# 1988 NAIA Division II football season

The 1988 NAIA Division II football season, as part of the 1988 college football season in the United States and the 33rd season of college football sponsored by the NAIA, was the 19th season of play of the NAIA division II for football.
The season was played from August to November 1988 and culminated in the 1988 NAIA Division II Football National Championship, played at the Memorial Stadium on the campus of Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.
The Westminster Titans defeated the Wisconsin–La Crosse Indians in the championship game, 21–14, to win their fourth NAIA national title.

## Conference standings

1988 Columbia Football Association standings :
| 1988 Columbia Football Association standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Mount Hood League No. 12 Oregon Tech x^ 6 –0 –09 –3 –0 No. 20 Linfield 4 –2 –07 –2 –0 Southern Oregon 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Pacific (OR) 3 –3 –03 –5 –1 Western Oregon 3 –3 –03 –6 –0 Willamette 2 –4 –04 –5 –0 Eastern Oregon 0 –6 –00 –9 –0 Mount Rainier League No. 4 Central Washington x^ 6 –0 –09 –1 –0 No. 11 Pacific Lutheran ^ 5 –1 –07 –3 –0 Puget Sound 4 –2 –04 –5 –0 Western Washington 3 –3 –05 –4 –0 Whitworth 1 –5 –03 –5 –1 Simon Fraser 1 –5 –03 –7 –0 Lewis & Clark 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 x – League champion/co-champions ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1988 Frontier Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 3 Carroll (MT) $^ 6 –0 –010 –1 –0 Montana Tech 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Rocky Mountain 1 –5 –03 –8 –0 Western Montana 1 –5 –01 –5 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1988 Heart of America Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 10 Baker $^ 7 –0 –09 –1 –0 Missouri Valley 5 –2 –06 –4 –0 Tarkio 5 –2 –05 –5 –0 Graceland 4 –3 –07 –3 –0 William Jewell 4 –3 –05 –4 –1 MidAmerica Nazarene 2 –5 –04 –6 –0 Culver–Stockton 1 –6 –02 –8 –0 No. 2 Evangel * ^ 0 –7 –00 –12 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participant Evangel finished the 1988 season with an 11–1 record and a 7–0 mark in HAAC play. In March 1989, the team forfeited all 11 wins and their conference title because it had used two ineligible players.Rankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1988 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 6 Bethany (KS) $^ 9 –0 –010 –1 –0 McPherson 6 –3 –06 –4 –0 Southwestern (KS) 6 –3 –06 –4 –0 St. Mary of the Plains 5 –4 –06 –4 –0 Kansas Wesleyan 5 –4 –05 –4 –0 Bethel (KS) 5 –4 –05 –5 –0 Ottawa 5 –4 –05 –5 –0 Friends 2 –7 –02 –8 –0 Sterling 1 –8 –01 –9 –0 Tabor 1 –8 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1988 Mid-South Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 7 Cumberland (KY) $^ 5 –0 –010 –1 –0 No. 24 Georgetown (KY) 4 –1 –07 –3 –0 Evansville 3 –2 –05 –5 –0 Union (KY) 2 –3 –06 –4 –0 Kentucky Wesleyan 1 –4 –04 –6 –0 Campbellsville 0 –5 –00 –11 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1988 Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 21 Nebraska Wesleyan $^ 5 –0 –07 –3 –0 Dana 3 –2 –06 –4 –0 Doane 3 –2 –04 –5 –0 Midland 3 –2 –04 –6 –0 Concordia (NE) 1 –4 –03 –6 –0 Hastings 0 –5 –03 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1988 North Dakota College Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 17 Valley City State $^ 6 –0 –07 –3 –0 No. 16 Dickinson State 5 –1 –08 –1 –0 Minot State 4 –2 –06 –3 –0 Jamestown 3 –3 –04 –5 –0 Mayville State 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 NDSCS–Wahpeton 1 –5 –03 –6 –0 Mary 1 –5 –02 –7 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1988 South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 8 Sioux Falls $^ 5 –0 –09 –1 –1 Huron 3 –2 –07 –3 –0 Black Hills State 3 –2 –03 –6 –0 Dakota Wesleyan 3 –2 –03 –7 –0 South Dakota Tech 1 –4 –01 –8 –0 Dakota State 0 –5 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1988 Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 9 Austin $^ 9 –1 –09 –2 –0 Tarleton State 7 –3 –07 –3 –0 Sul Ross 5 –5 –05 –5 –0 Midwestern State 4 –6 –04 –6 –0 Howard Payne 4 –6 –04 –7 –0 McMurry 1 –9 –01 –9 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |
| 1988 Tri-State Athletic Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 5 Northwestern (IA) $^ 3 –0 –012 –1 –0 Benedictine (KS) 2 –1 –07 –3 –0 Westmar 1 –2 –04 –5 –0 Peru State 0 –3 –06 –4 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1988 Wisconsin State University Conference football standings vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T Wisconsin–Whitewater $^ 7 –1 –09 –3 –0 No. 14 Wisconsin–La Crosse * 6 –2 –011 –3 –0 No. 15 Wisconsin–River Falls 6 –2 –07 –3 –0 No. 25 Wisconsin–Stevens Point 5 –3 –07 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Platteville 4 –4 –06 –4 –0 Wisconsin–Oshkosh 4 –4 –05 –4 –1 Wisconsin–Eau Claire 3 –5 –05 –5 –0 Wisconsin–Stout 1 –7 –02 –8 –0 Wisconsin–Superior 0 –8 –00 –10 –0 $ – Conference champion^ – NCAA Division III playoff participant * – NAIA Division II playoff participant Rankings from NAIA Division II poll | 1988 NAIA Division II independents football records vteConfOverall TeamW L TW L T No. 1 Westminster (PA) ^   –  14 –0 –0 No. 19 Azusa Pacific   –  7 –1 –0 No. 13 Bluffton ^   –  9 –2 –0 Geneva   –  8 –2 –0 No. 23 Wilmington (OH)   –  7 –2 –1 Franklin (IN)   –  7 –3 –0 St. Francis (IL)   –  6 –4 –0 Chadron State   –  5 –5 –0 Findlay   –  3 –6 –0 St. Ambrose   –  2 –6 –1 Tiffin   –  2 –8 –0 Waynesburg   –  2 –8 –0 Oklahoma Panhandle State   –  1 –7 –0 Iowa Wesleyan   –  0 –10 –0 ^ – NAIA Division II playoff participantRankings from NAIA Division II poll |

## Conference champions

| Conference | Champion | Record |
| Columbia | Mount Rainier League: Central Washington Mount Hood League: Oregon Tech | 6–0 6–0 |
| Frontier | Carroll (MT) | 6–0 |
| Heart of America | Evangel | 7–0 |
| Illini-Badger | Concordia–Wisconsin | 8–1 |
| Kansas | Bethany | 9–0 |
| Mid-South | Cumberland (KY) | 5–0 |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Wesleyan | 5–0 |
| North Dakota | Valley City State | 6–0 |
| South Dakota | Sioux Falls | 5–0 |
| Tri-State | Northwestern (IA) | 3–0 |
| WSUC | Wisconsin–Whitewater | 7–1 |

## Rankings

Final NAIA Division II poll rankings:
| Rank | Team (first place votes) | Record (thru Nov. 12) | Points |
| 1 | Westminster (PA) (16) | 10–0 | 518 |
| 2 | Evangel | 9–0 | 486 |
| 3 | Carroll (MT) (3) | 9–0 | 474 |
| 4 | Central Washington (1) | 9–0 | 466 |
| 5 | Northwestern (IA) (1) | 10–0 | 452 |
| 6 | Bethany (KS) | 9–0 | 418 |
| 7 | Cumberland (KY) | 10–0 | 404 |
| 8 | Sioux Falls | 9–0–1 | 370 |
| 9 | Austin | 9–1 | 340 |
| 10 | Baker | 8–1 | 332 |
| 11 | Pacific Lutheran | 7–2 | 332 |
| 12 | Oregon Tech | 7–2 | 270 |
| 13 | Bluffton | 8–1 | 254 |
| 14 | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 8–2 | 241 |
| 15 | Wisconsin–River Falls | 7–3 | 211 |
| 16 | Dickinson State | 7–1 | 200 |
| 17 | Valley City State | 7–2 | 187 |
| 18 | Concordia (WI) | 8–1 | 162 |
| 19 | Azusa Pacific | 7–1 | 130 |
| 20 | Linfield | 7–2 | 129 |
| 21 | Nebraska Wesleyan | 7–2 | 118 |
| 22 | Greenville | 8–1 | 117 |
| 23 | Wilmington (OH) | 7–2–1 | 79 |
| 24 | Georgetown (KY) | 7–3 | 77 |
| 25 | Wisconsin–Stevens Point | 7–4 | 29 |

## Postseason

| First Round Campus sites | First Round Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Quarterfinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Semifinals Campus sites | Championship New Wilmington, PA | Championship New Wilmington, PA | Championship New Wilmington, PA |
| Pacific Lutheran | 35 | | | | | | | |
| Oregon Tech* | 56 | | | | | | | |
| Oregon Tech* | 56 | Oregon Tech | 70 | | | | | |
| | | Carroll (MT)* | 35 | | | | | |
| Central Washington | 7 | Carroll (MT)* | 35 | | | | | |
| Carroll (MT)* | 28 | | | | | | | |
| Carroll (MT)* | 28 | | | Oregon Tech* | 24 | | | |
| | | | | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 37 | | | |
| Sioux Falls | 9 | | | | | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 37 | | | |
| Northwestern (IA)* | 14 | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern (IA)* | 14 | Northwestern (IA)* | 33 | | | | | |
| | | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 45 | | | | | |
| Valley City State | 6 | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 45 | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–La Crosse* | 31 | | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin–La Crosse* | 31 | | | | | | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 14 |
| | | | | | | | Westminster (PA)* | 21 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan | 14 | | | | | | | | Westminster (PA)* | 21 |
| Evangel* | 45 | | | | | | | |
| Evangel* | 45 | Evangel* | 22 | | | | | |
| | | Bethany | 10 | | | | | |
| Baker | 19 | Bethany | 10 | | | | | |
| Bethany* | 21 | | | | | | | |
| Bethany* | 21 | | | Evangel | 9 | | | |
| | | | | Westminster (PA)* | 26 | | | |
| Bluffton | 30 | | | | | Westminster (PA)* | 26 | | | |
| Cumberland (KY)* | 14 | | | | | | | |
| Cumberland (KY)* | 14 | Bluffton | 7 | | | | | |
| | | Westminster (PA)* | 40 | | | | | |
| Austin | 12 | Westminster (PA)* | 40 | | | | | |
| Westminster (PA)* | 34 | | | | | | | |