# 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1989 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 1989, and concluded with the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 16, 1989, at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The Georgia Southern Eagles won their third I-AA championship, defeating the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks by a score of 37−34.

## Conference changes and new programs

| School | 1988 Conference | 1989 Conference |
| Davidson | Colonial (I-AA) | D-III Independent |
| Fordham | Liberty (D-III) | I-AA Independent |
| Louisiana Tech | I-AA Independent | I-A Independent |
| Samford | D-III Independent | I-AA Independent |

## Conference standings

1989 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 1989 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–4 Idaho $^ 8 –0 –09 –3 –0 No. 6 Montana ^ 7 –1 –011 –3 –0 No. 19 Nevada 5 –3 –07 –4 –0 Boise State 5 –3 –06 –5 –0 Eastern Washington 4 –4 –04 –6 –0 Northern Arizona 2 –6 –03 –8 –0 Montana State 2 –6 –04 –7 –0 Idaho State 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Weber State 1 –7 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll | 1989 Colonial League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–4 Holy Cross $ 4 –0 –010 –1 –0 Bucknell 2 –2 –05 –5 –0 Lafayette 2 –2 –05 –5 –0 Lehigh 1 –3 –05 –6 –0 Colgate 1 –3 –04 –7 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1989 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Southwest Missouri State $^ 5 –1 –010 –3 –0 No. 15 Eastern Illinois ^ 4 –2 –09 –4 –0 No. 20 Northern Iowa 4 –2 –08 –3 –0 Illinois State 4 –2 –05 –6 –0 Indiana State 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Western Illinois 1 –5 –04 –7 –0 Southern Illinois 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1989 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Yale + 6 –1 –08 –2 –0 Princeton + 6 –1 –07 –2 –1 Harvard 5 –2 –05 –5 –0 Dartmouth 4 –3 –05 –5 –0 Cornell 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Penn 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Brown 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Columbia 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1989 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Delaware State $ 5 –1 –07 –4 –0 Howard 4 –2 –08 –3 –0 Florida A&M 3 –3 –06 –5 –0 Bethune–Cookman 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 South Carolina State 3 –3 –05 –6 –0 North Carolina A&T 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 Morgan State 1 –5 –03 –7 –1 $ – Conference champion | 1989 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. T–10 Middle Tennessee $^ 6 –0 –09 –4 –0 No. 12 Eastern Kentucky ^ 5 –1 –09 –3 –0 Murray State 3 –3 –06 –4 –1 Tennessee State 3 –3 –05 –5 –1 Tennessee Tech 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Austin Peay 1 –5 –01 –10 –0 Morehead State 0 –6 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRecords adjusted for Morehead State forfeit of conference victories over Austin Peay and Tennessee Tech, and non-conference victories over Kentucky State and SamfordRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1989 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Furman $^ 7 –0 –012 –2 –0 No. 7 Appalachian State ^ 5 –2 –09 –3 –0 Marshall 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 East Tennessee State 4 –3 –04 –7 –0 Chattanooga 2 –4 –13 –7 –1 Western Carolina 1 –4 –13 –7 –1 VMI 1 –4 –12 –8 –1 The Citadel 1 –5 –15 –5 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1989 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Stephen F. Austin $^ 5 –0 –112 –2 –1 Northwestern State 3 –1 –24 –5 –2 SW Texas State 3 –3 –05 –6 –0 Northeast Louisiana 2 –3 –14 –6 –1 McNeese State 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 North Texas 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 Sam Houston State 2 –4 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1989 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 13 Grambling State $^ 7 –0 –09 –3 –0 No. 17 Jackson State ^ 5 –2 –08 –4 –0 Alcorn State 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Southern 4 –3 –06 –4 –1 Texas Southern 3 –3 –13 –7 –1 Alabama State 2 –4 –15 –5 –1 Prairie View A&M 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 Mississippi Valley State 0 –7 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1989 Yankee Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Maine +^ 6 –2 –09 –3 –0 No. 18 Connecticut + 6 –2 –08 –3 –0 No. 16 Villanova +^ 6 –2 –08 –4 –0 New Hampshire 5 –3 –07 –3 –0 Delaware 5 –3 –07 –4 –0 Boston University 4 –4 –04 –7 –0 UMass 3 –5 –05 –5 –1 Rhode Island 1 –7 –03 –8 –0 Richmond 0 –8 –01 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1989 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Georgia Southern ^   –  12 –0 –0 No. 14 Youngstown State ^   –  9 –3 –0 No. T–10 William & Mary ^   –  8 –3 –1 Liberty   –  7 –3 –0 Western Kentucky   –  6 –5 –0 James Madison   –  5 –4 –1 Lamar   –  5 –5 –0 Arkansas State   –  5 –6 –0 Nicholls State   –  5 –6 –0 Samford   –  5 –6 –0 Northeastern   –  3 –7 –0 Fordham   –  2 –6 –0 Towson State   –  2 –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 – Southwest Missouri State
* Ivy League – Princeton and Yale
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Delaware State
* Ohio Valley Conference – Middle Tennessee State
* Southern Conference – Furman
* Southland Conference – Stephen F. Austin
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State
* Yankee Conference – Connecticut, Maine, and Villanova

## Postseason

The top four teams were seeded, and thus assured of home games in the opening round. The location of the final, the Georgia Southern Eagles' Paulson Stadium, had been predetermined via a three-year agreement the university reached with the NCAA in February 1989.

### NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

| First Round November 25 Campus sites | First Round November 25 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 2 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 Campus sites | Semifinals December 9 Campus sites | | National Championship Game December 16 Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA | National Championship Game December 16 Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA |
| Villanova | 36 | | | | | | | |
| (1) Georgia Southern* | 52 | | | | | | | |
| (1) Georgia Southern* | 52 | (1) Georgia Southern* | 45 | | | | | |
| | | Middle Tennessee | 3 | | | | | |
| Appalachian State | 21 | Middle Tennessee | 3 | | | | | |
| Middle Tennessee* | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Middle Tennessee* | 24 | | | (1) Georgia Southern* | 45 | | | |
| | | | | Montana | 15 | | | |
| Eastern Illinois | 38 | | | | | Montana | 15 | | | |
| (4) Idaho* | 21 | | | | | | | |
| (4) Idaho* | 21 | Eastern Illinois | 19 | | | | | |
| | | Montana* | 25 | | | | | |
| Jackson State | 7 | Montana* | 25 | | | | | |
| Montana* | 48 | | | | | | | |
| Montana* | 48 | | | | | | (1) Georgia Southern | 37 |
| | | | | | | | (3) Stephen F. Austin | 34 |
| William & Mary | 10 | | | | | | | | (3) Stephen F. Austin | 34 |
| (2) Furman* | 24 | | | | | | | |
| (2) Furman* | 24 | (2) Furman* | 42 | | | | | |
| | | Youngstown State | 23 | | | | | |
| Youngstown State | 28 | Youngstown State | 23 | | | | | |
| Eastern Kentucky* | 24 | | | | | | | |
| Eastern Kentucky* | 24 | | | (2) Furman* | 19 | | | |
| | | | | (3) Stephen F. Austin | 21 | | | |
| Grambling State | 56 | | | | | (3) Stephen F. Austin | 21 | | | |
| (3) Stephen F. Austin* | 59 | | | | | | | |
| (3) Stephen F. Austin* | 59 | (3) Stephen F. Austin* | 55 | | | | | |
| | | Southwest Missouri State | 25 | | | | | |
| Maine | 35 | Southwest Missouri State | 25 | | | | | |
| Southwest Missouri State* | 38 | | | | | | | |
* Denotes host institution
Source: