# 1991 NCAA Division I-AA football season

The 1991 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 1991, and concluded with the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 21, 1991, at Paulson Stadium in Statesboro, Georgia. The Youngstown State Penguins won their first I-AA championship, defeating the Marshall Thundering Herd by a score of 25−17.

## Notable changes
### Conference changes

| Team | 1990 conference | 1991 conference |
| Hofstra | D-III independent | I-AA independent |
| Nicholls State | I-AA independent | Southland Conference |
| Prairie View A&M | Revived program | Southwestern Athletic Conference |
| Southeast Missouri State | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (D-II) | Ohio Valley Conference |

## Conference standings

1991 Big Sky Conference football standings :
| 1991 Big Sky Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Nevada $^ 8 –0 –012 –1 –0 No. 15 Weber State ^ 6 –2 –08 –4 –0 Montana 6 –2 –07 –4 –0 Eastern Washington 4 –4 –05 –6 –0 Idaho 4 –4 –06 –5 –0 Boise State 4 –4 –07 –4 –0 Idaho State 2 –6 –03 –7 –0 Northern Arizona 1 –7 –03 –8 –0 Montana State 1 –7 –02 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Poll | 1991 Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 4 Northern Iowa $^ 5 –1 –011 –2 –0 No. 14 Western Illinois ^ 4 –2 –07 –4 –1 Southern Illinois 4 –2 –07 –4 –0 Southwest Missouri State 3 –3 –06 –4 –1 Indiana State 2 –4 –05 –6 –0 Eastern Illinois 2 –4 –04 –7 –0 Illinois State 1 –5 –05 –6 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1991 Ivy League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Dartmouth $ 6 –0 –17 –2 –1 Princeton 5 –2 –08 –2 –0 Harvard 4 –2 –14 –5 –1 Yale 4 –3 –06 –4 –0 Cornell 4 –3 –05 –5 –0 Penn 2 –5 –02 –8 –0 Brown 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 Columbia 1 –6 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion |
| 1991 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Delaware State + 5 –1 –09 –2 –0 North Carolina A&T + 5 –1 –09 –3 –0 South Carolina State 3 –3 –07 –4 –0 Florida A&M 3 –3 –05 –5 –0 Bethune–Cookman 3 –3 –04 –6 –0 Howard 1 –5 –02 –9 –0 Morgan State 1 –5 –01 –10 –0 + – Conference co-champions | 1991 Ohio Valley Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 2 Eastern Kentucky $^ 7 –0 –012 –2 –0 No. 9 Middle Tennessee ^ 6 –1 –09 –4 –0 Austin Peay 3 –4 –05 –6 –0 Morehead State 3 –4 –04 –7 –0 Southeast Missouri State 3 –4 –03 –8 –0 Tennessee State 2 –5 –03 –8 –0 Tennessee Tech 2 –5 –02 –9 –0 Murray State 1 –6 –03 –8 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1991 Patriot League football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Holy Cross $ 5 –0 –011 –0 –0 Lehigh 3 –2 –09 –2 –0 Lafayette 3 –2 –06 –5 –0 Colgate 3 –2 –04 –7 –0 Bucknell 1 –4 –01 –9 –0 Fordham 0 –5 –02 –8 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1991 Southern Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 17 Appalachian State $^ 6 –1 –08 –4 –0 No. 8 Marshall ^ 5 –2 –011 –4 –0 No. T–20 The Citadel 5 –2 –07 –4 –0 No. T–20 Furman 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Chattanooga 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 VMI 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 Western Carolina 2 –5 –02 –9 –0 East Tennessee State 0 –7 –01 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1991 Southland Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 12 Sam Houston State +^ 5 –2 –08 –3 –1 No. 19 McNeese State +^ 4 –1 –26 –4 –2 No. 18 NE Louisiana 4 –2 –17 –3 –1 SW Texas State 4 –3 –07 –4 –0 Northwestern State 4 –3 –06 –5 –0 Nicholls State 2 –5 –04 –7 –0 North Texas 2 –5 –03 –7 –1 Stephen F. Austin 1 –5 –12 –8 –1 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1991 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Alabama State $ 6 –0 –111 –0 –1 Alcorn State 4 –2 –17 –2 –1 Southern 4 –3 –04 –7 –0 Texas Southern 3 –3 –15 –5 –1 Mississippi Valley State 3 –3 –17 –3 –1 Jackson State 3 –4 –05 –5 –0 Grambling State 3 –4 –05 –6 –0 Prairie View A&M 0 –7 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference championRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |
| 1991 Yankee Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Delaware +^ 7 –1 –010 –2 –0 No. 7 Villanova +^ 7 –1 –010 –2 –0 No. 11 New Hampshire +^ 7 –1 –09 –3 –0 Rhode Island 3 –5 –06 –5 –0 UMass 3 –5 –04 –7 –0 Boston University 3 –5 –04 –7 –0 Maine 2 –6 –03 –8 –0 Connecticut 2 –6 –03 –8 –0 Richmond 2 –6 –02 –9 –0 + – Conference co-champions^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll | 1991 NCAA Division I-AA independents football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Samford ^   –  12 –2 –0 Hofstra   –  8 –2 –0 No. 16 James Madison ^   –  9 –4 –0 No. 13 Youngstown State ^   –  12 –3 –0 Georgia Southern   –  7 –4 –0 UCF   –  6 –5 –0 William & Mary   –  5 –6 –0 Liberty   –  4 –7 –0 Northeastern   –  4 –7 –0 Western Kentucky   –  3 –8 –0 Arkansas State   –  1 –10 –0 Towson   –  1 –10 –0 ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participantRankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll |

## Conference champions

* Conference Champions
* Big Sky Conference – Nevada
* Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference – Northern Iowa
* Ivy League – Dartmouth
* Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina A&T
* Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky
* Patriot League – Holy Cross
* Southern Conference – Appalachian State
* Southland Conference – McNeese State and Sam Houston State
* Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alabama State
* Yankee Conference – Delaware, New Hampshire, and Villanova

## Postseason

Only the top four teams in the field were seeded, and thus assured of home games in their first round games. 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 30 Campus sites | First Round November 30 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 7 Campus sites | Quarterfinals December 7 Campus sites | Semifinals December 14 Campus sites | Semifinals December 14 Campus sites | | National Championship Game December 21 Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA | National Championship Game December 21 Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA |
| McNeese State | 16 | | | | | | | |
| (1) Nevada* | 22 | | | | | | | |
| (1) Nevada* | 22 | (1) Nevada* | 28 | | | | | |
| | | Youngstown State | 30 | | | | | |
| Villanova | 16 | Youngstown State | 30 | | | | | |
| Youngstown State* | 17 | | | | | | | |
| Youngstown State* | 17 | | | Youngstown State* | 10 | | | |
| | | | | Samford | 0 | | | |
| James Madison | 42** | | | | | Samford | 0 | | | |
| (4) Delaware* | 35 | | | | | | | |
| (4) Delaware* | 35 | James Madison* | 21 | | | | | |
| | | Samford | 24 | | | | | |
| Samford | 29 | Samford | 24 | | | | | |
| New Hampshire* | 13 | | | | | | | |
| New Hampshire* | 13 | | | | | | Youngstown State | 25 |
| | | | | | | | Marshall | 17 |
| Appalachian State | 3 | | | | | | | | Marshall | 17 |
| (2) Eastern Kentucky* | 14 | | | | | | | |
| (2) Eastern Kentucky* | 14 | (2) Eastern Kentucky* | 23 | | | | | |
| | | Middle Tennessee State | 13 | | | | | |
| Sam Houston State | 19 | Middle Tennessee State | 13 | | | | | |
| Middle Tennessee* | 20* | | | | | | | |
| Middle Tennessee* | 20* | | | (2) Eastern Kentucky | 7 | | | |
| | | | | Marshall* | 14 | | | |
| Weber State | 21 | | | | | Marshall* | 14 | | | |
| (3) Northern Iowa* | 38 | | | | | | | |
| (3) Northern Iowa* | 38 | (3) Northern Iowa | 13 | | | | | |
| | | Marshall* | 41 | | | | | |
| Western Illinois | 17 | Marshall* | 41 | | | | | |
| Marshall* | 20* | | | | | | | |
* Next to team name denotes host institution
* Next to score denotes host overtime period
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