# 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1988 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 1988, and concluded with the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 17, 1988, at Holt Arena in Pocatello, Idaho. The Furman Paladins won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Georgia Southern Eagles by a score of 17−12.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 1987 Conference | 1988 Conference |
| Liberty | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Tennessee State | I-AA Independent | Ohio Valley |
| Villanova | I-AA Independent | Yankee |
| Youngstown State | Ohio Valley | I-AA Independent |

## Conference standings

1988 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 1988 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Idaho $^ 7 –1 –011 –2 –0 No. 16 Montana ^ 6 –2 –08 –4 –0 No. 12 Boise State ^ 5 –3 –08 –4 –0 Nevada 4 –4 –07 –4 –0 Northern Arizona 4 –4 –06 –5 –0 Weber State 4 –4 –05 –6 –0 Montana State 4 –4 –04 –7 –0 Eastern Washington 2 –6 –02 –8 –1 Idaho State 0 –8 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll | 1988 Colonial League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Lafayette $ 5 –0 –08 –2 –1 No. 19 Holy Cross 3 –1 –09 –2 –0 Lehigh 2 –3 –06 –5 –0 Bucknell 2 –3 –03 –7 –0 Colgate 2 –3 –02 –9 –0 Davidson 0 –4 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1988 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Western Illinois $^ 6 –0 –010 –2 –0 Southwest Missouri State 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 Indiana State 4 –2 –05 –6 –0 Northern Iowa 3 –3 –05 –6 –0 Eastern Illinois 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 Southern Illinois 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Illinois State 0 –6 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1988 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Penn + 6 –1 –09 –1 –0 Cornell + 6 –1 –07 –2 –1 Princeton 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Dartmouth 4 –3 –05 –5 –0 Yale 3 –3 –13 –6 –1 Columbia 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Harvard 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Brown 0 –6 –10 –9 –1 + – Conference co-champions | 1988 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bethune–Cookman $ 4 –2 –05 –6 –0 No. 18 Florida A&M 4 –2 –06 –4 –1 Delaware State 4 –2 –05 –5 –0 Howard 3 –3 –07 –4 –0 South Carolina State 3 –3 –04 –7 –0 North Carolina A&T 2 –4 –02 –9 –0 Morgan State 0 –6 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference championBoth Delaware State and Florida A&M received forfeit losses for the same game. Bethune–Cookman was awarded the conference title, although the MEAC website lists Bethune, Delaware State, and Florida A&M as co-champions.Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1988 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Eastern Kentucky $^ 6 –0 –011 –3 –0 No. 17 Middle Tennessee 4 –2 –07 –4 –0 Murray State 4 –2 –04 –6 –0 Tennessee State 2 –4 –03 –7 –1 Austin Peay 2 –4 –03 –8 –0 Morehead State 2 –4 –03 –8 –0 Tennessee Tech 1 –5 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1988 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Furman +^ 6 –1 –013 –2 –0 No. 6 Marshall +^ 6 –1 –011 –2 –0 No. 14 The Citadel ^ 5 –2 –08 –4 –0 Appalachian State 4 –3 –06 –4 –1 Chattanooga 3 –3 –04 –7 –0 VMI 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 East Tennessee State 1 –6 –03 –8 –0 Western Carolina 1 –6 –02 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1988 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Northwestern State $^ 6 –0 –010 –3 –0 No. 9 Stephen F. Austin ^ 5 –1 –010 –3 –0 No. 10 North Texas ^ 4 –2 –08 –4 –0 McNeese State 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 Northeast Louisiana 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 SW Texas State 1 –5 –04 –7 –0 Sam Houston State 0 –6 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1988 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Jackson State $^ 7 –0 –08 –1 –2 No. 20 Grambling State 5 –2 –08 –3 –0 Alabama State 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 Alcorn State 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Southern 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 Prairie View A&M 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Mississippi Valley State 1 –6 –03 –8 –0 Texas Southern 0 –7 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1988 Yankee Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–10 UMass +^ 6 –2 –08 –4 –0 No. 15 Delaware +^ 6 –2 –07 –5 –0 Connecticut 4 –4 –07 –4 –0 Maine 4 –4 –07 –4 –0 New Hampshire 4 –4 –06 –5 –0 Villanova 4 –4 –05 –5 –1 Boston University 3 –5 –04 –7 –0 Rhode Island 3 –5 –03 –8 –0 Richmond 2 –6 –04 –7 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1988 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Georgia Southern ^   –  10 –2 –0 No. 13 Western Kentucky ^   –  9 –4 –0 Liberty   –  8 –3 –0 Nicholls State   –  7 –4 –0 William & Mary   –  6 –4 –1 Towson State   –  5 –5 –0 Arkansas State   –  5 –6 –0 James Madison   –  5 –6 –0 Louisiana Tech   –  4 –7 –0 Northeastern   –  4 –7 –0 Youngstown State   –  4 –7 –0 Lamar   –  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 – Lafayette
* Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference – Western Illinois
* Ivy League – Cornell and Penn
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State, and Florida A&M
* Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
* Southern Conference – Furman and Marshall
* Southland Conference – Northwestern State
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State
* Yankee Conference – Delaware and Massachusetts

## Postseason

The top four teams were seeded, and thus assured of home games in the first round.

### NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

| First Round November 26 Campus sites | First Round November 26 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 3 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 3 Campus sites | Semifinals December 10 Campus sites | Semifinals December 10 Campus sites | | National Championship Game December 17 Holt Arena Pocatello, Idaho | National Championship Game December 17 Holt Arena Pocatello, Idaho |
| Montana | 19 | | | | | | | |
| (1) Idaho* | 38 | | | | | | | |
| (1) Idaho* | 38 | (1) Idaho* | 38 | | | | | |
| | | Northwestern State | 30 | | | | | |
| Northwestern State | 22 | Northwestern State | 30 | | | | | |
| Boise State* | 13 | | | | | | | |
| Boise State* | 13 | | | (1) Idaho | 7 | | | |
| | | | | (4) Furman* | 38 | | | |
| Delaware | 7 | | | | | (4) Furman* | 38 | | | |
| (4) Furman* | 21 | | | | | | | |
| (4) Furman* | 21 | (4) Furman | 13 | | | | | |
| | | Marshall* | 9 | | | | | |
| North Texas | 0 | Marshall* | 9 | | | | | |
| Marshall* | 7 | | | | | | | |
| Marshall* | 7 | | | | | | (4) Furman | 17 |
| | | | | | | | (2) Georgia Southern | 12 |
| The Citadel | 20 | | | | | | | | (2) Georgia Southern | 12 |
| (2) Georgia Southern* | 38 | | | | | | | |
| (2) Georgia Southern* | 38 | (2) Georgia Southern* | 27 | | | | | |
| | | Stephen F. Austin | 6 | | | | | |
| Jackson State | 0 | Stephen F. Austin | 6 | | | | | |
| Stephen F. Austin* | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Stephen F. Austin* | 24 | | | (2) Georgia Southern* | 21 | | | |
| | | | | Eastern Kentucky | 17 | | | |
| Western Kentucky | 35 | | | | | Eastern Kentucky | 17 | | | |
| (3) Western Illinois* | 32 | | | | | | | |
| (3) Western Illinois* | 32 | Western Kentucky | 24 | | | | | |
| | | Eastern Kentucky* | 41 | | | | | |
| UMass | 17 | Eastern Kentucky* | 41 | | | | | |
| Eastern Kentucky* | 28 | | | | | | | |
* Next to team name denotes host institution
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