# 1982 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1982 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 1982 and concluded with the 1982 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 18, 1982, at Memorial Stadium in Wichita Falls, Texas. The Eastern Kentucky Colonels won their second I-AA championship, defeating the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens in the Pioneer Bowl, 17−14.

## Conference changes and new programs

Upon the expiration of the four-year limit for compliance with Division I-A football criteria (set in January 1978), 41 NCAA Division I-A teams were reclassified from Division I-A to Division I-AA:
* Ivy League — all eight members. Yale met the requirements to stay in I-A, but voluntarily chose to downgrade to I-AA to remain with the rest of the Ivy League.
* Southern Conference — all eight members
* Southland Conference — five members. McNeese State and Southwestern Louisiana met the requirements to remain in I-A; McNeese State voluntarily chose to downgrade to I-AA to remain with the rest of the Southland, while Southwestern Louisiana remained in Division I-A as an Independent.
* Missouri Valley Conference — five members, with New Mexico State, Tulsa, and Wichita State remaining in I-A but also remaining in the conference. This was the onset of a four-year period in which the MVC functioned as a hybrid I-A/I-AA conference.
* Mid-American Conference — eight members, with only Central Michigan and Toledo maintaining I-A status. Several of the demoted schools appealed the demotion, with the result that all eight MAC members reclassified to I-AA for 1982 were returned to I-A as of 1983.
* Independent Cincinnati was reclassified to I-AA along with the MAC schools but filed an injunction against the NCAA to postpone their demotion until after the 1982 season, and was successful in remaining in I-A.
The successful appeals of Cincinnati (effective 1982) and the MAC schools (effective 1983) meant that 40 Division I-A members joined I-AA in 1982, of which 32 remained in 1983.
| School | 1981 Conference | 1982 Conference |
| Alabama State | D-II Independent | SWAC (I-AA) |
| Appalachian State | Southern (I-A) | Southern (I-AA) |
| Arkansas State | Southland (I-A) | Southland (I-AA) |
| Ball State | MAC (I-A) | MAC (I-AA) |
| Bowling Green | MAC (I-A) | MAC (I-AA) |
| Brown | Ivy (I-A) | Ivy (I-AA) |
| Chattanooga | Southern (I-A) | Southern (I-AA) |
| Colgate | I-A Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Columbia | Ivy (I-A) | Ivy (I-AA) |
| Cornell | Ivy (I-A) | Ivy (I-AA) |
| Dartmouth | Ivy (I-A) | Ivy (I-AA) |
| Drake | Missouri Valley (I-A) | Missouri Valley (I-AA) |
| East Tennessee State | Southern (I-A) | Southern (I-AA) |
| Eastern Michigan | MAC (I-A) | MAC (I-AA) |
| Furman | Southern (I-A) | Southern (I-AA) |
| Harvard | Ivy (I-A) | Ivy (I-AA) |
| Holy Cross | I-A Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Illinois State | Missouri Valley (I-A) | Missouri Valley (I-AA) |
| Indiana State | Missouri Valley (I-A) | Missouri Valley (I-AA) |
| Kent State | MAC (I-A) | MAC (I-AA) |
| Lamar | Southland (I-A) | Southland (I-AA) |
| Northeast Louisiana | I-A Independent | Southland (I-AA) |
| Louisiana Tech | Southland (I-A) | Southland (I-AA) |
| Marshall | Southern (I-A) | Southern (I-AA) |
| McNeese State | Southland (I-A) | Southland (I-AA) |
| Miami (OH) | MAC (I-A) | MAC (I-AA) |
| North Texas State | I-A Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Northern Illinois | MAC (I-A) | MAC (I-AA) |
| Ohio | MAC (I-A) | MAC (I-AA) |
| Penn | Ivy (I-A) | Ivy (I-AA) |
| Princeton | Ivy (I-A) | Ivy (I-AA) |
| Richmond | I-A Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Southern Illinois | Missouri Valley (I-A) | Missouri Valley (I-AA) |
| Texas–Arlington | Southland (I-A) | Southland (I-AA) |
| The Citadel | Southern (I-A) | Southern (I-AA) |
| VMI | Southern (I-A) | Southern (I-AA) |
| West Texas State | Missouri Valley (I-A) | Missouri Valley (I-AA) |
| Western Carolina | Southern (I-A) | Southern (I-AA) |
| Western Kentucky | Ohio Valley | I-AA Independent |
| Western Michigan | MAC (I-A) | MAC (I-AA) |
| William & Mary | I-A Independent | I-AA Independent |
| Yale | Ivy (I-A) | Ivy (I-AA) |

## Conference standings

1982 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings :
| 1982 Association of Mid-Continent Universities football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Eastern Illinois +^ 2 –0 –111 –1 –1 Northern Iowa + 2 –0 –14 –6 –1 Southwest Missouri State 1 –2 –05 –6 –0 Western Illinois 0 –3 –02 –8 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1982 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 19 Montana $^ 5 –2 –06 –6 –0 No. 11 Idaho ^ 5 –2 –09 –4 –0 Montana State 5 –2 –06 –5 –0 No. 15 Boise State 4 –3 –08 –3 –0 Nevada 3 –4 –06 –5 –0 Northern Arizona 3 –4 –04 –7 –0 Weber State 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Idaho State 1 –6 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll | 1982 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Harvard + 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Penn + 5 –2 –07 –3 –0 Dartmouth + 5 –2 –05 –5 –0 Princeton 3 –4 –03 –7 –0 Yale 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Brown 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Cornell 3 –4 –04 –6 –0 Columbia 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions |
| 1982 Mid-American Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Bowling Green $ 7 –2 –07 –5 –0 Western Michigan 5 –2 –27 –2 –2 Miami (OH) 5 –3 –07 –4 –0 Central Michigan 5 –3 –16 –4 –1 Ohio 5 –4 –06 –5 –0 Toledo 5 –4 –06 –5 –0 Northern Illinois 5 –4 –05 –5 –0 Ball State 4 –4 –05 –6 –0 Eastern Michigan 1 –7 –11 –9 –1 Kent State 0 –9 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference championThe conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs. Central Michigan and Toledo were I-A while the other teams were classified as I-AA for the 1982 season only. | 1982 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 South Carolina State $^ 4 –1 –09 –3 –0 Florida A&M 4 –1 –06 –5 –0 Bethune–Cookman 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Howard 2 –3 –06 –5 –0 Delaware State 2 –3 –04 –7 –0 North Carolina A&T 0 –5 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1982 Missouri Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Tulsa $ 6 –0 –010 –1 –0 Wichita State 4 –1 –08 –3 –0 Southern Illinois 4 –1 –06 –5 –0 Indiana State 3 –2 –05 –6 –0 Drake 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 New Mexico State 1 –4 –03 –8 –0 West Texas State 1 –4 –03 –8 –0 Illinois State 0 –5 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference championThe conference was a hybrid of NCAA Division I-A and I-AA programs. New Mexico State, Tulsa, and Wichita State were I-A and the other teams were I-AA. |
| 1982 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Eastern Kentucky $^ 7 –0 –013 –0 –0 Akron 5 –2 –06 –5 –0 Middle Tennessee 4 –3 –08 –3 –0 Youngstown State 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 Morehead State 2 –5 –05 –6 –0 Murray State 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Austin Peay 2 –5 –03 –7 –0 Tennessee Tech 1 –6 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1982 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Furman $^ 6 –1 –09 –3 –0 No. 17 Chattanooga 5 –1 –07 –4 –0 Western Carolina 4 –2 –06 –5 –0 The Citadel 3 –4 –05 –6 –0 Appalachian State 3 –4 –04 –7 –0 VMI 2 –3 –05 –6 –0 East Tennessee State 2 –5 –02 –9 –0 Marshall 1 –6 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1982 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Louisiana Tech $^ 5 –0 –010 –3 –0 No. 12 Northeast Louisiana 4 –1 –08 –3 –0 Arkansas State 2 –3 –05 –6 –0 McNeese State 2 –3 –04 –6 –1 Lamar 1 –4 –04 –7 –0 UT Arlington 1 –4 –03 –8 –0 North Texas State 0 –0 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1982 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Jackson State $^ 6 –0 –09 –3 –0 Southern 5 –1 –08 –3 –0 No. 10 Grambling State 4 –2 –08 –3 –0 Alcorn State 3 –3 –05 –6 –0 Mississippi Valley State 2 –4 –05 –5 –0 Texas Southern 1 –5 –01 –9 –1 Prairie View A&M 0 –6 –01 –10 –0 Alabama State 0 –0 –02 –6 –1 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1982 Yankee Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Maine + 3 –2 –07 –4 –0 Boston University +^ 3 –2 –05 –6 –0 Connecticut + 3 –2 –05 –6 –0 UMass + 3 –2 –05 –6 –0 Rhode Island 2 –3 –07 –4 –0 New Hampshire 1 –4 –04 –6 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant | 1982 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Delaware ^   –  12 –2 –0 No. 4 Tennessee State ^   –  10 –1 –1 No. 13 Holy Cross   –  8 –3 –0 James Madison   –  8 –3 –0 No. 9 Colgate ^   –  8 –4 –0 No. 20 Lafayette   –  7 –3 –0 Nicholls State   –  7 –4 –0 No. 18 Northwestern State   –  6 –5 –0 Western Kentucky   –  5 –5 –0 Bucknell   –  4 –6 –0 Lehigh   –  4 –6 –0 Southeastern Louisiana   –  4 –7 –0 Northeastern   –  3 –6 –0 William & Mary   –  3 –8 –0 Richmond   –  0 –10 –0 ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee |

## Conference champions

* Conference champions
* Big Sky Conference – Montana (tiebreaker over Idaho, Montana State)
* Ivy League – Dartmouth, Harvard, and Penn
* Mid-Continent Conference – Eastern Illinois
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – South Carolina State
* Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
* Southern Conference– Furman
* Southland Conference – Louisiana Tech
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Jackson State
* Yankee Conference – Boston University, Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts

## Postseason

The playoffs expanded from eight to twelve teams this season; four years later, in 1986, the field was expanded to sixteen teams.

### NCAA Division I-AA playoff bracket

The top four teams were seeded, and received first-round byes.
| First Round November 27 Campus sites | First Round November 27 Campus sites | First Round November 27 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 4 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 4 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 4 Campus sites | Semifinals December 11 Campus sites | Semifinals December 11 Campus sites | Semifinals December 11 Campus sites | National Championship Game December 18 Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, Texas | National Championship Game December 18 Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, Texas | National Championship Game December 18 Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, Texas |
| | | | (1) Eastern Kentucky* | (1) Eastern Kentucky* | 38 | | | | | | |
| Idaho* | Idaho* | 21 | Idaho | Idaho | 30 | | | | | | |
| Montana | Montana | 7 | | | | (1) Eastern Kentucky* | (1) Eastern Kentucky* | 13 | | | |
| | | | | | | (4) Tennessee State | (4) Tennessee State | 7 | | | |
| | | | (4) Tennessee State* | (4) Tennessee State* | 20 | | | | | | |
| Eastern Illinois* | Eastern Illinois* | 16 | Eastern Illinois | Eastern Illinois | 19 | | | | | | |
| Jackson State | Jackson State | 13 | | | | | | | (1) Eastern Kentucky | (1) Eastern Kentucky | 17 |
| | | | | | | | | | (3) Delaware | (3) Delaware | 14 |
| | | | (2) Louisiana Tech* | (2) Louisiana Tech* | 38 | | | | | | |
| Furman* | Furman* | 0 | South Carolina State | South Carolina State | 3 | | | | | | |
| South Carolina State | South Carolina State | 17 | | | | (2) Louisiana Tech* | (2) Louisiana Tech* | 0 | | | |
| | | | | | | (3) Delaware | (3) Delaware | 17 | | | |
| | | | (3) Delaware* | (3) Delaware* | 20 | | | | | | |
| Colgate* | Colgate* | 21 | Colgate | Colgate | 13 | | | | | | |
| Boston University | Boston University | 7 | | | | | | | | | |
* Next to team name denotes host institution