carolina2–4–14–6–1
VMI1–4–13–7–1
East Tennessee State0–7–00–10–1
Davidson0–2–01–10–0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1985 Southland Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 6 Arkansas State $^5–1–09–4–0
No. 14 Louisiana Tech4–2–08–3–0
McNeese State3–1–26–3–2
Northeast Louisiana3–3–06–5–0
North Texas State2–3–14–6–1
UT Arlington2–3–14–6–1
Lamar0–6–02–9–0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1985 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 8 Grambling State +^6–1–09–3–0
No. 15 Jackson State +^6–1–08–3–0
Mississippi Valley State5–2–08–3–0
No. 20 Alcorn State5–2–07–3–0
Southern3–4–06–5–0
Alabama State2–5–03–8–0
Texas Southern1–6–01–10–0
Prairie View A&M0–7–02–9–0
  • + – Conference co-champions
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1985 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 7 Rhode Island $^5–0–010–3–0
UMass4–1–07–4–0
New Hampshire2–3–06–4–0
Maine2–3–06–5–0
Connecticut1–4–04–5–0
Boston University1–4–03–8–0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll
1985 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings
Conf.Overall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 9 Georgia Southern ^ – 13–2–0
No. 11 Eastern Washington ^ – 9–3–0
No. 18 Richmond – 8–3–0
Colgate – 7–3–1
Delaware – 7–4–0
Tennessee State – 7–4–0
No. 16 William & Mary – 7–4–0
Lafayette – 6–5–0
James Madison – 5–6–0
Lehigh – 5–6–0
Holy Cross – 4–6–1
Florida A&M – 4–7–0
Western Kentucky – 4–7–0
Bucknell – 3–7–0
Northeastern – 2–8–0
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Conference champions

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Conference Champions

Big Sky Conference – Idaho
Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference – Northern Iowa
Gulf Star Conference – Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State
Ivy League – Penn
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Delaware State
Ohio Valley Conference – Middle Tennessee State
Southern Conference – Furman Paladins
Southland Conference – Arkansas State
Southwestern Athletic Conference –Grambling and Jackson State
Yankee Conference – Rhode Island

Postseason

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NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

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The top four teams were seeded, and received first-round byes.[6]

First Round
November 30
Campus sites 		Quarterfinals
December 7
Campus sites 		Semifinals
December 14
Campus sites 		National Championship Game
December 21
Neutral Site
(1) Middle Tennessee 21
Georgia Southern 27 Georgia Southern 28
Jackson State 0 Georgia Southern 40
(4) Northern Iowa 33
(4) Northern Iowa 17
Idaho 38 Eastern Washington 14
Eastern Washington 42 Georgia Southern 44
(3) Furman 42
(3) Furman 59
Rhode Island 35 Rhode Island 15
Akron 27 (3) Furman 35
(2) Nevada 12
(2) Nevada 24
Arkansas State 10 Arkansas State 23
Grambling State 7

References

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  1. ↑ "Standings for the 1985 FCS Season". Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  2. ↑ "1985 NCAA Division I Football Championship" (PDF). NCAA.org. p. 14. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  3. ↑ "NCAA Statistics". Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  4. ↑ "NCAA Statistics". Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Final 1985 Division II Cumulative Football Statistics Report". Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  6. ↑ Hardesty, Abe (November 25, 1985). "Furman in I-AA playoffs". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. p. 1C. Retrieved May 3, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
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