# 1987 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1987 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, began in August 1987, and concluded with the 1987 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 19, 1987, at the Minidome in Pocatello, Idaho. The Northeast Louisiana Indians won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Marshall Thundering Herd by a score of 43–42.

## Conference changes and new programs

* The Gulf Star Conference folded after the 1986 season when four of its founding members, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State, Southwest Texas State, and Stephen F. Austin, joined the Southland Conference. The Gulf Star's remaining football member, Nicholls State, opted to become an Independent. Three former Southland Conference members, Arkansas State, Lamar, and Louisiana Tech, moved to D-IAA Independent status after joining the newly formed (non-football) American South Conference as charter members.
| School | 1986 Conference | 1987 Conference |
| Akron | Ohio Valley (I-AA) | Independent (I-A) |
| Arkansas State | Southland | I-AA Independent |
| Davidson | D-III Independent | Colonial (I-AA) |
| Eastern Washington | I-AA Independent | Big Sky |
| Lamar | Southland | I-AA Independent |
| Louisiana Tech | Southland | I-AA Independent |
| Nicholls State | Gulf Star | I-AA Independent |
| Northwestern State | Gulf Star | Southland |
| Sam Houston State | Gulf Star | Southland |
| Southwest Texas State | Gulf Star | Southland |
| Stephen F. Austin | Gulf Star | Southland |
| Towson State | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Villanova | Revived Program+ | I-AA Independent |
+ "unclassified" for 1985 (partial season) and 1986 (full season)

## Conference standings

1987 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 1987 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Idaho $^ 7 –1 –09 –3 –0 No. 10 Weber State ^ 7 –1 –010 –3 –0 Montana 5 –3 –06 –5 –0 Boise State 4 –4 –06 –5 –0 Nevada 4 –4 –05 –6 –0 Northern Arizona 4 –4 –07 –4 –0 Idaho State 3 –5 –03 –7 –1 Eastern Washington 2 –6 –04 –7 –0 Montana State 0 –8 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll | 1987 Colonial League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Holy Cross $ 4 –0 –011 –0 –0 Lehigh 3 –1 –15 –5 –1 Colgate 2 –2 –07 –4 –0 Lafayette 2 –3 –04 –7 –0 Bucknell 1 –3 –14 –5 –1 Davidson 0 –3 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1987 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Northern Iowa $^ 6 –0 –010 –4 –0 Western Illinois 5 –1 –07 –4 –0 Eastern Illinois 3 –3 –05 –6 –0 SW Missouri State 3 –3 –05 –6 –0 Indiana State 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 Southern Illinois 2 –4 –03 –8 –0 Illinois State 0 –6 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1987 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Harvard $ 6 –1 –08 –2 –0 Brown 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Yale 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Princeton 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Cornell 4 –3 –05 –5 –0 Penn 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Dartmouth 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 Columbia 0 –7 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1987 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 20 Delaware State $ 5 –0 –09 –1 –0 No. 18 Howard 4 –1 –08 –2 –0 South Carolina State 3 –2 –06 –5 –0 Bethune–Cookman 2 –3 –04 –7 –0 North Carolina A&T 1 –4 –03 –8 –0 Morgan State 0 –5 –01 –9 –0 Florida A&M 0 –0 –05 –5 –1 $ – Conference championFlorida A&M games did not count as conference games in 1987; records adjusted for Howard and Arkansas Pine–Bluff forfeits to Delaware StateRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1987 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Eastern Kentucky +^ 5 –1 –09 –3 –0 No. 15 Youngstown State +^ 5 –1 –08 –4 –0 Middle Tennessee 4 –2 –06 –5 –0 Murray State 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 Tennessee Tech 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 Morehead State 1 –5 –02 –8 –0 Austin Peay 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1987 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Appalachian State $^ 7 –0 –011 –3 –0 No. 14 Marshall ^ 4 –2 –010 –5 –0 Furman 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Chattanooga 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 VMI 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Western Carolina 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 East Tennessee State 2 –5 –05 –6 –0 The Citadel 1 –5 –04 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1987 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Northeast Louisiana $^ 6 –0 –013 –2 –0 No. 19 Sam Houston State 5 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 16 North Texas State ^ 5 –1 –07 –5 –0 Northwestern State 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 SW Texas State 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Stephen F. Austin 1 –5 –03 –7 –1 McNeese State 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1987 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Jackson State $^ 7 –0 –08 –3 –1 Southern 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 Alcorn State 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Alabama State 4 –3 –08 –3 –0 Grambling State 3 –4 –05 –6 –0 Texas Southern 3 –4 –05 –6 –0 Prairie View A&M 1 –6 –03 –8 –0 Mississippi Valley State 0 –7 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1987 Yankee Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Maine +^ 6 –1 –08 –4 –0 No. 17 Richmond +^ 6 –1 –07 –5 –0 Connecticut 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 New Hampshire 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 Delaware 2 –5 –05 –6 –0 UMass 2 –5 –03 –8 –0 Boston University 2 –5 –03 –8 –0 Rhode Island 1 –6 –01 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1987 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Georgia Southern ^   –  9 –4 –0 No. 8 James Madison ^   –  9 –3 –0 No. 12 Arkansas State ^   –  8 –4 –1 No. 11 Western Kentucky ^   –  7 –4 –0 Villanova   –  6 –4 –0 Northeastern   –  6 –5 –0 Nicholls State   –  5 –5 –1 William & Mary   –  5 –6 –0 Towson State   –  4 –6 –0 Tennessee State   –  3 –7 –1 Lamar   –  3 –8 –0 Louisiana Tech   –  3 –8 –0 ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |

## Conference champions

* Conference Champions
* Big Sky Conference – Idaho
* Colonial League – Holy Cross
* Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference – Northern Iowa
* Ivy League – Harvard
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Howard
* Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky and Youngstown State
* Southern Conference – Appalachian State
* Southland Conference – Northeast Louisiana
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State
* Yankee Conference – Richmond

## Postseason

The playoff bracket of sixteen teams had four seeded teams; Appalachian State, Northeast Louisiana, Northern Iowa, and Idaho were first through fourth, respectively. Undefeated and top-ranked Holy Cross, featuring Heisman Trophy candidate Gordie Lockbaum, did not participate in the postseason, per the rules of their conference, the Colonial League (known as the Patriot League since 1990).
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) conference champion Howard Bison (9–1) did not receive an invitation to the I-AA playoffs and filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and sought a temporary restraining order to delay the start of the playoffs. The lawsuit asserted "unlawful and racially motivated reasons" for the team being passed over. Two days later, the request for a temporary restraining order was rejected by federal judge John Garrett Penn. Howard then advocated that they, plus three other teams, should be added to the second round of the playoffs; the proposal was rejected by the NCAA, who said that Howard had played a weak schedule. In September 1989, MEAC stripped Howard of their 1987 conference championship, retroactively awarding it to Delaware State, after finding that Howard had used some players beyond their four years of NCAA eligibility.
The I-AA playoff field remained at sixteen through the 2009 season, expanding to twenty in 2010 and 24 in 2013.

### NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

| First round | First round | First round | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | National Championship Game | National Championship Game | National Championship Game |
| November 28 – Boone, NC | November 28 – Boone, NC | November 28 – Boone, NC | | | | | | | | | |
| | Richmond | 3 | | | | | | | | | |
| | Richmond | 3 | December 5 – Boone, NC | December 5 – Boone, NC | December 5 – Boone, NC | | | | | | |
| 1 | Appalachian State* | 20 | December 5 – Boone, NC | December 5 – Boone, NC | December 5 – Boone, NC | | | | | | |
| 1 | Appalachian State* | 20 | 1 | Appalachian State* | 19 | | | | | | |
| November 28 – Statesboro, GA | November 28 – Statesboro, GA | November 28 – Statesboro, GA | 1 | Appalachian State* | 19 | | | | | | |
| November 28 – Statesboro, GA | November 28 – Statesboro, GA | November 28 – Statesboro, GA | | Georgia Southern | 0 | | | | | | |
| | Maine | 28 | | Georgia Southern | 0 | | | | | | |
| | Maine | 28 | | | | December 12 – Boone, NC | December 12 – Boone, NC | December 12 – Boone, NC | | | |
| | Georgia Southern* | 31* | | | | December 12 – Boone, NC | December 12 – Boone, NC | December 12 – Boone, NC | | | |
| | Georgia Southern* | 31* | | | | 1 | Appalachian State* | 10 | | | |
| November 28 – Moscow, ID | November 28 – Moscow, ID | November 28 – Moscow, ID | | | | 1 | Appalachian State* | 10 | | | |
| November 28 – Moscow, ID | November 28 – Moscow, ID | November 28 – Moscow, ID | | | | | Marshall | 24 | | | |
| | Weber State | 59 | | | | | Marshall | 24 | | | |
| | Weber State | 59 | December 5 – Huntington, WV | December 5 – Huntington, WV | December 5 – Huntington, WV | | | | | | |
| 4 | Idaho* | 30 | December 5 – Huntington, WV | December 5 – Huntington, WV | December 5 – Huntington, WV | | | | | | |
| 4 | Idaho* | 30 | | Weber State | 23 | | | | | | |
| November 28 – Huntington, WV | November 28 – Huntington, WV | November 28 – Huntington, WV | | Weber State | 23 | | | | | | |
| November 28 – Huntington, WV | November 28 – Huntington, WV | November 28 – Huntington, WV | | Marshall* | 51 | | | | | | |
| | James Madison | 12 | | Marshall* | 51 | | | | | | |
| | James Madison | 12 | | | | | | | December 19 – Pocatello, ID | December 19 – Pocatello, ID | December 19 – Pocatello, ID |
| | Marshall* | 41 | | | | | | | December 19 – Pocatello, ID | December 19 – Pocatello, ID | December 19 – Pocatello, ID |
| | Marshall* | 41 | | | | | | | | Marshall | 42 |
| November 28 – Monroe, LA | November 28 – Monroe, LA | November 28 – Monroe, LA | | | | | | | | Marshall | 42 |
| November 28 – Monroe, LA | November 28 – Monroe, LA | November 28 – Monroe, LA | | | | | | | 2 | Northeast Louisiana | 43 |
| | North Texas State | 9 | | | | | | | 2 | Northeast Louisiana | 43 |
| | North Texas State | 9 | December 5 – Monroe, LA | December 5 – Monroe, LA | December 5 – Monroe, LA | | | | | | |
| 2 | Northeast Louisiana* | 30 | December 5 – Monroe, LA | December 5 – Monroe, LA | December 5 – Monroe, LA | | | | | | |
| 2 | Northeast Louisiana* | 30 | 2 | Northeast Louisiana* | 33 | | | | | | |
| November 28 – Richmond, KY | November 28 – Richmond, KY | November 28 – Richmond, KY | 2 | Northeast Louisiana* | 33 | | | | | | |
| November 28 – Richmond, KY | November 28 – Richmond, KY | November 28 – Richmond, KY | | Eastern Kentucky | 32 | | | | | | |
| | Western Kentucky | 17 | | Eastern Kentucky | 32 | | | | | | |
| | Western Kentucky | 17 | | | | December 12 – Monroe, LA | December 12 – Monroe, LA | December 12 – Monroe, LA | | | |
| | Eastern Kentucky* | 40 | | | | December 12 – Monroe, LA | December 12 – Monroe, LA | December 12 – Monroe, LA | | | |
| | Eastern Kentucky* | 40 | | | | 2 | Northeast Louisiana* | 44** | | | |
| November 28 – Cedar Falls, IA | November 28 – Cedar Falls, IA | November 28 – Cedar Falls, IA | | | | 2 | Northeast Louisiana* | 44** | | | |
| November 28 – Cedar Falls, IA | November 28 – Cedar Falls, IA | November 28 – Cedar Falls, IA | | | | 3 | Northern Iowa | 41 | | | |
| | Youngstown State | 28 | | | | 3 | Northern Iowa | 41 | | | |
| | Youngstown State | 28 | December 5 – Cedar Falls, IA | December 5 – Cedar Falls, IA | December 5 – Cedar Falls, IA | | | | | | |
| 3 | Northern Iowa* | 31 | December 5 – Cedar Falls, IA | December 5 – Cedar Falls, IA | December 5 – Cedar Falls, IA | | | | | | |
| 3 | Northern Iowa* | 31 | 3 | Northern Iowa* | 49 | | | | | | |
| November 28 – Jackson, MS | November 28 – Jackson, MS | November 28 – Jackson, MS | 3 | Northern Iowa* | 49 | | | | | | |
| November 28 – Jackson, MS | November 28 – Jackson, MS | November 28 – Jackson, MS | | Arkansas State | 28 | | | | | | |
| | Arkansas State | 35 | | Arkansas State | 28 | | | | | | |
| | Jackson State* | 32 | | | | | | | | | |
* Next to team name denotes host institution
* Next to score denotes overtime periods