# 1984 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1984 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 1984, and concluded with the 1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 15, 1984, at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina. The Montana State Bobcats won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs by a score of 19−6.

## Conference changes and new programs

* Prior to the season, the Gulf Star Conference was formed by three I-AA Independents and three reclassifying Division II institutions from Louisiana and Texas.
| School | 1983 Conference | 1984 Conference |
| Eastern Washington | D-II Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Florida A&M | MEAC | I-AA Independent |
| Georgia Southern | Revived Program | I-AA Independent |
| Morgan State | D-II Independent | MEAC (I-AA) |
| Nicholls State | I-AA Independent | Gulf Star |
| Northwestern State | I-AA Independent | Gulf Star |
| Sam Houston State | Lone Star (D-II) | Gulf Star (I-AA) |
| Southeastern Louisiana | I-AA Independent | Gulf Star |
| Southwest Texas State | Lone Star (D-II) | Gulf Star (I-AA) |
| Stephen F. Austin | Lone Star (D-II) | Gulf Star (I-AA) |

## Conference standings

1984 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings :
| 1984 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 18 Northern Iowa + 2 –1 –09 –2 –0 Eastern Illinois + 2 –1 –06 –5 –0 Southwest Missouri State 1 –1 –16 –3 –1 Western Illinois 0 –2 –16 –4 –1 + – Conference co-championsRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1984 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Montana State $^ 6 –1 –012 –2 –0 Nevada 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 Idaho 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 Boise State 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 Idaho State 4 –3 –05 –6 –0 Weber State 3 –4 –05 –6 –0 Northern Arizona 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Montana 0 –7 –02 –8 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll | 1984 Gulf Star Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Northwestern State + 4 –1 –07 –4 –0 Nicholls State + 4 –1 –06 –5 –0 Sam Houston State 3 –2 –08 –3 –0 Southwest Texas State 2 –3 –07 –4 –0 Stephen F. Austin 1 –3 –17 –3 –1 Southeastern Louisiana 0 –4 –12 –8 –1 $ – Conference championThe conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-AA and Division II programs. Stephen F. Austin was classified NCAA Division II. All the other teams were Division I-AA. |
| 1984 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Penn $ 7 –0 –08 –1 –0 Yale 5 –2 –06 –3 –0 Harvard 5 –2 –05 –4 –0 Brown 4 –3 –04 –5 –0 Princeton 3 –4 –04 –5 –0 Cornell 2 –5 –02 –7 –0 Dartmouth 2 –5 –02 –7 –0 Columbia 0 –7 –00 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion | 1984 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bethune–Cookman $ 4 –0 –07 –3 –0 Delaware State 3 –1 –08 –2 –0 South Carolina State 2 –2 –04 –6 –1 North Carolina A&T 1 –3 –02 –8 –0 Howard 0 –4 –02 –8 –0 Morgan State 0 –0 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference championMorgan State games did not count as conference games. Morgan State was NCAA Division II. All the other teams were classified as I-AA. | 1984 Missouri Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Tulsa $ 5 –0 –06 –5 –0 No. 5 Indiana State ^ 4 –1 –09 –3 –0 Illinois State 3 –2 –05 –6 –0 West Texas State 2 –3 –03 –8 –0 Wichita State 2 –3 –02 –9 –0 Drake 2 –3 –04 –7 –0 Southern Illinois 0 –5 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantThe 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.Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1984 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Eastern Kentucky $^ 6 –1 –08 –4 –0 No. 7 Middle Tennessee ^ 5 –2 –011 –3 –0 No. 13 Murray State 5 –2 –09 –2 –0 Youngstown State 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 Austin Peay 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Akron 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Morehead State 1 –6 –02 –9 –0 Tennessee Tech 0 –7 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1984 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 17 Chattanooga $^ 5 –1 –06 –5 –0 No. 14 Western Carolina 5 –2 –08 –3 –0 The Citadel 4 –2 –07 –4 –0 No. 16 Furman 3 –3 –08 –3 –0 East Tennessee State 2 –4 –06 –5 –0 Marshall 2 –4 –06 –5 –0 Appalachian State 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 VMI 1 –4 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1984 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Louisiana Tech $^ 5 –1 –010 –5 –0 No. 10 Arkansas State ^ 4 –1 –18 –4 –1 UT Arlington 4 –2 –07 –4 –0 Northeast Louisiana 3 –3 –07 –4 –0 No. 20 McNeese State 2 –3 –17 –3 –1 Lamar 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 North Texas State 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1984 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Alcorn State $^ 7 –0 –09 –1 –0 No. 6 Mississippi Valley State ^ 6 –1 –09 –2 –0 Grambling State 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 Southern 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 Jackson State 3 –4 –04 –5 –1 Texas Southern 2 –5 –05 –6 –0 Alabama State 1 –6 –02 –9 –0 Prairie View A&M 0 –7 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1984 Yankee Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Rhode Island +^ 4 –1 –010 –3 –0 No. 4 Boston University +^ 4 –1 –09 –3 –0 No. 11 New Hampshire 3 –2 –09 –2 –0 Maine 2 –3 –05 –6 –0 Connecticut 1 –4 –03 –8 –0 UMass 1 –4 –03 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1984 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Tennessee State   –  11 –0 –0 Georgia Southern   –  8 –3 –0 No. 15 Holy Cross   –  8 –3 –0 No. 19 Delaware   –  8 –3 –0 No. 12 Richmond ^   –  8 –4 –0 Eastern Washington   –  7 –2 –1 James Madison   –  6 –5 –0 William & Mary   –  6 –5 –0 Bucknell   –  5 –5 –0 Colgate   –  5 –5 –0 Lafayette   –  5 –5 –0 Lehigh   –  5 –6 –0 Florida A&M   –  3 –6 –1 Northeastern   –  3 –7 –0 Western Kentucky   –  2 –9 –0 ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* Big Sky Conference – Montana State
* Gulf Star Conference – Nicholls State and Northwestern State
* Ivy League – Penn
* Mid-Continent Conference – Eastern Illinois and Northern Iowa
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Bethune-Cookman
* Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
* Southern Conference – Chattanooga
* Southland Conference – Louisiana Tech
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State
* Yankee Conference – Boston University and Rhode Island

## Postseason

The top four teams were seeded, and received first-round byes. Undefeated Tennessee State was disqualified from the postseason due to the use of ineligible players.

### NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

| First Round November 24 Campus sites | First Round November 24 Campus sites | First Round November 24 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 1 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 1 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 1 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8 Campus sites | Semifinals December 8 Campus sites | National Championship Game December 15 Neutral Site | National Championship Game December 15 Neutral Site | National Championship Game December 15 Neutral Site |
| | | | (1) Alcorn State | (1) Alcorn State | 21 | | | | | | |
| Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech | 66 | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech | 44 | | | | | | |
| Mississippi Valley State | Mississippi Valley State | 19 | | | | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech | 21 | | | |
| | | | | | | Middle Tennessee | Middle Tennessee | 13 | | | |
| | | | (4) Indiana State | (4) Indiana State | 41 | | | | | | |
| Eastern Kentucky | Eastern Kentucky | 10 | Middle Tennessee | Middle Tennessee | 42*** | | | | | | |
| Middle Tennessee | Middle Tennessee | 27 | | | | | | | Louisiana Tech | Louisiana Tech | 6 |
| | | | | | | | | | (3) Montana State | (3) Montana State | 19 |
| | | | (2) Rhode Island | (2) Rhode Island | 23 | | | | | | |
| Richmond | Richmond | 35 | Richmond | Richmond | 17 | | | | | | |
| Boston University | Boston University | 33 | | | | (2) Rhode Island | (2) Rhode Island | 20 | | | |
| | | | | | | (3) Montana State | (3) Montana State | 32 | | | |
| | | | (3) Montana State | (3) Montana State | 31 | | | | | | |
| Arkansas State | Arkansas State | 37 | Arkansas State | Arkansas State | 14 | | | | | | |
| Chattanooga | Chattanooga | 10 | | | | | | | | | |
*indicates overtime period